#Here’s What Makes The Medium The Best Found Footage Movie of 2021
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“#Here’s What Makes The Medium The Best Found Footage Movie of 2021”
Perhaps the most famous and well-known found footage film in recent years was the cultural phenomenon The Blair Witch Project, a 1999 sleeper hit that helped revive the genre. The film also inspired other successful horror movies, such as Diary of the Dead, Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity. Though this style of film is often utilized with a horror spin, many other genres have adopted the found footage approach.
2021 was a year full of Hollywood hits and misses, with studios and producers getting creative with their content (likely due to pandemic filming restrictions). One of the most unique and well-executed found footage films released this year was the Thai supernatural horror movie The Medium, directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun. The frightening yet satirical flick dives into shamanism in Thailand and the mystery surrounding its practices. Let’s take a look at why The Medium may be the best found footage film of 2021.
A Powerful Deep-Dive Into Shamanism
The overall premise of The Medium is very interesting, focusing on a less talked about concept found in film: the religious practice of shamanism. While Hollywood loves religious horror that pertains to the Catholic faith, the practices of many other countries are often overlooked. The fact that this quasi=mockumentary highlights shamanstic traditions in Thailand by having the characters interact with the spirit world is intriguing. The camera crew first introduces viewers to Nim, the local medium in a rural part of Isan, Thailand. She is possessed by the local deity Bayan, whom the villagers worship and receive protection from.
Throughout the whole course of the film, shamanism and the mystique surrounding it is front and center. The women pass down the spirit and title of shaman through generational inheritance. Nim believes that her niece Mink is capturing the spirit and therefore next in line, but it doesn’t take long until the young woman’s behavior becomes violent and erratic. It is up to the aunt to exorcise the unwanted force from Mink’s body. The idea of Thai folklore is fascinating, as is the horror spin on the subject. The film beautifully explores the superstitions and mystical ideas of shamanism.
An Impressive Medley of Genres
The refreshing aspect of The Medium is that the film truly has a little bit of everything for viewers; though labeled a supernatural horror, it also features inner-family turmoil, cultural taboos, satirical commentary, and plenty of emotional drama. It also contains many elements fans of the horror genre adore: shaky camera panning made famous in The Blair Witch Project, plenty of jump scares and thrills, and hair-raising surveillance footage à la Paranormal Activity. The dynamic between Nim and her elder sister Noi (Mink’s mother) is strained; Noi was originally supposed to be the shaman but refused to complete the ceremony.
The family dysfunction and societal roles are also highlighted and the documentary style approach truly spotlights the inner conflict within families, regardless of cultural background. Those with weak stomachs might want to tread cautiously with the film, as many cultural taboos are featured and can be intense. The Medium is, at its core, a horror film, and watching Mink’s progression from a sweet and carefree young woman to a disturbed and unhinged individual was intense and startling.
Chilling Performances That Are Nightmare Worthy
Despite being done in Hollywood countless times before it, The Medium does a fantastically freaky job at turning up the creep factor of demonic possession and evil spirits. Mink’s descent into madness and mayhem is extremely jarring. The progression is slow as her personality and behavior subtly change; she acts out at work, is angry and aggressive toward her family, and starts to do bodily harm against herself. Narilya Gulmongkolpech’s performance as Mink features chilling evil grins, spewing violent and unsettling words, and essentially doing a hair-raising reenactment of The Exorcist.
Viewers truly fear for the safety of the supporting characters and camera crew following Mink around as her outbursts become more and more vicious. Nim and Noi go head to head when it comes to handling Mink’s condition, an antagonism that she brutally preys upon. As the camera crew continues documenting Mink’s erratic behavior, audiences know it’s only a matter of time before things take a turn for the worse and something genuinely terrifying occurs. The unique camera angles and footage compiled only increases the anxiety and fears of viewers.
A Frighteningly Glorious Slow Burn
The Medium is a glorious slow-burn of a film; it takes its time establishing the characters and on-screen presences in a way that doesn’t feel contrived. The real world grounding and laid back filming styles encourages watchers to let down their guards (at least at first). The plot slowly but surely unravels and viewers grow progressively uneasy as it does so. Mink performs a series of demonic misdoings which build worrisome tension over what could possibly be the horror pièce de résistance. The last twenty minutes of the film is a wild and jarring ride that truly epitomizes the ‘go big or go home’ mantra. Devilry and darkness truly runs rampant and will leave viewers stunned.
It’s no wonder The Medium swept all the film awards it was nominated for, including Best Film at the Bucheon Choice Features and Best Cinematography at the Molins Horror Film Festival. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently holds a 78% score and was even selected as the Thai entry for the Best International Feature Film for the upcoming Academy Awards. Tense and terrifying, The Medium is easily the best found footage film of 2021.
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