A Useful Ghost (FANTASTIC) Lampoons Elitism and Corruption
Title: A Useful Ghost
First Non-Festival Release: August 27, 2025 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Writer: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Geoggroy Grison
Runtime: XX Minutes
Starring: Davika Hoorne, Wisraut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2025.
The Thai legend of Mae Nak centers on a husband who returns from war after hearing that his wife died in childbirth along with his newborn. When he returns, she’s there and the villagers warn him of her true nature. He ignores them and attempts to live in harmony. Each version changes a few things up, but this is the general outline. A Useful Ghost adds its own spin to the stoy.
Following her tragic death from a respiratory illness, Nat (Davika Hoorne) returns from the afterlife and possesses a vacuum cleaner to be closer to her husband, March (Witsarut Himmarat). Facing off against the disapproval of his mother (Apasiri Nitibhon) and his other relatives, Nat is determined to prove herself as a helpful entity rather than an evil one. As Nat takes on more duties thrown at her from various cantankerous relatives or thankful politicians, she learns how much of herself she will have to sacrifice to stay in March’s life.
Whimsical and poignant, this retelling of a classic Thai ghost story makes A Useful Ghost both endearing and important.
With a premise as intriguing as this, A Useful Ghost does an excellent job of framing its story deliberately to maintain a sense of mystery. A tale somewhat within a tale, A Useful Ghost plays around with its timeline to keep the audience in the dark. The purpose of the Academic Ladyboy (Wisarut Homhuan) and Krong (Wanlop Rumkumjad) isn’t just as a framing setup but to also plant the seeds of more revolutionary intentions. Ricocheting back and forth between the present and past timelines, as well as injecting some further context and backstory, A Useful Ghost successfully disorients the viewer without fully removing them from the story. It may not make much initial sense, but this structure becomes an asset once the story really gets going.
The world building is both immersive and impressive, taking care to bring to life a system of rules without making it feel like a lecture or something to memorize. Its possession mechanics are explained dryly and deliberately. While there are still plenty of the uninitiated [in the film and the audience], the supernatural happenings escalate in a way that is both true to the legends that inspire it and raises the stakes for the audiences. This works perfectly to hold the more profound elements closer to its chest until A Useful Ghost chooses to reveal them.
One of the most interesting throughlines of A Useful Ghost is its insistence on the power of love and how it intentionally includes queerness as an element of radicalism. When it comes to the concept of love in movies, there can be a tendency to over sanitize or cutsify it, there is power in who and how you love. Nat’s love manifests in devotion. Her deep resilience against the world hostile to her differences, Nat’s connection with March is more important to her, which allows her to move worlds. She learns how to walk in people’s dreams to discover what they really need or feel. It’s also why she is used by those in power for their gain. Regardless of how exhausted or disillusioned by her work, her steadfast love for March is what drives her.
This remains true with its queer characters too, to a degree. Featuring three queer couples, A Useful Ghost is careful to avoid harmful tropes but remains true to queer lived experiences, especially in less supportive environments. Each of their stories has varying degrees of tragedy but the diversity in their characters and experiences with the corrupt society they live in balances out the harsher moments. What truly matters is the power they hold. In the face of an oppressive, elitist government, the most effective resistance comes from hope, authenticity, and love. This rings true when examining how each of these characters react to the various forces imposing will upon them. Beyond representation, A Useful Ghost understands how important queerness is to change. And it’s truly awesome to see.
The dry comedy and quick bouts of unexpected supernatural rage keep the film firmly in its genre space. Due to the influence of its social and political commentary, A Useful Ghost is intentional with its lighter elements. Dead-pan remarks and irony-drenched situational humor allow the film to remain playful in the face of the oppressive space that ghosts occupy in this world. The few true horror moments arise in the tragedy, allowing A Useful Ghost to catch audiences off guard. By choosing to restrain from leaning too much into the horror, it makes these moments more powerful.
Leaning more into its comedy and drama, A Useful Ghost offers plenty of supernatural hijinks to satisfy genre fans. A riveting tale of corruption, manipulation, family drama, and love, A Useful Ghost is a bristling take down of the systems that subjugate the oppressed. By tapping into real-life frustrations, crafting compelling characters, and daring to make bold choices, the wonderfully weird world of A Useful Ghost comes to life. If this supernatural drama bereft of any major scares sounds up your alley, keep an eye out for A Useful Ghost to possess theaters near you in the future.
Overall Score? 8/10
