| The Cursed Land | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Panu Aree |
| Producer: | Nonzee Nimibutr |
| Music: | Terdsak Janpan |
| Cinematography: | Chankit Chamnivikaipong |
| Production Companies: | Neramitnang Film |
| Runtime: | 130 minutes |
| Country: | Thailand |
The Cursed Land (Thai: แดนสาป, in Thai pronounced as /dɛ̄ːn sàːp/) is a 2024 Thai supernatural horror film starring Ananda Everingham, Bront Palarae, Jennis Oprasert and Seeda Puapimon.
Mit, a chief factory engineer moves with his teenage daughter May to two-story ancient wooden house in Nong Chok, a Muslim-majority suburb of Bangkok. His wife had just died due to his carelessness. This made him feel deeply guilty and often had headaches for no apparent reason. From the first day he moved in, Mit felt alienated and distrustful of the locals, which they only said he can renovate this house. But do not move or throw away anything from the house.
One of those people is Heem, a Muslim man who often prowls in front of the house in an untrustworthy manner. A thorough sceptic, Mit gets rid of the talismans in the house, defying the warnings of the locals, and in the process unleashes vengeful djinns and its 200-year-old curse.
The Cursed Land is set in the rainforests of Malaya Peninsula. It was filmed in a real location in the Baha-Hala Forestland, Narathiwat Province in lower southern Thailand, which is the border with Malaysia. The house is assumed to be Mit and May's new home was filmed at Ban Khiao (บ้านเขียว, in Thai pronounced as /bâːn kʰǐa̯w/, "green house"), a real ancient wooden house that is famous for being a haunted house in Ayutthaya Province.[1]
When the film releases a trailer and poster to promote it. It appears to be ghostly Muslim women in prayer clothes. There is criticism that this is an insult to Islam. The producer has denied this and has issued a written clarification.[2] [3] [4]
It is the second film about superstition and supernatural beings among Muslims after The Djinn's Curse, which was released in November 2023, making them rare content in the Thai film industry.[5] Panu Aree, the director and co-writer is also a Muslim.[4]
The film releases domestically on July 11, 2024, and has been shown at several international film festivals such as International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in the Netherlands, Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival in Vietnam, Asian Film Festivals in Italy, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) in South Korea, and New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) in USA.[6]
Facebook Jubphitnang criticized that "it's like they're taking us into a haunted house, the Muslim version of The Conjuring".[1]
Sirote Klampaiboon of Matichon Weekly writes that "although its form looks like a horror genre, but in essence it is a mystery film that should be credited with having a magical realism style. Because it is full of supernatural things mixed with the real world all the time". He also praised it as a Thai film that cannot be missed, because it concerns the issue of space, which is a regional and global issue. The Cursed Land is a Thai film that goes to new frontiers, which never seen in many years.[7]