Pee Mak

Pee Mak
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Banjong Pisanthanakun
Written by	Nontra Khumvong Banjong Pisanthanakun Chantavit Dhanasevi
Produced by	Jira Maligool Chenchonnee Suntonsaratoon Suwimon Techasupinun Pran Thadaweerawutar Vanridee Pongsittisak
Starring	Mario Maurer Davika Hoorne Pongsathorn Jongwilas Nattapong Chartpong Auttarut Kongrasri Kantapat Permpoonpatcharasook
Cinematography	Narupon Sohkkanapituk
Edited by	Tummarut Sumetsuppasok
Music by	Chatchai Pongpraphaphan Hualampong Riddim
Production companies	GMM Tai Hub Jorkwang film
Distributed by	GMM Tai Hub
Release date	28 March 2013 (2013-03-28)
Running time	115 minutes
Country	Thailand
Language	Thai
Budget	$1.8 million
Box office	$33 million[1]

Pee Mak (Thai: พี่มาก..พระโขนง; RTGS: Phi Mak Phra Khanong) is a 2013 Thai supernatural horror comedy romance film directed and co-written by Banjong Pisanthanakun.^[2] The story is an adaptation of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong legend of Thai folklore.^[2] The film stars Mario Maurer as Mak, Davika Hoorne as Nak, and Pongsathorn Jongwilas, Nattapong Chartpong, Auttarut Kongrasri and Kantapat Permpoonpatcharasook.^[2] The film was a major commercial success upon its release and became Thailand's highest-grossing film of all time.^[3][4][5]

During the reign of King Mongkut, Mak is drafted to serve in the war, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife, Nak, in the town of Phra Khanong. While recovering from battle injuries, he befriends fellow soldiers Ter, Puak, Shin, and Aey. Meanwhile, Nak endures a difficult labor alone. She calls for help, but is too weak to be heard. Soon after, rumors spread in the village that Nak died during childbirth and has returned as a powerful ghost haunting her home. Terrified neighbors claim to hear her singing lullabies to her baby at night.

When Mak and his friends return to Phra Khanong, they find the town eerily silent. That night, they arrive at Mak and Nak’s house, where Mak introduces Nak to them. As it is too late to travel further, the friends decide to stay. The next day at the market, they are shunned by fearful villagers who refuse to sell them goods and flee at the sight of Mak. A drunken villager tries to warn him but is silenced by her son. The friends discuss the rumors but dismiss them.

Shin, sent to fetch Mak, notices the house is in disrepair after a stair breaks beneath him. He sees the baby’s cradle rocking on its own and witnesses Nak unnaturally extending her arm to retrieve a lime from beneath the house. When he tells the others, Ter accuses him of imagining things. Later, while relieving himself in the forest, Ter discovers a decomposed corpse behind the house wearing the same ring as Nak. The drunk villager who tried to warn them earlier mysteriously drowns.

That evening, Mak invites his friends to supper, where Nak serves them leaves and worms. They later play charades, during which a clue involves the word “Phi Sua” (“butterfly”), requiring Nak to be described as a ghost (“phi”). Mak angrily dismisses their warnings, ends their friendship, and forces them to leave.

Later, Mak and Nak go on a date in town, visiting an amusement park. At the Ferris wheel, his friends try to convince him Nak is a ghost, but Nak scares everyone away. They try again in a haunted house attraction and manage to drag Mak into the forest. When Mak’s wartime wound reopens, Shin and Ter suspect he, not Nak, is the ghost, especially when he cries out in pain after being struck with holy rice. They flee, taking Nak with them, as Puak covets her beauty.

While escaping by boat, Mak wades into the river toward them but nearly drowns when cramps seize him, proving he is not a ghost. Once rescued, he explains the holy rice had irritated his wound. In the confusion, Aey drops a ring identical to those worn by Mak, Nak, and the corpse. The others accuse Aey of being a ghost and throw him off the boat. With no paddles, they are stranded until Nak produces a soaking wet one. Ter realizes they had drifted too far for a normal person to recover it. When he glances between his legs, Nak’s ghostly form is revealed, her arm extended to rest on Mak’s shoulder.

The men flee to a temple, where a monk protects them with holy rice, water, and a magic “safety ring.” Nak appears in her terrifying form and attacks. The holy items hold her back, but in the chaos, and as Mak struggles to stay with her, they are all wasted. The monk is accidentally knocked out of the ring and flees, leaving the group defenseless. A pale Aey reappears, revealing he is human; he had stolen the corpse’s ring to fund his gambling. Nak pleads that she only wants to be with Mak, denying responsibility for the drunk villager’s death, claiming the woman drowned herself.

Nak then threatens to kill Mak so they can be together, but stops when she sees how frightened he is. Mak reveals he has known the truth all along, having confirmed her ghostly form during the charades game and having already found her corpse. Despite this, he says he fears life without her more than her being dead. They tearfully reconcile, and the friends reaffirm their bond, vowing never to part again. A flashback shows Mak and Nak’s first meeting.

In the credits, Mak, Nak, and their friends live happily in the village. Nak uses her supernatural powers for household chores, games of charades (helping Mak win for the first time), scaring off hostile villagers (led by the drunk’s son), and running the town’s haunted house attraction. It is also revealed that their infant son, Dang, has inherited some of her abilities.

• Mario Maurer as Mak
• Davika Hoorne as Nak
• Kantapat Permpoonpatcharasuk as Aey (เอ, RTGS: E)
• Nuttapong Chartpong as Ter (เต๋อ, RTGS: Toe)
• Wiwat Kongrasri as Shin (ชิน, RTGS: Chin)
• Pongsathorn Jongwilas as Puak (เผือก, RTGS: Phueak)

Pee Mak earned more than 1 billion baht ($33 million) in revenue worldwide (mostly in Asia), and became the highest-grossing Thai film of all time,^[3] more than tripling the record held by The Legend of Suriyothai.^[4][6] The film sold a record 16 million tickets worldwide. The film also screened in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore,^[7] Myanmar, Brunei and Japan. In Hong Kong, it earned over $10 million HKD over a time span of over 40 days.^[8] It is the first Thai film to be screened in every Southeast Asian country.^[9] It was also screened at the East Wind Film Festival in England.^[9]

The film received generally positive critical reviews, with a positive review in The Nation and The Guardian seeing it as a major success for Thai cinema.^[7]

An Indonesian Remake titled Kang Mak from Pee Mak , directed by Herwin Novianto was released in August 15, 2024 in Indonesia. ^[11]

A Philippine remake titled Mak-Mak will be produced by Viva Films.^[12]

• List of ghost films
• Bayama Irukku
• Kinavalli

• Pee Mak at IMDb
• Pee Mak Movie at sanook! (in Thai)
• Pee Mak the movie at Movie MThai (in Thai)