The 2025 Thai Horror film Ziam with Zack Snyder type zombies shows how far the industry has come. This horror offering is miles ahead of 2005’s somnambulistic Ghost of Mae Nak. It has even surpassed it’s first attempt at “slasher” horror: Invitation Only a 2009 an offering that works brilliantly.
*It even blasts by Sick Nurses, a 2007 horror that I adore. Despite not being very good, it boasts a quirky storyline and some great ideas. It is also, unintentionally funny.*
The Ziam Story
Before going any further, this is a kick boxer versus zombies flick. These are not your grandfather’s zombies. Oh no. These are the Snyder steroidal un-dead that can outrun and outfight you. There is a nod or two, though, to good old George Romero’s original shamble and bite you zombies.
The tale is simple enough. A world starving to death suddenly becomes overrun with zombies. A “Muay Thai fighter battles his way through the hordes to save “his beloved.”
The Main Ziam Cast
Mark Prin Suparat is Singh.
Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich is Rin.
Don’t Eat the Fish!
The whole thing starts by eating infected fish. Those rich folks who imbibe the poisonous fish food turn into zombies. This tiny outbreak soon turns into a country wide catastrophe. Director and co-writer Kulp Kaljareuk and the other writers, owe so much to so many. Nods to Last Train to Busan, the Snyder remake, World War Z, and even The Raid. These are all there, if you look.
*The other writers credited are:
- Vathanyu Ingkawiwat associate screenplay
- Kulp Kaljareuk screenplay
- Kulp Kaljareuk story
- Nut Nualpang screenplay
- Chonnatee Pimnam associate screenplay
- Weerasu Worrapot screenplay
*A great treat lies in store for those who prefer the “dubbed” version of the film. I always urge viewers to watch the original language subtitled version. However, if you go dubbed? The guy who introduces the fish to his clients sounds just like the late actor Lee Van Cleef. It is a brilliant touch and one wonders if the voice over actor knew he was “doing” the late actor.*
Kind of Straight Forward
Ziam is kind of straight forward story wise. There are close calls aplenty and a lot of impressive “zombie” deaths. The thing that helps to sell this one is the almost total reliance upon martial arts to kill the zombies. Suparat does a stunning job here. There is a fight sequence between Singh and a cop that is so reminiscent of The Raid it hurts. The presence of the un-dead, however, brings us right back to this film.
The fight choreography is spot on as are the FX. Black goo never looked so intimidating.
It’s a Little Long
Ziam feels a little long at 95 minutes. They even wedge in a couple of end credit teasers. These leave the idea of a sequel dangling like an “un-dead” carrot. *Although to be fair, World War Z ran a staggering 116 minutes.* Still, despite the extremely tight editing here, we feel a little fat could have been trimmed.
The Verdict
I feel that Ziam earns a solid 4.5 stars. The Rotten Tomatoes critic score tops out at 83 % though. Amazingly, the audience popcorn score is a paltry 40%. Seriously guys? Did we even watch the same film?
Ziam is streaming on Netflix right now. Ignore the begrudging scores on Rotten Tomatoes and watch this one. If for no other reason that to hear that Lee Van Cleef soundalike.
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