Khong Khaek 2 (2026)

Improved visual quality, but suffers from inconsistent plots.

The theme of "Jinn" is not foreign to me culturally, and it has become a central theme of most of the Indonesian and Malaysian horror films I've watched growing up. And the Pattani Malay spoken in this movie is something I'm very familiar with as well. But in Thailand, this theme is rather new, as their horror film revolves more around the core Buddhist cosmology, like karma, reincarnation, and merit-making. So I was simply giving this film a shot given that Thailand doesn't have many movies centered around the Muslim community, especially in the southernmost provinces of Thailand.

Set in Narawathiwat, the core of this film is pretty much similar to the first one, which is the black magic practice from the Tok Nenek (in context, it refers to the dark practice passed through generations). The focus this time shifts to "Qareen," with a new set of protagonists. While it doesn't really offer anything drastically new compared to other Islamic-themed horror films I've seen, it definitely has that signature Thai horror film style that really elevates the production quality. The visual, production design, and atmosphere of this sequel are noticeably improved, establishing the eerie tone from the start. The CGI is way more polished too. As for the jump scares and the variety of ghosts in the story, it works well, though for a horror enthusiast like me, it still feels somewhat mild.

All of the cast did an amazing job, especially Mim Rattanawadee as Diana, a young newlywed whose life takes a dark turn after she vanishes into the mysterious Budo Mountains. The way she switches between two completely different emotional spaces is genuinely impressive—the vulnerability of a young, terrified wife with the harrowing, physically demanding states of supernatural possession. She's really reinforcing her status as one of Thailand's new contemporary "scream queens."

Now, despite the improved visual and good performance, the main issue with this film is its screenplay and narrative. While it tries to highlight the concepts of testing one's faith, the script is haphazard, lacking depth to make the whole idea cohesive. The story doesn't have enough meat on its bones. Plus, the editing feels rough and jarring too, making some scenes feel disjointed. While the first 30 minutes managed to lay out the plot decently and build up the scary atmosphere, the shifts in between the story of Anas's quest to release his wife's Qareen, to Lin's desperate escape through the forest aren't clearly explored.

Overall, while this sequel is better than its predecessor in terms of production quality, it unfortunately suffers from inconsistent and confusing plots. That said, I wouldn't write it off completely—it has potential and could work as an interesting entry point if you're looking for something different and haven't explored this theme much before. To me, it's nothing special, just solidly average.

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