Death Whisperer

Death Whisperer (also known as Tee Yod; ธี่หยด) is a 2023 Thai supernatural horror film adapted from Krittanon's novel Tee Yod. Directed by Thaweewat Wanta, it stars Nadech Kugimiya, Rattanawadee Wongthong, Denise Jelilcha Kapaun, Karj-bundit Jaidee, Peerakit Patcharabunyakiat, Arisara Wongchalee and Paramet Noi-um. Produced by Major Join Film and BEC World, a joint venture of BEC World (Channel 3) and Major Join Film.

Plot
The story takes place with a Thai-Chinese family in a village far from civilization in 1972 in Kanchanaburi province. A farmer family with six children including three sons, Yak, Yos, Yod, and three daughters, Yad, Yam, Yee, respectively.

Suddenly, horror happened to a young girl in the village. When she suddenly dies due to mysterious reasons. Soon after, it started happening to this family. When the three daughters encounter a mysterious and ghostly woman in black dress on the way home from school.

Not long after, Yam was sick with strange symptoms. Her expression changed into a frightening one. Along with the eerie sounds that Yad heard in the middle of the night. It is a repeated, "Tee Yod, Tee Yod".

When the family is facing such a supernatural threat. Former soldier and hot-blooded eldest son, Yak, must return home to solve all the problems.

Cast

 * Nadech Kugimiya as Yak
 * Rattanawadee Wongtong as Yam
 * Denise Jelilcha Kapaun as Yad
 * Kajbundit Jaidee as Yos
 * Peerakit Patcharabunyakiat as Yod
 * Nutthatcha Padovan as Yee
 * Arisara Wongchalee as Boonyen
 * Paramet Noi-um as Hang
 * Ongart Cheamcharoenpornkul as Serge Paphan
 * Porjade Kaenpetch as Mr. Puth
 * Manita Chobchuen as Woman in Black Dress
 * Jampa Saenprom as Chuay
 * Michelle Samiha Lamloet Haque as Nat

Original soundtrack

 * "Tee doen-thang klap ma" (ธี่เดินทางกลับมา; "Returning"), ending theme by Kan The Parkinson
 * "Prod terd duang jai" (โปรดเถิดดวงใจ; "Please, Darling"), ending theme by Toon Tongjai

Production and background
Death Whisperer is based on a horror story posted on Pantip.com in late May 2015, which had over 2,000 comments and forwarded 130,000 times. The story was rewritten into a novel released in 2017 by the same author. It was just a few months before the film was released, it was also told again on a popular ghost program on the radio station. Krittanon, the author claims is a true story that happened to his mother's family in the past when she was a 15-year-old teenager in a province in the central region.

The term "Tee Yod", originating from a mysterious woman in black dress, remains enigmatic in both its meaning and linguistic origin. It has been suggested that it might be the Mon language. However, Ong Bunjoon, an expert in Mon arts and culture say that this word has no meaning. Moreover, he himself had never heard this word before, and if there is any word with the closest pronunciation. It's pronounced as Tae Yod (แตะ โหยด) which means "waist swing".

Taweewat Wantha, the director admits that he took the ghost's haunting style from the 1981 film The Evil Dead, in which a ghost haunts people in bugging ways. It is a ghost that laughs at viewers and has insane ways of haunting people.

The film held a sacrifice ceremony at Channel 3 Studio, Nong Khaem on the Monday, April 24, 2023, and began filming the first queue on the Wednesday, April 26. Before on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, the filmmakers released a poster of the film out to be seen. On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, the first teaser was released to be seen and the cast was officially revealed.

Later, on Monday, September 25, 2023, Major Cineplex and IMAX Corporation together with Major Join Film jointly announced the release of the film to be shown on official IMAX. The film was shot by using a dedicated from IMAX-certified camera, and send to remasted with IMAX DMR technology. It is the first Thai movie to be shown in IMAX theaters and Krungsri IMAX, all 7 official branches in Thailand.

Later on Thursday, September 28, 2023, Channel 3 and M Studio held a worship ceremony and press conference to launch the film at the front yard of Maleenont Tower Building (Channel 3).

Most of the filming locations were in Kanchanaburi province, a place where Krittanon claims is the actual location. The large tree that is the haunt of the woman in black dress is a real tree. The art director teams mocked up the lower part to make it look more menacing. The temple fair scenes were filmed at Wat Nong Bua Khon, Nakhon Nayok province.

Release and reception
A gala premiere for Death Whisperer was held on October 24, 2023, two days before the nationwide screening, at Infinity Hall, 5th floor, Siam Paragon attended by the entire cast and crew. The pre-show started on 7:00 p.m. of October 26, 2023 only in Major Cineplex, IMAX theater and selected SF Cinema, Zigma CineStadium theater. At the event, Krittanon's mother (Yad in the film), the story's originator, also attended.

Its first day of screening was on Thursday, October 26, 2023, earning 39 million baht, making it the Thai film with the highest grossing opening of the year. Before making an income of 100 million baht in just 3 days. And after being released for only 5 days has already grossed 300 million baht, making it the fastest-grossing Thai film of the year. The film was released in Singapore on December 14 thought Golden Village and Killermud Films. Death Whisperer was also released in Malaysia and Brunei by mm2 Entertainment and Shanghai Pictures on January 4, 2024 and in the Philippines by Pioneer Films on February 21. Later, it made a record of being the 9th highest grossing Thai film of all time in Bangkok, Metropolitan and Chiang Mai.

After the film had been in theaters for about a month and had made a lot of money, Channel 3 and Major Join Film, the copyright owners, arranged the lowest ticket price to only 69 baht, and in the IMAX system it was only 99 baht.

Until the beginning of December, the end of the program, the ticket price was only 39 baht.

In Singapore, the film received mixed reviews. Cherlynn Ng of The New Paper writes that "the well-paced film blends a compelling narrative, memorable characters and an atmosphere oozing with unease," while Douglas Tseng of 8 Days compared the film with other horror films that were released in Singapore and wrote "it’s tough not to go in feeling" indifferent.

April 10, 2024 Death Whisperer Released on Netflix

Sequel
In an interview on Channel 3's Hone-Krasae program, Taweewat Wantha said that a sequel is very possible. Moreover, the film itself seems to convey the same meaning. The ending scene shows Yak invading and destroying the broken spirit house and the large tree which is the habitat of the woman in the black dress, and concluded by saying, "This is not the end" along with seeing a woman in a black dress in the reflection of his eyes.

On January 31, 2024, Nadech Kugimiya, who plays the role of Yak, gave an interview at an event that Death Whisperer Part 2 is preparing to start filming in March. Nadech further said that he went to talk with the producer and director at the end of last year after the success of the first film and wanted to make a second part because he thought some viewers were annoyed by the black-robed ghost and wanted to know when how and when revenge will be obtained and who will it come from? The second part will probably tell the story here and there will be further discussion about the details and story of this part.