- Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun
- Story and producer: Na Hong-jin
- Writers: Chantavit Dhanasevi, Siwawut Sewatanon, Choi Cha-won, with Na Hong-jin and Pisanthanakun
- Cast: Sawanee Utoomma, Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sirani Yankittikan
- Country and language: Thailand and South Korea, Thai with English subtitles
- Genre: Supernatural horror, exorcism, mockumentary
- Streaming debut: Shudder, 14 October 2021
- Where to watch: Check our JustWatch widget
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If you’re a fan of Asian flicks, you have probably seen and loved The Wailing. The Wailing and The Yellow Sea which are films Mother of Movies personally really enjoyed. Thai director Pisanthanakun is no stranger to accolades and his directorial debut in 2004, Shutter, became an American remake in 2008.
Spoiler ZoneSpoilers start below. Everything above this line is spoiler free. Watch the film first if you want to go in fresh.
Is the Medium a True Stroy?
No, The Medium isn’t based on a true story, but it wants you to wonder. This Thai–South Korean exorcism horror is shot like a documentary about a shaman in Isan, in northeastern Thailand, and it leans so hard on real spirit traditions that it feels like something you shouldn’t be watching. Written and directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter), with Na Hong-jin of The Wailing behind the story, here’s my spoiler-free review, plus cast, rating and where to watch.
The Full Medium Movie Has An Exorcism
The Medium dropped on the Shudder platform on October 14th, 2021. It sets off in Thailand as a documentary-style film. It opens with the background and history of shaman culture in the Isan area and explains the idealism behind spirits being present in everything. From the rice fields and homes to people, animals, and artifacts, both evil and good spirits affect everything we do. Nim is the focus of the story and she has been blessed with a possessing spirit, passed down from generation to generation. This blessing affords her the status of a shaman in her village.
What is immediately obvious having seen a few of Na’s previous films, is that his ability to influence the creep factor within events in his story. It’s an invaluable asset. By flushing religion and culture into The Medium in such a factual way, it convinces you that what you are watching could be based on real events. Anecdotal evidence and religion make it feel far more atmospheric. Like you are getting an inside view into something ancient and long-ingrained.
Whether you believe the religious aspects and how these themes eke their way into the lives of the people it embraces becomes an experience that can cause you to doubt what you think you believe in. As Nim explains what her role is as a shaman and how it influences things and people, there is obvious concern about her perceived “powers.” But when things outside the scope of that creep in, it’s her beliefs that help her through everything that life throws at her.
For those who love their films to have elaborate and well-thought-out storylines, what develops will satiate that desire. The story quickly devolves into a heavy-set possession film when Nim’s niece shows symptoms of what is initially believed to be an inheritance of the same spirit that she was given in her youth. Performances are quite good and I particularly enjoyed Sawanee Utoomma’s Nim.
The Medium is creepy, violent, and the type of horror I enjoy. My main gripe was with a character called Manit who through either terrible language translations or a subpar attribute falls headfirst into one of my least favorite tropes. As Mink begins to slowly lose control of whatever spirits are taking over her, he constantly shouts at her about being crazy. With so much lead-in about the history and belief systems, his behavior during these moments was super annoying. There were other ‘stupid decision-making’ scenarios that wore thin as well.
There is no doubt though, that The Medium has all the ingredients for a solid exorcism film. But I will warn you, if you are sensitive to animal death this may be one to skip. For more details on what happens see the spoiler section below.
I give The Medium
3.5 Exorcism movies out of 5
Similar Titles: Movies Like The Medium
- Night’s End (2022): One man, one apartment and something that won’t leave him alone.
- The Wailing (2016): Na Hong-jin’s own shaman-and-exorcism nightmare, set in a Korean village where something is very wrong.
- Sorry About the Demon (2022): A horror-comedy about what happens when your new house comes with a demon.
- Shutter (2004): Banjong Pisanthanakun’s debut, the Thai ghost story that got the 2008 American remake.
- The Banishing (2020): A 1930s vicar moves his family into a rectory with a bad history, and the house has other ideas about who’s in charge.
- Incantation (2022): A Taiwanese found-footage curse story about a mother trying to protect her daughter.
- The Wailing (2016): A Korean language classic with a Demon called “The Stranger.”
- Veronica (2017): A young girl in a small village discovers that seances are not to be trifled with. Based on real events.
- Exhuma (2024): Korean shamans and a feng shui master are hired to deal with a cursed grave.
- The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014): A film crew documents a woman with Alzheimer’s, and something else seems to have moved in.
- The Last Exorcism (2010): A documentary crew follows a minister who has lost his faith on one last exorcism.
Is The Medium 2021 on Shudder
You can watch “The Medium” movie in most countries on the Shudder horror streaming platform. Check the streaming widget below for more options.
The Medium (2021) Where To Watch:
The Medium Spoiler Section – Ending and Deaths
Does the Dog Die in the Medium Movie?
The Medium ending involves Noi who owns a little white dog despite running a dog meat business. They point out that people keep fish as pets but still eat fish. Noi says having a pet dog is not so strange. When Mink is heavily influenced by her possessions, she is shown creeping around the house, eating things from the fridge, and generally making a mess. One night cameras capture her killing the dog and eating it.
There is also the death of a baby at the end of The Medium 2021, but this is off-camera.
“The Medium” is a Shaman Chiller Exorcism Film – Watch the Trailer
