Revenge horror/thriller is an exciting subgenre, and in Tomb Watcher, director Vathanyu Ingkawiwat attempts to explore it with a dose of soap-opera-esque drama. The first few minutes of the film will convince you that Lunthom and Cheev were passionately in love. You assume that perhaps it’s the kind of all-consuming romance that is borderline obsessive. Maybe if one of them dies, the other would prefer living with their corpse over letting go. But the layers are gradually peeled back, and the cracks in their relationship are eventually revealed. The plot is not unique; after all, it’s a love triangle! But the narrative structure successfully builds intrigue. We gradually get to know the characters better, and the overall story is revealed in bits and pieces, helping keep the interest going.
When Cheev and Lunthom crossed paths for the first time, they immediately felt attracted to each other. He was an artist, and she was an entrepreneur, and while their lives were quite different, they were drawn together by love. They eventually got married, and they promised to be with each other forever. When Lunthom fell sick, Cheev stayed by her side. Their love story was straight out of a romance novel, or at least that’s how it looked at first. It’s gradually revealed that Cheev was not the loyal partner that Lunthom thought he was, and that turned out to be the biggest disappointment of her life. The man she’d dreamt of being with forever had been cheating on her. His girlfriend, Ros, was Lunthom’s employee, and seeing her husband’s mistress every day at work was distressing for her. To make matters worse, Cheev didn’t feel guilty about his actions and gaslighted Lunthom, accusing her of being the reason behind his unhappiness. He blamed her for holding him captive in an unfulfilling marriage even though he knew how deeply she loved him and that she was willing to go to any length to ensure his happiness. Lunthom didn’t give up on her marriage; instead, she tried to make things work with Cheev. She was hopeful that, just like before, he would fall in love with her again and their lives would go back to normal. But as luck would have it, Lunthom’s life was cut short. Her sudden death was a reason for celebration for Cheev and his girlfriend, Ros. They’d always hoped to be together forever, and after Lunthom’s funeral, they planned on making their relationship official. But there was a catch—according to Lunthom’s will, Cheev had to spend the next 100 days looking after her corpse, and only then would he inherit all her possessions. It was a strange clause—perhaps it reflected her desperation to be with Cheev even after her demise, or maybe it was her way to test how far Cheev was willing to go for worldly possessions.
The film takes a catty turn when Lunthom’s ghost starts to haunt Ros. She despised the young girl and blamed her to an extent for ruining her marriage. It was obvious that her husband was equally responsible for the affair, but Lunthom’s hatred was mostly directed towards his girlfriend. It felt too biased watching her mostly torment his girlfriend, somewhat typically adhering to the notion that women get into fights with each other over men, instead of holding the man accountable. Does the film also intend to satisfy its audience by granting them the pleasure of watching a woman (who smoked and was money-driven, the typical ‘fallen woman’ combination) get tortured because she dared to fall in love with a married man? That is one way of interpreting what unfolds on screen. The saving grace in this case is that Lunthom also had plans for Cheev (since this is a spoiler-free review, we’re not getting into the details).
The ending of Tomb Watcher wasn’t as predictable as I thought it would be. It rather leaves some room for speculation. In the horror-drama mix, the drama works decently well, but the horror is not up to the mark. Apart from a few jump scares, there is not much going on. Maybe a more abstract supernatural presence would’ve been more effective than an actual ghost walking around. Also, how can one expect a ghost with a good dose of highlighter on her face to be taken seriously?! I ended up chuckling instead of being scared of the ghost, and well, that’s never a good reaction to a horror film. As a romance drama thriller, the plot and the narrative would’ve worked well. The emotions were in the right place; the broader themes of obsession, betrayal, and greed are quite intriguing, but it’s the horror that leaves a bitter taste. Since most of the plot primarily revolves around a ghost, impactful scares are pretty much expected.
Thanavate Siriwattanagul (Master Of The House, See You Again) as the deceitful husband, Cheev, was quite convincing. Even though the character appears to be a simple and honest man, you gradually notice the change in his demeanor as his selfishness starts to surface. Rossukhon, aka Ros, portrayed by Arachaporn Pokinpakorn (The Red Envelope, Faces of Anne), aptly captures the character’s conflict. Ros was in love, and she didn’t feel guilty about it. She wanted to believe that Cheev was the man of her dreams, but there were moments when she wasn’t quite sure about her decision. Woranuch BhiromBhakdi as Lunthom realistic depicted the character’s suffering and disappointment and her journey from being a strong-willed woman to falling so deeply in love that she stopped thinking straight. Though, as I’ve stated before, Lunthom’s ghost was quite disappointing!
If you are in the mood for some melodrama with a touch of horror, then you might consider giving this Netflix Thai film a watch. But if you’re on the lookout for a frightening horror film, then I think Tomb Watcher is going to leave you disappointed. There is barely any scare factor, the ghost is not terrifying, and it lacks the spine-chilling element that you would generally expect from a horror. As a love triangle drama, the film is just about average. The film had a lot of scope to explore, considering it’s about a woman who found her man cheating on her, and she came back into his life in the form of a ghost. It could’ve been so much more brutal, but the film takes its time to get to the disturbing bit.
