Film

Pee Mak

Name: Pee Mak
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Horror
Released: 2013
Cast: Mario Maurer, Davika Hoorne, Nattapong Chatpong, Pongsatorn Jongwilas, Attharut Kongrasri

A Thai comedy-horror-romance that hijacks a classic ghost story to ask whether love survives death—and whether a devoted wife would let her husband's grief stand in her way. Funny, grotesque, and oddly tender, it swings between slapstick and genuine horror with the confidence of a film that knows exactly what it is.

TMDb rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like a ghost story that treats domestic bickering and devotion as the same thing, with jokes that land because the characters take their love so seriously.

Skip it if you want genuine scares or a tight, fast plot, since its frights are gentle and its middle drifts through a lot of broad physical farce at an unhurried pace.

What it asks of you: Around two hours, it takes its time, swinging between giggles and quiet tenderness, so settle in rather than expecting a quick hit.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Ghostbusters1984

A template for how to make something genuinely scary and genuinely hilarious by treating the impossible as a practical problem. The tonal balance—never letting either emotion cancel out the other—is exactly what Pee Mak does.

But It's American 80s comedy, so if you're watching for Thai texture and sensibility, you'll get something quite different underneath.

Evil Dead II1987

Sam Raimi proved you could marry visceral horror with slapstick without either one feeling compromised. The gore is funny because the protagonist is having the worst possible day, not because the filmmaking is winking at you.

But More relentlessly anarchic and less interested in emotional stakes than Pee Mak. If you want the sweetness, this might feel too chaotic.

Warm Bodies2013

A romantic comedy where the obstacle isn't misunderstanding but literal undeath. Like Pee Mak, it asks whether love can bridge a fundamentally impossible divide, and it commits to the premise without irony.

But PG-13 American teenage romance sensibility. Pee Mak is messier, darker, and far less concerned with being likable.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Pee Mak

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

A Tale of Two Sisters2003

Both are Asian films that root their ghost stories in family obligation and love rather than American individualism. Both understand that hauntings are about what the living owe the dead.

A South Korean ghost story that looks like a fairy tale and operates like a nightmare. The visual grammar is entirely different from Western horror-comedy, and it's devastatingly beautiful. Proof that the region's approach to haunting and family trauma is entirely its own language.

But Deliberately paced, heavily symbolic, and offers no jokes or levity. It's art-film serious, and watching it back-to-back with Pee Mak would be tonal whiplash.

Shaun of the Dead2004

British zombie comedy that uses horror tropes as a lens for friendship and loyalty. The best jokes come from character and situation, not just 'look, gore.' The emotional core is real.

But Slower and more dialogue-driven in the first half. If you want the horror-comedy balance immediate, this takes its time.

What We Do in the Shadows2014

A mockumentary about centuries-old vampires in Wellington, New Zealand, treating the supernatural as mundane. Genre comedy that never loses sight of why these characters matter to each other.

But The humour is dry and often deadpan. If you're looking for the visual grotesqueness and shock moments of Pee Mak, this is far more restrained.

Scary Movie 22001

Satire of horror films that actually understands what makes them work. Commits to the bit and the characters; it's not just a montage of 'remember this scene?'

But Relies on pop-culture references that age quickly. Pee Mak feels timeless by contrast because it's rooted in Thai folklore and genuine character.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil2010

A horror-comedy that subverts expectations by making you care about the 'villains.' Gory and hilarious, but the emotional investment sneaks up on you.

But Smaller budget and lower production values. The gore is fun but doesn't have the craft or craft of a bigger studio picture.

An American Werewolf in London1981

The gold standard for tonal whiplash. Funny, romantic, terrifying—sometimes within the same scene. Rick Baker's practical effects still hold up. It takes the ridiculous premise seriously.

But Slower pacing, and the horror does outstay the comedy. If you want them equally balanced throughout, this tips more toward dread in the final act.

Drag Me to Hell2009

Sam Raimi returns to form with a film about a woman cursed by a wronged elderly gypsy. Grotesque, funny, and genuinely suspenseful. The tone never wavers.

But Relentlessly grim underneath the comedy. There's no real romantic core or emotional reprieve like Pee Mak provides.

Cemetery of Splendor2015

Both are Thai films about devotion to someone who belongs partially to another world. One is explosive comedy; this one is silence. Both are uncompromising about what love means.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's film about a mysterious illness that makes soldiers sleep indefinitely, and the woman who tends to one of them. It's a love story, a ghost story, and a meditation on mortality, told with the patience of someone who knows time isn't the problem—attention is. Thai cinema at its most meditative.

But Glacially slow, deliberately obscure in plot, largely dialogue-free. If you want narrative clarity or momentum, this will frustrate you immediately.

The Fearless Vampire Killers1967

Both films treat classical horror narratives (the vampire, the ghost) as frameworks for absurdist comedy and genuine feeling. Both believe the monster story is really about human attachment.

Roman Polanski's baroque vampire comedy, all snow and candelabras and slapstick violence. It's campy and mannered in a way modern films have forgotten how to be. The artifice is the point. Visually lush, structurally wild, and genuinely funny.

But 1967 pacing and attitudes, plus Polanski's particular sensibility. It feels like a different species of film. Not immediately accessible unless you're already interested in period horror-comedy.