The Cursed Land (film)

Lore & Background

The film follows Mit, an engineer who moves with his teenage daughter May to a two-story ancient wooden house in Nong Chok, a Muslim-majority suburb of Bangkok, after his wife Ann dies in a car accident. Mit removes protective Arabic and Jawi talismans from the house despite local warnings, leading to hauntings and disturbances. May seeks help from Buddhist bhikkhus, who decline because the disturbances are outside their spiritual jurisdiction, and is directed to Islamic spiritualists. Heem, a local bomoh, and his mentor Zainab reveal that the house is cursed due to events 200 years ago involving an evil Siamese landlord, Malay Muslim slaves, and a bomoh named Kadir who invoked an Ifrit's power to curse the land. The film's plot involves exorcism, djinns, and the destruction of Kadir's kris.

Reader's Guide

The Cursed Land is significant as a rare Thai film that centers on Islamic supernatural beliefs, following The Djinn's Curse (2023). It addresses themes of space, regional conflict, and cultural intersection, as noted by critic Sirote Klampaiboon, who praised it as a Thai film going to new frontiers. The film sparked controversy over its trailer showing ghostly Muslim women in prayer clothes, which the producer denied as insulting to Islam. It was filmed in the Baha-Hala Forestland, Narathiwat Province, and the haunted house set was a real ancient wooden house in Ayutthaya Province. The film's release on July 11, 2024, and its screening at multiple international festivals underscore its global reach.

Did You Know?

• The film is set in Nong Chok, a suburb of Bangkok, not in the rainforests of Malaya Peninsula.
• The film was not filmed in Narathiwat Province; it was primarily shot in Bangkok and Ayutthaya Province.
• The haunted house in the film is based on a real ancient wooden house in Ayutthaya Province known as Ban Khiao.
• The director and co-writer Panu Aree is a Muslim.
• The film faced criticism for its trailer depicting ghostly Muslim women in prayer clothes, which the producer denied as insulting.