Reviews
The Razer Kaira Pro Headset for PS5 Elevates Horror Gaming and Film [Review]
All sorts of neat tricks have accentuated the horror experience on PS5 for me so far. The DualSense controller’s combination of speaker, adaptive triggers, and haptics being chief among them. The pulse headset adds further depth with its sublime 3D audio, but there’s something about the Razer Kaira Pro headset that really elevates horror gaming on PS5, and even horror movies.
The Razer Kaira Pro for PS5 has three levels of haptic feedback in it. So it doesn’t just rumble a bit during the loud parts, it rumbles with meaning and context. The clomp of heavy footsteps suddenly seem like they’re coming from right next to you, and the sudden banging on a door in the dark will make you jump with the sudden jolt the headset administers. Naturally, I had to test it out with a range of horror experiences I love to see what it brought to them. Turns out, a fair bit! The smart thing about this headset is that its haptics doesn’t just work on games, they work on music, TV, and film as well.
Resident Evil 3 Remake
I specifically chose this for the explosive opening, where Jill Valentine is hounded across a chaotic Raccoon City by the hulking slab of meat in a binbag that is Nemesis. It’s the best showing in the entire remake for Nemesis, making him some frightening mutant spawn of The Terminator and Michael Myers. Its initial appearance where it crashes through Jill’s apartment building is already great, but having every thundering crash of plaster and brick thump through the headset adds some real, terrifying oomph. Similarly, when Jill gets to street level, the various crashes, explosions, and panicked gunfire ring out with renewed strength. The sound quality is fantastic with the Razer, picking up the quieter, more unnerving sounds just as clearly.
The Last of Us Remastered
Another game’s opening I simply had to try the headset with. The Last of Us’ opening has a much more refined balance of quiet and loud moments, and ended up being a real showcase for what the Razer could do. The audio contrast between Sarah’s lone spell at home and the infected neighbor crashing in through the patio door not only shows how good the sound design is in The Last of Us, but just how effective the sudden hit of the Razer’s haptic feedback can be after a period of calm and quiet.
Alien/Alien Isolation/Aliens/Aliens Fireteam Elite
Two films, and two games with very distinct audio. I could have just watched the films or just tried the games with the Kaira Pro, but I ended up trying all four, and top to bottom, they were magical experiences with the headset.
Alien’s clacky, clunky retro-future spacefaring noises were especially pleasing, and hearing them again in Alien Isolation was even better because they brought the constant fear of the xenomorph’s presence. Those circular vent covers that scrape open loudly over the throbbing bassy hum of the Sevastapol’s engines were already unnerving in Isolation, but more than once, their loud screech made me jump as I fully expected the xeno to emerge nearby. It was of course, much, much worse when the thudding footfalls of the beast do follow up one of the regular ship noises because the rumbling haptic plod cranks up as it not only gets closer, but speeds up upon spotting you. This audio with a VR version of Isolation would probably be the most upsetting immersive experience ever made.
So on to Aliens. Cameron’s got some good booms going on in this film, making the battles against the Xenos especially frantic and intense with the headset on, giving staccato beats as pulse rifle fire fills the air. Fireteam Elite comes very close to replicating that feeling, with satisfying feedback from shotgun blasts and grenade detonations.
Returnal
It would be silly to use the Kaira Pro PS5 headset and not try it with a PS5 exclusive. So what game could be better than Housemarque’s award-winning sci-fi shooter Returnal?
The game already boasts phenomenal audio that is rife with discordant, otherworldly sounds, and the thunder of energy-based gunfire that resonates through the DualSense controller, so cranking that up with the Kaira Pro only adds to the audiovisual extravaganza. I didn’t think it was possible to enrich the atmosphere of Atropos any further, but the extra haptic feedback offered by the Kaira Pro manages just that.
Dead By Daylight
After all those shenanigans I asked myself, how would the headset enhance a multiplayer experience? Well, the Kaira Pro certainly made itself useful during survivor play in Dead By Daylight.
The telltale beat of a heart that quickens and grows louder as the killer draws near is one of Dead By Daylight’s ways of helping survivors weigh their options in crucial moments. Should they try to finish repairing that generator or should they hide? It’s Dead By Daylight at its nerviest, and the heightened amplification of that heartbeat on the Kaira Pro adds further intensity to it.
The Kaira Pro features a detachable mic too, so it’s a good all-rounder for your DBD needs.
Scream 5
I rounded out my testing with a watch of the latest Scream film. A slasher with lots of suspenseful builds and jolting moments would surely be a treat with the Kaira Pro’s bag of tricks, and so it proved. It’s not quite a 4D movie experience, but it did serve to make watching the film at home feel like a bigger, more cinematic deal.
Razer Kaira Pro headset for PS5 provided by Razer
Razer Kaira Pro headset for PS5 is out now.
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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