Integration of folklore and native cultural elements has enriched the Asian horror scene over the last few decades. The element of supernatural dread gets an added edge when combined well with the eastern principles of karma, curses, and reincarnation—something that was the intention of Thai director Ekkachai Srivichai when he conceptualized his latest horror entry, The Cursed or Moei: The Promised. However, despite having a decent enough plotline to carry the movie forward, The Cursed is quite literally cursed with unnecessary and at times nonsensical jump scares and a confusing nonlinear narrative, which by the end becomes jam packed with subplots. With better direction, the movie had the potential of gaining a place among other lesser-known Thai cult classic horror flicks, but unfortunately The Cursed ends up being an example of how not to structure a good horror movie.Â
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did August Want To Visit Lampam House?
The Cursed begins with teenager August visiting a hospital to meet with his ailing father, Chatri Suksaeng. Chatri was living alone after getting divorced from his wife, Alice – although the duo had had a loving relationship before their son was born. Chatri belongs to the Menora or Nora dance drama families of Southern Thailand, an extremely prestigious discipline of performance arts that has deep roots in the country’s cultural, religious, and rural social foundation. Even though Chatri himself didn’t carry his family’s legacy, he deeply believed in the traditional principles and customs of Nora culture.
Fifteen years ago, Chatri and Alice had difficulties having children, which prompted the couple to visit Chatri’s ancestral home, Lampam House. Chatri had pledged to the altar of Nora ancestors that he would make his son a Nora master if they were blessed with a son in the future. Back in the present, as August goes to visit his father, he experiences a series of paranormal activities occurring around him—his father shares his last wish for August to go to Lampam House and redeem the Moei. August is confused and afraid, but he doesn’t share the incident with his mother.
Later, Alice decides to cut off the tuft on August’s hair, which Chatri had wanted him to keep along with a number of other stringent practices in order to become a Nora dancer in the future. Alice, a pragmatic, rationalist woman who has a rather affluent job in model management, didn’t share her husband’s belief about Nora culture and wanted August to have a normal upbringing like any other kid. However, as soon as she severs August’s tuft, both of them start getting haunted by apparitions, inexplicable ominous occurrences. August takes the brunt of the incident as he continuously gets traumatized by ghostly spirits of Nora dancers, and particular incidents from the past start plaguing him through visions, ultimately prompting him to ask Alice to take him to Lampam House.
A Tale of Two Brothers: Tub and Tew
Many years ago, at the Nora village where Lampam House is situated, the Moei, or master of the dancing community, found his successor in his elder son, Tew. However, his younger son, Tub, who wanted to learn the art of Nora as well, was neglected and abused by his father throughout his life. Moei’s wife, Tongsri, comforted Tub by assuring him that his father would teach him in time, but her promises turned out to be misplaced at the end. Eventually, the abandonment led Tub to lash out and express his hatred for Nora, his father, and his brother, to such an extent that he went on to ruin Nora performances. Moei decided to discipline his son by beating him profusely and locking him up in the house—doing everything to a sensitive teenager that he shouldn’t have as a father.
Finally, one day, Tub snapped—and decided to take revenge for his humiliation by pushing his brother, Tew, into water, drowning him. Tub’s vengeful streak didn’t stop here, and he even poisoned the young kids who practiced Nora, solely because they had made fun of him—and these consecutive incidents brought ruin to the dancing community and adversely affected Moei’s family as well. A remorseful Tub later took his own life, leaving Tongsri devastated and Moei disappointed—but none of them were aware of the actions of their youngest son. August sees all these events unfold in his visions, as it is revealed he is the reincarnation of Tub.
Alice takes August to Lampam House, now a mere shadow of its former glory, where they are greeted by the only soul present, Cherd, a former Nora practitioner—and at present the caretaker of the house. Cherd mentions that he could have helped them if August’s situation were caused simply by him ignoring the pledge his father had made – but the issue is much deeper, and can’t be solved until the truth is acknowledged. Alice seems a bit flustered and shocked at Cherd’s statement but doesn’t express her feelings. Later on, August’s condition gradually worsens, and Alice acknowledges that breaking the vow must have caused all this. She asks Cherd to prepare for a redemption ritual, and he agrees to do so, but speaks cryptically about karma, which he believes to be responsible for August’s predicament. Alice doesn’t pay heed to Cherd’s sneering advice and asks him to proceed with the ritual.
Was Alice Able to Save Her Son’s Life?
A night before the commencement of the ritual, August goes missing, and it is revealed that after learning the full extent of Tub’s actions, August, being the reincarnation of the former Moei’s youngest son, was asking forgiveness from Moei’s spirit, thereby fulfilling Chatri’s last wish of redeeming the Moei. To begin the ritual, Cherd sends Alice to Moei’s archive room, where the ceremonial knots are kept, which devotees offer as a gesture of keeping their vows. Alice finds the knot she and Chatri had offered, after shuffling through a number of other knots—and getting haunted by the wishes of the hapless devotees in the process.
During The Cursed’s ending, Cherd brings three Nora priests/dancers—possibly the last practitioners in the village—who perform the ritual, sever Alice and Chatri’s knot—presumably freeing the family from their otherworldly afflictions. However, the undead aren’t quite done with Alice and August just yet, as the significance of Cherd’s advice and warnings to Alice becomes quite clear in the final moments of the movie. After completing the ritual, as Alice and August head towards their home in Bangkok, their car inexplicably meets with a ghastly accident, resulting in both of them getting injured and sent to the hospital later on. Alice wakes up after recuperating, only to find her son in a coma, and the sins of her past resurface like a strike of lightning. Fifteen years ago, while returning from Lampam House with Chatri, Alice had run over a mother and her young son, and instead of helping the poor souls, Alice had decided to flee from the situation, much to the dismay of Chatri, who wanted to save them. The mother had survived, but the son wasn’t so lucky—in deep anguish and fury, the mother had gone to pray to the Nora ancestors in Lampam house to put a curse on Alice—so that she too has to see her son breathe his last in utmost misery. The hapless woman was Cherd’s wife, who had learned about the incident from her—which is why he was speaking in cryptic terms to make Alice realize and acknowledge her past sins. Alice had prayed to the Nora ancestors to listen to a mother’s plea, probably the only reason why August is still alive, and it is hinted that he might recover in future. Alice has learned her lesson the hard way, and the Nora ancestors need not punish her family any longer.
In The Cursed’s ending twist, which could have been avoided as well, it is shown that the Lampam House remained as dilapidated as ever, and Cherd had passed away a long ago – implying that everything that Alice and August had gone through in the house was orchestrated and arranged by the disembodied spirit of Cherd who didn’t get solace until the soul of his late son was avenged.
