Thailand’s answer to the Sam Raimi Universe returns with a prolific third film in three years, riding on the success of the original Netflix Blockbuster helmed by the incredibly versatile Nadech Kugimiya, who is the “Ash Williams” this side of the world. Nadech’s Yak once again leads his family into the corrupted jungles of Bongsanodbiang (now say it three times faster), where they engage in a brand-new adventure that somehow feels strangely familiar at the same time.
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For Yak and gang, death is no longer a whisper, but a constant wakeup call that is a living nightmare. His sister, Yard (Denise Jelilcha Kapaun), is pregnant and returns to the family home to bask in good vibes, but the joy is short-lived when the youngest sister, Yee (Natcha Nina Jessica Padovan), goes missing. Once again, a sweetly sentimental buildup gives way to a grim second act after a Quija-inspired spirit-calling ritual points the siblings towards Yee’s location in Bongsanodbiang.
True fans of the series would enjoy the origin and lore of the Black Spirit (Manita Chobchuen, uglifying herself once again) and other spooks haunting the forest, providing undoubtedly some of the more imaginative writing in the third outing for a series that is starting to lose steam. But ‘Death Whisperer 3’ does pull some novel tricks out of the hat.
There are the random sequences of exploitative jump scares, grad-school-type makeup and a ‘creature from the black lagoon-esque’ reveal that is not quite as scary as it makes it out to be. No punches were pulled, but none of the impact felt.
However, Nadech’s versatility shines through, and the action movie star’s bravado translated well into a thoroughly convincing and entertaining performance, but less can be said of his fellow castmates, who played such blink-and-you-miss-it characters that you would not be sad if any of them got killed off. The adventure ambles on into a hollow pit of senseless dialogue (“We should ask somebody, but there is no one here”) and plot devices that had the characters run around hopelessly like dogs on leashes; the recipe that was so enjoyable for the first film was not as appealing the third time around.
Nevertheless, like its predecessors, the gore is dialled to a thousand, grotesque violence is abundant, and the outrageousness is ripe for laughter, making “Death Whisperer 3” still enjoyable for a popcorn horror post-dinner affair.
A spin-off and sequel are in the works, but unless Narit Yuvaboon gets inventive, it is back to the graveyard for the Black Spirit and her ghouls.
