I find that Nang Nak could be considered as a typical example of a sub genre of horror movies. It can be defined a "religious horror" movie since it highlights the horror-generating element's (in this case the ghost) human component. Rather than scare the audience, it triggers deep religious compassion. In fact, the story centers on a young woman, Nak, who refuses to acknowledge her own death. Her binding love for her husband is too deep to be defeated by Death. Hence, convinced that she is still human and not a ghost, she awaits his return from the war even after her death during delivery. This is why she kills all those who attempt to warn him about the strange situation. The movie reaches a climax in the last scene, which is intense and charged with pathos. Deep in the forest a group of monks forms the setting for the exorcism, calling to mind the chorus of a Greek tragedy. There is no horror in the scene, which is instead a religious ceremony conducted with respect for the dead. The High Priest represents all that is sacred, unlike the exorcist who attempts to free the village from the curse by violating Nak's tomb and destroying the body. The High Priest treats Nak like a person who has the right to wish her husband goodbye in order to rest in peace. The scene in which husband and wife join hands for the last time is charged with aching emotion. The narrator's off-screen voice inserts the story among Thai legends and the audience perceives that it verges on reality and as such could occur again.
Review of Nang Nak
