Ghost Host, Ghost House (2022)

You will remember very few things a month from now

There are stories that are great in storytelling or have memorable characters or the plot goes away from the typical high school-university students, doctors or engineers, that make you gush about it for months or the series is too short and we end up craving so much more. Many BL fans forgive almost everything just because an actor is cute or the show has steamy scenes and overlook more important things like the plot or the acting because as some have commented on my posts before, "we are just looking for entertainment". That's ok, but if we can get well-made entertainment, wouldn't that be much better?

"Ghost Host Ghost House" is a show that began with an interesting premise of a boy who returns to Thailand after living abroad only to discover his aunt, uncle and cousins are all dead and he can see dead people. Unfortunately, 8 episodes were not enough to cover all the holes this story had that ended up making me go, wait, what happened with that? Or, how did we even get to this point? Of course, there are some good things and bad things, the show is made by Vibie and that means the resources of a GMMTV or a similar company are not the same. However, comparisons are inevitable and while this is NOT a disaster of a show, it falls below "He's Coming To Me" and "Something in My Room" who handled the ghost theme and the plot much better while it is on a similar level to "Peach of Time". Granted, those 3 shows had a ghost fall in love with a living character and in "Ghost Host Ghost House" both main leads are alive and well, but still... let's dive into some details.

The good:

1) Side characters shine: Indeed, as some already pointed out, Guide (playing See-foon) and Natty (playing See-nam) provide much deeper moments for us than Boy (playing Pluem) and Tod (playing Kevin) do. Guide is making his acting debut (he appeared briefly in "Why You... Y Me?" and Natty is also brand new to the industry and, despite that, both gives us some memorable acting moments in episodes 6 and 7 when they both use their remaining merit points to live their "Last Day". See-foon uses it to spend time with Pluem and Kevin as he was bullied in school and had no friends, so he wanted to spend his last moments doing whatever he wanted and just eating and talking with people who cared about him. The scene when he disappears is well done as his face really portrays the emotions of feeling sad and maybe angry after suffering the bullying and now being happy and relieved that his last moments were with a friend and with his cousin. See-nam also has interesting moments as he reconciles with her father in a tearjerker scene, plays the guitar during the BBQ scene in which Pluem and Kevin comment they've never seen her smile like that and also visits Prim at school (using her merit points) to long for the love that never happened due to her death. Incz (playing Prim) also has interesting moments when she is not speaking and then when she finds out the reason See-nam never visited in the hospital after the accident (the car crash that killed Kevin's family also kills Pluem's dad which causes trauma in Prim). All side actors, including the the two adults provided good moments.

2) The lack of tropes/clichés: And trust me, I put this a heavy positive... this is a Thai BL WITHOUT, I repeat, WITHOUT, the usual tropes of: a) a crazy woman who is in love with one of the main male leads and cannot or will not accept that he is not in love with her so she screams like a maniac or does whatever silly thing her heart desires to break up the main couple. b) Parents who are vehemently against their son being gay or their son dating another boy and try to break them up by shipping their son abroad for several years or bribing the other guy to disappear or trying to convince them they are not good together. c) Parents who are completely in favor of their son being gay and acting like obsessed cheerleaders when their son brings his boyfriend home. d) Ridiculous or silly plots in order to make the main couple meet and fall in love. e) Friends who are more like shippers, or even worse, actual shippers who imagine all the steamy scenes between the main couple just to give the viewers some eye candy but that doesn't match with the rest of the story. f) Another male character who acts as the third in a love triangle when its obvious he has 0% chance of getting one of the main leads.

3) Chemistry: And I know some are not fully convinced, but watching Tod and Boy interact outside the show and in the show feels good compared to Peat and Fort in "Love in the Air" when Peat sometimes looks so awkward when Fort tries to hug him or touch him outside of the show. Tod is 6 years younger than Boy (which is why all call him "uncle" in the behind-the-scenes and in other Vibie Gen content) but despite the age gap, both adjusted quite well and the love scenes (which were quite well made) don't look forced, don't look awkward, and don't look like one of the actors is just waiting for the "cut" from the director to run away as far as he can). Plus, the rest of the cast seem to get along quite well despite some barely being on-screen together.

Now the bad:

1) Plot: I'm sorry, but I can't overlook this. This show had so much potential but it was ruined in 2 parts in my opinion. First, when Kevin finds out his family is dead, which I felt it was too soon... but ok, I felt the writer and the director could go in a different direction, but no... first the ghost hunters trying to break-in and then the thieves who get scared by the family which is what causes Kevin to find out, were straight out of a comedic scary movie. The second time was during the beach scenes when Kevin suddenly starts having doubts about committing to Pluem because apparently he can't forget about Jake (his boyfriend who was never a boyfriend officially, just a good friend as Kevin specifically points out near the end of episode 8), he also feels this is too good to be true and is scared to lose it all. All those might be valid concerns, but they came out of nowhere and after talking to Pluem in all the other episodes, this time he just packs his things and leaves... I mean... ok... writers needed a bit more things to fill out episodes 6-8, but still, it didn't make much sense. Kevin is suddenly so insecure and scared and he decides just to run away instead of talking.
Then we have Jake and his story, Prim and her story with See-nam, and the deaths of the family and Pluem's father... not much is revealed about why Jake only chats with See-foon (other than See-foon entering Kevin's dream to find out about Jake), in fact, Jake only starts appearing on episode 5 but according to him, he has been there all the time (even following Kevin from the US to Thailand, go figure... a traveling ghost!). Prim and See-nam are attracted to each other but we only got glimpses of their background story and we know how the family dies but it is weird that apparently there is no investigation, nobody notifies Kevin's mother in America, nobody in the neighborhood finds it odd that the family was there one day and gone the next, etc... So, too many stories that could have been further developed and ended up disappearing like a ghost.

2) The acting: And this not a critic to the actors... I've criticized bad acting before but this time I feel is not their fault. Most are new, Tod appeared in "Love Area Part 1" and the disaster that was "Love Area Part 2" but the rest have no experience, so the acting coach, the writer and the director should have made it clear in what direction they wanted to go with the story and what type of emotions they needed the actors to convey... as some felt awkward. The slow-paced dialogues seem to be the new trend in Thai BLs and while that is a bit annoying, this time it didn't bother that much like it did in "Bite Me", for example.

In the end, this show is not the worst by any stretch of the imagination but you will watch it and aside from some specific moments you will forget about it very quickly.

Read More

A good story, but…

liked the story, but it lacked the ghost-hunting element.
When this series first came out, I wasn't really interested in it, but one evening I gave in to temptation. I really got hooked on the first three episodes. We're shown ghost hunts, and I thought they were well done. But then, goodbye ghost hunting... sure, we still see ghosts thanks to the family (who are actually ghosts) but otherwise we don't see them anymore. I think that's a shame.
Otherwise, I liked the relationship between Kevin and Pluem. They have great chemistry (I'm a fan of their hand games).
Like most, I also really liked Kevin's family.
Also, I was a bit disappointed by the last episode, I won't say more, bus it's really something I don't like in dramas.

Read More

Didn't Fulfill the Potential it Started With

The set up in episode 1 was very well done. Interesting plot, slightly creepy tone and side characters, a likeable lead, but all that disappeared from episode 2 on. While this wasn't a bad drama it could've been so much better. The ghost angle, which was so unique in the beginning, fell by the wayside as the series went on. The family became minor plot points, and while they were interesting they just didn't make much of an impact for most of the series. This drama begged for themes of grief and loss to be explored, but it was only paid minor lip service. A few brief scenes about cherishing those you love were included, but it didn't seem to affect the characters or even be the overarching theme. The writers really missed an opportunity to make the viewers feel more sympathy for all the characters by not showing them really reacting to and coming to terms w/ death and loss. As a result all of Kevin's interactions with his family seem hallow and their eventual leaving seems to make little impact on him.
Throughout the series there are also plot points that would've benefited from some more details, like Jake, Kevin's relationship with his father, See-nam's love, See-foon's abuse at school, the unhappiness within the family (Kevin's dream), the fact that no one told Kevin's mom that her sister and family had all been killed! (like really, the police knew they were dead). All these minor issues were not individually bad, but added up to make the story much weaker.
I've watched much worse dramas, but a combination of the above along w/ dragged out scenes and dialogue made the entire series fall a bit flat. There were a few interesting and heartfelt scenes, but for a series that dealt with ghosts, death, grief, and loss it left me feeling unfulfilled.

Read More

presently surpised

Even though it was just 8 episodes, I felt like the plot and characters were really well developed and fleshed out. No gaps and everything made sense. I love that it’s not an overused plot line and is actually done well because other ghost/horror BLs I’ve watched have been either really confusing or just weird. The two ml actors had great chemistry and everything seemed natural, they did a great job, I’d love to see them in another show together. The relationship development wasn’t rushed and the characters actually had time to mature and develop before being rushed into a relationship. The 3yr time jump at the end actually felt like the characters had went through 3yrs of life unlike other shows where you can’t feel the difference in time, so usually i feel like the time jump is unnecessary but this time i liked it. It was beneficial for the characters and made sense for the plot. Overall this is definitely a must watch, i went through every emotion and the story and characters were able to keep me invested enough to shed a few tears.

Read More

Ghost? Yes! Horror? No!

This started off with a great premise. I was hoping for something like Let's Fight Ghost. A protagonist who is able to see ghosts and fights with them or tries to understand them with their skills and give them a befitting send-off. But how sadly I was disappointed.
The MLs are surprisingly good looking, and are decent actors and have nice chemistry. But I really wish they had chosen something more fulfilling in terms of their roles. The plot of the series kind of throws a spanner in the whole running of it. Started off decently well. Kawin comes back to Thailand after 10 years to his aunt's house. He is vlogger, and runs a live ghost-busting show. His idea is to see if he can see the ghost of a 'friend' he lost. Later references sort of make it clear that he was more than a friend. In Thailand, he finds Pleum, who works in his aunt's house as a man of all trades. Feelings develop between the two, and Pleum falls really hard for Kawin. He becomes a support system for Kawin when he realises that his entire family are ghosts. They have been dead a while. Kawin and Pleum work hard to give a proper send-off to everyone.
But the whole plot disappeared from there. Why and what exactly happened to everyone? Why did Pleum so easily forgive everyone who was possibly his father's killer? Why was Kawin so obsessed with his 'friend'? I hated that he left Pleum without saying a single word. He let Pleum find out through a live 7 days later. If you are in love with someone, you don't get intimate with someone else. You don't use the same endearments as you did with your 'ex'. And I hated Pleum for being so forgiving. If it was me, I would have never forgiven someone who hurt me this badly and walked away without a single thought as to what he was leaving behind. And then he had the audacity to sort of confess, while letting him know that he had no plans to come back.

The one and only amazing thing about this series, Tod's really cute shorts!! No wonder Pleum could not keep his hands off him!! NCs were well done, especially the last. Kisses were spectacular!
All in all, I hated it. This could have been so much better.

Read More

Slow, Childish, Unrealistic, Extended

I literally watched this series at 2.2 speed on average, it was too dragged, director and editor didn't do good work at all.
While the base story was good, the script lagged a lot of things, everything seemed to be just incidental, and nothing mattered in the next scene.
I liked the acting of Boy Nattapon at times but I think the direction went too wrong.

Read More

A series with paranormal elements and mystery that was largely ignored

Why was this a romantic comedy with hints of horror when this could easily have been a thriller drama with hard hitting plotlines? If only the makers had the wherewithal to go that extra mile and show the grittiness about life and death.

The story is about a ghost hunter named Kevin who live streams his explorations. His fascination with the dead stems from the fact that he lost his boyfriend to a heart condition and wants desperately to meet him. His pursuit brings him to Thailand where he stays with his aunt, uncle and 2 cousins while still on the lookout for hauntings. Here he meets a hard-working guy named Pluem who lost his father to an accident and has been taking care of his sister. Although he is scared of ghosts, they both bond over multiple interactions. There is however a mystery about the family that Kevin is staying with. Will Kevin figure out the hidden fact about his family and will his relationship last with Pluem while still holding on to the feelings for his ex?

This series had all the potential of being serious with a mystery element to it. Instead, the makers decided to take the easy route and turn it into a comedy. The mystery is known to the viewers during the 1st episode so there goes all the thrill of finding things out. Kevin’s ex is revealed so late in the series and is just a passing mention to create unecessary drama. The relationship between Pluem and his father is not developed well let alone the members of Kevin’s family. Every plot and character development is a half-assed attempt and you are left asking for more explanation. The last episode of the series is just a fan service with no story and made me dislike Kevin a little but that I can chalk out to translation issues.

The story has all the potential of being a great thriller. We have a strange family that Kevin enters into oblivious to anything, meets Pluem and as the series progresses, they slowly peel away the mystery behind this family while the details of Pluem’s father’s accident become apparent. This, along with the Kevin’s obsession to meet his dead ex starts causing a rift between him and Kevin. The climax should have been the family’s secret being laid bare in front of Kevin while Pluem makes peace with his father’s death and his relationship with Kevin is salvaged by Kevin’s final decision.

There are certainly many positives in the storyline. The series did explain the rules of the dead and how they can leave this world and enter the after-life or re-birth. They made a good connection between Kevin’s family and Pluem’s father which in my opinion was a good take and there are genuinely emotional moments between Kevin and his family. The actors playing the aunt, uncle and the 2 cousins did a good job and so did Kevin. Pluem is certain scenes looked uncomfortable and his acting was not convincing.

In conclusion, if a paranormal story is your thing with a good bit of romance and comedy sprinkled in it then do give this one a watch. In my opinion this should have been more than what the makers decided. They had an opportunity to discuss about life and mortality and learning to let go instead of choosing to make a lot of these scenes humorous.

Read More

Unique Storyline with loveable cast

Kevin/Kawin (depends on subtitles) comes to Thailand to visit his aunt, uncle and cousins after 10 yrs. He's a ghost hunter on social media because his ex suddenly died while he was studying abroad and he wants a final conversation. Kevin's relatives are all ghosts who died right before Kevin's arrival-which he does not realize. Due to ghost rules they can't leave the property so they hire Pleum to do errands and help around the property. Romance is sweet between Pleum and Kevin but of course issues arise. More than kissing but not NC stuff either. The director's cut, a separate final episode, has a more sensual scene than the initial final episode. The whole cast did well, the ghosts have their own things to settle in this life as well. Some sadness but ends in a nice way.

Read More

A Simple and Enjoyable Series

I placed a spoiler alert at the end of this review.

As I’ve stated before, I love series with a paranormal storyline. It had a great story concept, but the script is not perfect. However, the weak parts of the script did not stop me from enjoy the series.

The positive: The main thing I like about the script is it’s a ghost story that incorporates the BL couple development. The acting is decent considering most of the cast members are newbies. I also like how they portrayed their characters.

The negative: Unfortunately, the script started off very strong but begins to unravel by the middle of the series. This is where the plot holes become visible. There are also some aspects of the script that are underdeveloped. The last episode was a bit of a letdown which also has the 1 story element I hate. See potential spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more info.

The in-between: The cinematography was good, but the special effects and make-up could have been better.




******Potential Spoiler Alert******

The script introduces one too many side storylines for an 8-episode series. They should have added more episodes to develop them properly or not introduce so many in the first place. I wish they picked a few key storylines and fully develop them. Although the last episode has a happy ending, it was weak. It also had an unnecessary time jump (3 years) which did not help the series.

Read More

It's adorable!!!!

I don't understand how so many people disliked this series. I think it's important for us to have cutesy and diversified content for the LGBTQ+ community. I'd like to offer a few points here:

1) We can't either/or content. We need the cutesy stuff that explores deep issues but still remains light and fun. We can't have all intense or all light or all inoffensive or all controversial content.
2) We have to stop expecting LGBTQ+ content to be centered only around community issues. I'm queer as well, and as someone from the community, someone who's tired of having to watch straight content when I'm craving a particular genre, I LOVE shows like this. And, I love that Thai content creators are giving us so much diversified content without the need to make it only about the community. It's important to raise awareness, but it's also important to stress that most queer folx live just regular a*s weird lives. And, we need to embrace all of it.
3) There WAS a story. Did yall miss it? The story was that despite all of the pain and loss, two cute boys found each other. And, that we all go through difficult things, but we also find the good in our lives. Is that so hard to accept that the story is a meet cute horror flick? There's plenty of "straight content" that's like this, why's the objection only being raised with queer content?
4) They fell in love because they were both cute and attracted to each other. Please let's stop acting like dramatic things and moments need to happen for people to like each other. Can't we just be happy for the adorable stories.

Overall, the story was so cute. I could totally rewatch it. And I'm so glad I went ahead and watched it despite the negativity surrounding it.

Read More