Tomb Watcher Review: A Ghost Throwing a Tantrum

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

The premise for ‘Tomb Watcher’ is fun (for a horror film): A man and his lover must spend 100 days with the corpse of his dead wife in order to inherit her large fortune. But, we never get flashbacks to when exactly the wife makes this bizarrely wicked will. And in one of the most disappointing turns, the wife’s ghost rarely traumatizes the husband, keeping her wrath reserved for the girlfriend. Not fair.

Directed by Oat Vatanyu Ingkavivat, ‘Tomb Watcher’ (สุสานคนเป็น) is set in the 1990s and stars Gap Thanavate Siriwattanagul as Chev, the central protagonist who secretly begins an affair with office worker Ros (Goy Arachaporn Pokinpakorn). His wealthy wife Lunthom (Nune Woranuch Bhirombhakdi) is increasingly absent, first consumed by work and later weakened by illness. Immediately after Ros dies, Chev takes Ros to a beautiful Bungalow away from the city for a romantic retreat, but the real plan is to look after Lunthom’s dead body for the next 100 days to get her money.

Gap Thanavate Siriwattanagul’s portrayal of Chev feels more lifeless than Lunthom’s ghost, making it hard to believe he could charm two beautiful young women. His onscreen chemistry with both co-stars is lack-luster. But to the actor’s credit, he is convincingly creepy in the climactic scenes, when he briefly gets possessed by Lunthom.

In contrast, Goy Arachaporn Pokinpakorn delivers a strong performance as Ros, despite playing the despicable “other woman.” Nune Woranuch Bhirombhakdi is spirited too, first as the betrayed wife Lunthom, and later as her vengeful ghost. Unfortunately, the special effects and makeup for Lunthom’s spirit aren’t nearly scary enough. And my biggest gripe? The ghost seems more invested in torturing Ros than punishing Chev, the guy who deserves being haunted in equal measure, if not more.

With a tight runtime of about 90 minutes, ‘Tomb Watcher’ isn’t spooky at all in its first hour, the few chilling violent scenes finally unfold in the last half-hour. Goy Arachaporn Pokinpakorn was last seen in the Thai horror-comedy ‘The Red Envelope’, which is a far more entertaining film. I’d recommend you watch that instead.

Rating: 4 on 10. ‘Tomb Watcher’ is on Netflix.

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