A Useful Ghost

Play trailer

A Useful Ghost

Now Playing

2h 10m

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner. Disturbed by a ghost that appeared after a worker's death shut down their factory, his family reject their unconventional human-ghost relationship. Trying to convince them of their love, Nat offers to cleanse the factory. To become a useful ghost, she must first get rid of the useless ones.

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

Critics Consensus

Putting a bracingly unique spin on poltergeists, A Useful Ghost is a refreshing genre-bender that distinguishes debut writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke as a filmmaker to watch.

Read Critics Reviews

Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Jan 15

A bawdy metaphor for democracy under threat, “A Useful Ghost” has a delightful, frisky energy that coexists peacefully with the beautiful melancholy of its central love affair as March comes to terms with his wife’s new job.

Go to Full Review

Namrata Joshi

The New Indian Express

Jan 14

A Useful Ghost stands out in the way Boonbunchachoke marks a gradual transition from the poetic and romantic to the larger grim, contentious issues confronting his nation and its history.

Go to Full Review

Jacob Oller

AV Club

Jan 13

B

The hilarious and affecting Thai ghost story is an assured and absurd debut.

Go to Full Review

Ria Dhull

Spectrum Culture

6d

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke analyzes the lines separating ghost and human in a skillful first feature.

Go to Full Review

Maxance Vincent

InSession Film

6d

C

When the effect of being bemused by what’s on screen wears off, you’re left with the odd sense that this project feels incomplete.

Go to Full Review

Anna Hoang

Boston Hassle

Jan 20

Think LARS AND THE REAL GIRL with its vital organs replaced by a Yorgos Lanthimos character, and A USEFUL GHOST might be close to that Frankensteined monster of black comedy.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Stephen C

@bob25009 2d

The worldwide gross is $2,620.00.

See more

avner k

@aka10003 Jan 20

An entertaining fantasy about ghosts, memories, and sexuality. While inventive and humorous, it does not know when to stop, injecting Thai politics in a simplistic way and stretching the work into tediousness. Some hilarious gay content. An impressive effort.

See more

yanika

Aug 30

เป็นหนังที่ดูเกี่ยวกับความรักและความเชื่อเหนือธรรมชาติ แต่จริงๆ มันเป็นการจิกกัดสังคม ทั้งเรื่องการเมือง แรงงาน และคน ในสังคม โดยมีเครื่องดูดฝุ่นที่มีสิงอยู่ พาไปยังเรื่องเหตุการณ์ต่าง ๆ ที่เกิดขึ้น ตลกร้ายสุด ๆ การดำเนินเรื่องค่อนข้างนิ่ง ๆ ช้า ๆ ทำให้คนเบื่อได้ เป็นที่เฉพาะกลุ่ม ฉันชอบเนื้อหา การเปิดเรื่อง การเล่าเรื่องผ่านเรื่องเล่า แต่ในเรื่องเล่ามันมีบางช่วงที่ไม่จำเป็นเท่าไหร่

See more

Dave J

@Dj51florida Aug 29

I’m 73 and this was the worst movie I have ever seen. Shockingly unentertaining. After hour and 40 minutes and nearly falling asleep twice, we just couldn’t take it anymore. Some people had already walked out and we decided to follow. So bad all we could do was laugh once outside. Mind numbingly boring, poorly scripted, confusing, a $12 wardrobe budget, and acting like they were selected from random people with no desire to try.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

Director

Davika Hoorne

Nat

Witsarut Himmarat

March

Apasiri Nitibhon

Suman

Wanlop Rungkumjad

Krong

Wisarut Homhuan

Academic Ladyboy

View more photos

Synopsis

March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner. Disturbed by a ghost that appeared after a worker's death shut down their factory, his family reject their unconventional human-ghost relationship. Trying to convince them of their love, Nat offers to cleanse the factory. To become a useful ghost, she must first get rid of the useless ones.

Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Producer: Cattleya Paosrijeroen, Soros Sukhum
Screenwriter: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Distributor: Cineverse
Production Co: 185 Films, Haut les Mains Productions, Momo Film Co
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: Thai
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 2h 10m