Tomb Watcher 2025 Movie Review
Sometimes you just want your horror film with a side of melodrama and that is exactly what Vathanyu Ingkawiwa’s Tomb Watcher delivers. The Thai film tells of Cheev (Thanavate Siriwattanagul), who in the wake of the death of his wife, Lunthom (Woranuch BhiromBhakdi), seizes the opportunity to move in with his mistress, Ross (Arachaporn Pokinpakorn). However, before the two can enjoy a happily ever after with Lunthom’s riches, the pair must share their love nest with the deceased woman’s corpse for a hundred days. At first the couple put on a united front, but as Ross becomes concerned that Lunthom is seeking revenge beyond the grave, cracks in their relationship begin to appear.
Set in the year 1991, Tomb Watcher is a highly enjoyable slice of heightened horror. These horror elements take time to appear as Tomb Watcher initially focuses on building the relationship between the core threesome. As Tomb Watcher opens, Lunthom dies almost immediately, but then the story backtracks to show her decline into death, and her uncovering of Cheev’s extra-martial activities. The latter spurs her anger and Tomb Watcher demonstrates that a scorned woman can be even more dangerous after death.
Seemingly jealous of Ross, Lunthom begins to mess with the young woman from beyond the grave. This leads to some great subtle moments of fright as Ingkawiwat slowly heightens the drama. With more of the first half of Tomb Watcher concerned with setting the scene, when these spookier moments arrive, the film comes alive. Ross doing battle with the unseen presence whilst Cheev continually gaslights her, amplifies the tension, leaving the viewer begging for Ross to simply leave.
The biggest conundrum in Tomb Watcher though, is exactly why both of these smart women are so drawn to Cheev who is merely a wet blanket of a man. The story tries to create some sympathy for him by peeking behind the doors of his relationship with Lunthom. Here he presents as meek whilst Lunthom appears to control certain aspects of his life, but the fact that he decides to cheat rather than attempt to dissolve their marriage paints him in a terrible light. Later on, he encourages Ross to endure their nightmare situation with the promise of money, which suggests that his greed will always win out over either woman.
Historically it is typical for the vengeful wife to attack the new woman, but Ross doesn’t deserve Lunthom’s wrath. Yes, she knew that Cheev was married when she got into the relationship, but ultimately it takes two to tango and given that Cheev isn’t antagonised in the same fashion, Tomb Watcher works to highlight the sad double standards that are rife in our society. Lunthom’s anger is impressive and after slowly chipping away at Ross she eventually launches an all out assault that is breathtaking to watch. The epic showdown is filled with some effective (and bloody) invisible force-propelled violence, with Pokinpakorn doing great work at selling that she is locked in battle with an unseen entity. As the story descends into chaos, the melodrama reaches sky-high levels, allowing Tomb Watcher to be a more fun viewing than were it to take itself deadly seriously.
Best viewed with a crowd, Tomb Watcher manages to be a masterstroke of melodrama and an astute study of affairs and the lives that they ruin. Assisted with some fantastic effect work that bring Lunthom back to life even when she cannot be seen, Tomb Watcher is a fine new foreign language horror that won’t leave the audience too disturbed.
