Reviews
‘Underdread’ Review: Underdeveloped, Underwritten, and Underwhelming
In Underdread, you’ll play as a man searching for his missing daughter, Lisa, in an ancient castle, using clues left behind by both a detective and a madman to solve torturous puzzles as you traverse a variety of vaguely Victorian environments, like dungeons and elaborate underground caves. There are monsters and other supernatural elements in your path, and you must not only solve the puzzles but also uncover the mystery of the castle, as well.
It isn’t an Amnesia clone, a charge the developers at Bigzur thoroughly deny, but if you play the game, you can see where people would get off saying such things. In the end, if you play Underdread for an extended amount of time, you’ll kind of wonder how anyone could draw any sort of equivalence between the breakout title for Frictional Games andUnderdread, which is oddly designed, painfully unfun, and, worst of all, incomplete.
Narrative quality is not necessarily the high watermark of horror storytelling, but creating a distinct (or at least distinctly horrific) sense of place is necessary in allowing the audience to experience the trepidation that the developers foresee. Outlast, for its narrative and pacing problems, manages to set up the experience of exploring an abusive asylum very well.
Underdread, on the other hand, does not. The game’s epistolary storytelling function doesn’t work in the slightest. Through picking up the various notes and communiques, the devs mostly attempt to convey a facsimile of whatever you’re experiencing precisely at that moment. As a result, the diary entries attempt to tell you a story and freak you out, and they end up accomplishing neither.
It is horror by proxy, an attempt to show parallels between your own current experience and the experience detailed by the . It isn’t that they are poorly written — though they are; they feel like an afterthought. Unnecessary substitutes for storytelling littered throughout the landscape as an attempt to give the game a feeling of weight.
Never does the game feel quite creepy enough to shadow its purpose. Sure, there are horrific elements, but they serve to make the game feel more like a haunted house ride than a legit haunted house. The frequent change of scenery makes it feel as though maybe the devs had more puzzle ideas than scares, and the lopsided nature of the game’s dynamics make it less than compelling.
Underdread’s main problem, however, is also the game’s main function: The puzzles. They are usually quite simple and don’t require a lot of action or intellect to solve. However, the game isn’t designed in such a way to provide players with solid inferences as to how to solve them.
Sometimes, the diary entries help. Sometimes, they don’t. Sometimes, you’ll be forced to wander the environment, looking for a clue as to what to do. I can’t highlight this problem enough. If you finish a puzzle, the game doesn’t indicate where to go next or, more importantly, what the next puzzle actually is. Underdread is a game virtually without context, and the disconnect between the visuals, the gameplay, and the story is utterly maddening.
An in-game mechanic supplies players with clues; however, the clues themselves are a scarce commodity that, when gone, can only be restocked by finding more in the environment. Imagine playing a game where map objectives can only be uncovered through a finite resource on the map, and whenever you’ve accomplished that objective, the next objective is completely unknown to you until you find another somewhere else. It is frustrating beyond frustrating, and it blurs the line between narrative and game design in a perfectly flawed way.
The quality of the tips reveals the utterly perfunctory nature of the puzzles. “Place more coins in [blank]” is an example, and it only goes to show how little care went into designing the puzzles themselves, as though the devs themselves did not have much confidence in the strength of their game mechanics. As a result, the puzzles feel haphazard and arbitrary, merely gates to be bested to continue on to the next section of the game.
Also, there is no guarantee that you’ll solve a puzzle in this new area. Sometimes, progression will require you to backtrack to solve parts of puzzles in previous sections of the game, all without letting you know that. It wouldn’t be a problem, if the game somehow indicated naturally what the next objective or obstacle was, but since it doesn’t, these new puzzles come off as cheap or thoughtless.
The game looks fine, in that it has a stable framerate throughout, but the design itself is completely uninspired. It has a very 90s feel, and everything appears as a series of corridors instead of a cohesive worldmap. The game is laid out in such a way to service the next puzzle — and sometimes not even then — rather than to make the player feel as though they are part of a fully realized world that includes puzzles.
The few “enemies” that appear are basically the same gimmick presented in different forms: whatever it is, be it skeleton cluster or noxious gas, you are supposed to run away until the threat passes and then go about your business. They’re not terrifying in any meaningful way, unlike the games to whichUnderdread will most likely be compared. They’re more like mild annoyances that have to be avoided in order to progress.
And, not to include spoilers, but the ending of the game is highly disappointing. You solve a series of puzzles in an underground area, and then unlock a door, and the game just sort of…ends. And sure, a scroll afterward tells you that the game is over, but nothing about the game’s pacing, puzzles, or narrative leading up to that moment make it feel special in any way.
This is perhaps the most egregious knock againstUnderdread. It isn’t clear if the game is incomplete and will be patched later to include more content, or if a sequel is in the works, or if this will be episodic in some way. Even if it is episodic, it doesn’t come to a satisfying conclusion, the way that a TellTale game does. There is no arc for either the character or the story, leaving you with a disappointed feeling of, “Well, I guess the game’s over.”
To step on a soapbox for a moment, this is a trend that has to stop. Updates are fine. Patches are fine. Bug fixes are fine. But releasing a game that is ostensibly missing the ending is unacceptable. Nothing about the wayUnderdread is set up makes it feel like an episodic adventure game. It is a 3-4 hour experience, with a variety of areas.
The Final Word: Underdread is a drab, uninspired, incomplete game, and it is not surprise to me that it originated as mobile game called Slender Man Origins 2 Saga. Save yourself the time and frustration by playing a more complete horror game.
Movies
‘Tha Rae: The Exorcist’ Review: Gory Thai Possession Horror Faithfully Adheres to the Tropes [NYAFF 2026]
Possession films are an exceedingly common subgenre in horror to the point that far too many of them feel far too familiar. This is a generalization, obviously, but it too often seems that someone is possessed, a representative from the area’s dominant religion is called in, and a fierce spiritual battle comes to a dramatic conclusion. The idea that the demon in question always happens to be of the exorcist’s faith and denomination is simply chalked up to plot necessity.
Tha Rae: The Exorcist adds an intriguing wrinkle into that trope by introducing a demonic entity that rebuffs both a Catholic priest and a local Yao shaman. It’s only when the two join forces that they’re able to put up a fight against the evil being.
The film opens with a Catholic exorcist out of options. A possessed child writhes before him, pustules and other signs of devilish control wracking the little girl’s body with snarls and contortions. Unable to beat the demon, and unwilling to let it grow stronger and move to another host, the priest convinces the child’s mother that death is the only choice left – so they plunge a knife into the girl’s heart.
Forty years later, it’s that same priest, Ming (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), who’s become possessed to the point of attacking and trying to eat other villagers. His daughter Malee (Nichaphat Chatchaipholra) arrives to check in on her father, but she too soon falls prey to a possessive entity with a taste for flesh. Two exorcists with wildly differing faiths and styles are called in – Sopha (Phiravich Attachitsataporn) is a self-described Yao witch doctor and TikTok exorcist who uses props, dance, theatricality, and ancestral spirits to combat the forces of evil, while Father Paolo (Jirayu Tangsrisuk) is entrenched in the traditions and rituals of the Catholic Church.
Photo: © 2025 SAHAMONGKOLFILM INTERNATIONAL COMPANY LIMITED ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. North American Premiere
There’s both tragedy and betrayal at play in the narrative of Tha Rae: The Exorcist, but director/co-writer Taweewat Wantha puts the thematic focus on the collaboration and understanding required to go toe to toe with a deviously malevolent force. It’s an interesting spin on the expected formula, and while the rest of the film stumbles in its supporting players and follows more traditional beats – albeit with some fun, gooey gore – that core element is enough to make it stand apart from the crowd.
Wantha broke onto the film scene with 2004’s memorably titled Sars Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis and continued that trend with oddball genre comedies like The Sperm and Kindergarten War, but he found major success with the one-two horror punch of Death Whisperer and Death Whisperer 2. His latest is more in line with those hits as jump scares and local mythologies play into his creepy tale of possession and generational punishment.
Tha Rae: The Exorcist arguably has more personality and humor, and both are due in large part to the character of Sopha and the playful but sincere performance that brings it to life. Where Tangsrisuk is saddled with the more straightlaced priest, Attachitsataporn’s witch doctor enjoys his local celebrity and has fun while aiding his community. Sopha’s social media followers expect a show, and he delivers, but there’s an engaging dynamic at play within him.
Photo: © 2025 SAHAMONGKOLFILM INTERNATIONAL COMPANY LIMITED ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. North American Premiere
Sopha’s grandmother was the original witch doctor, and he was just her apprentice. When she passed – and subsequently became the primary ancestral spirit that he calls upon during his rituals – Sopha took up the mantle. For one reason or another, continuing her legacy requires him to carry on with his more feminine foot forward. Makeup, costumes, and a feminine lilt to the way he walks and talks are all part of the show. He apologizes to Paulo for it, but there’s no shame in his words or tone as he embraces the gifts he holds and the power he wields.
There’s no disdain between the two even as they seem initially unimpressed by each other’s efforts. Eventually, though, after each has struck out in dramatic and painful fashion, they realize a combined approach to fighting this particular demon is the only way forward. It’s here where the film shines brightest with the idea that beliefs can intermingle and co-exist without the need for disdain or dismissal.
The two of them are the heart of Tha Rae: The Exorcist, but the meat and potatoes of the genre come in the form of creepy antics and a bit of the ol’ gut munching. Intestines are nibbled, a feral man bursts through floorboards to terrorize young girls, and the possessed have a generally unsettling look about them. Wantha too often neuters his atmosphere and mood, though, by jumping quickly to the gore. It cuts into the horror of it all, leaving the film to work in fits and bursts rather than as a cohesive, propulsive whole.
Shortcomings in both the script and direction prevent the film from coming close to denser, more memorable, and atmospheric possession horrors like It Comes or The Wailing, but its main theme and dual lead characters still offer up an intriguing combination.
Genre tropes exist for a reason, but Tha Rae: The Exorcist is a good reminder that they also exist to be twisted, teased, and, when necessary, torn to shreds.
Tha Rae: The Exorcist made its North American premiere at the 25th New York Asian Film Festival.
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