RESURRECTING AN ANCIENT LEGEND

Pokpong Khumwan's new Prime Video movie Host reimagines the Thai guardian spirit Mae Sue

- STORY: TATAT BUNNAG

n Oct 23, Prime Video invites audiences into the haunting world of Mae Sue. Host, a chilling original film, reimagines one of the country's oldest folk beliefs for a new generation.

Rooted in the myth of Mae Sue, a guardian spirit said to protect children from birth until age 12, the film transforms this once comforting presence into a figure of terror. Set within the claustrophobic confines of an isolated girls' reform school, Host merges folklore, psychological horror and social allegory into a story that promises to unsettle viewers long after the credits roll.

For director Pokpong Khumwan, known for Siam Square (2017) and Girl From Nowhere (2018), the project represents both a creative challenge and a cultural responsibility.

"In my spare time, I often find myself jotting down new story ideas most of which tend to circle back to the horror genre," the director told Life during a recent exclusive interview.

"When I looked back through decades of Thai horror cinema, I realised that Mae Sue a spirit familiar to almost everyone and one that people often reference in jokes or everyday life - had never actually been depicted in film. That struck me as surprising and it felt like a creative opportunity worth exploring."

The film centres on Ing (Thitiya "Baipor" Jirapornsilp), a frail young girl sent to a reformatory school on a remote island where obedience is the only rule. Surrounded by cruelty and hierarchy, Ing becomes the target of Aim (Veerinsara "Perth" Tungkitsuvanich), the ruthless head student who rules the dormitory with fear. When eerie events begin to occur, Ing is forced to question whether she's being haunted or if the haunting comes from within herself.

For Pokpong, the school isn't merely a backdrop, but an essential psychological landscape.