Abhiroop Das
Co-directed by Thanadet Pradit and Narit Yuvaboon, ‘Death Whisperer 3,’ also known as ‘Tee Yod 3,’ serves as the third entry in the Thai supernatural horror series and continues Yak’s journey through the depths of paranormal eccentricities. Throughout the first two movies, he and Sarge battle hordes of demons, curses, and spirits that target Yak’s family, all the while learning something new about the spiritual realm. This time around, Yak’s fight is even more personal, as his youngest sister, Yee, vanishes from their house without a trace. The only way to save her appears to be through a forest far scarier than anything they have ever set foot on. Still, nothing can stop Yee’s loved ones from rescuing her, even if it means butting heads with the most malevolent ghost in the series yet. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Death Whisperer 3 Plot Synopsis
‘Death Whisperer 3’ begins sometime after the events of ‘Death Whisperer 2,’ and it appears that Yak and his family are leading a life of peace after quite some time. Their joys, however, are short-lived, as Yee, the youngest sibling, mysteriously disappears not long after one of her teeth breaks. Yak is quick to figure out that this is the work of a supernatural force, and with the help of Sarge, he assembles a spirit-calling session. The ghost summoned is none other than Yam’s. She directs her siblings to the forest of Bongsanodbiang, located in western Thailand and teeming with ghosts and evil spirits. Despite knowing the risk at hand, Sarge, Yak, and his brothers descend on the trip, battling smaller spirits and monsters along the way.
While looking for Yee, Yak and company find two siblings, Yakhin and Kongmu, who introduce themselves as local villagers. The duo provides Yak’s team with shelter for the night and later guides them through the best way to navigate the jungle. Armed with silver bells to ward off evil energy, Yak reenters the forest in search and learns more about the ghost haunting it: Dà You, also known as the Black Spirit. The legend states that Dà You’s infant child was killed by Britishers, and aghast, she rebelled against the local Gods, cursing the entire place. Although she appeared unstoppable, a monk named Sayador successfully trapped her inside a cave until a village leader known as Mawae summoned the spirit to fight against the Japanese army. The plan backfired, and the Black Spirit instead consumed the entire town.
In a shocking turn of events, it is revealed that Yakhin and Kongmu aren’t actually human, but ghosts from the decimated tribe. However, they are not harmful, and actually want Yak to put a stop to Mawae’s evil rituals, meant to revive the Black Spirit and bring the tribe to life. With the siblings’ help, Yak successfully breaks into the caves and rescues Yee, as well as Yad, who was kidnapped from her home and is seven months pregnant. However, all of this turns out to be a trap laid out by Mawae, who uses Yak’s blood and Yee’s tooth to revive the Black Spirit. The final task is to sacrifice Yad’s unborn child, but Sarge and company break into the scene just in time, defeating Mawae and helping Yad with an emergency baby delivery. However, their final challenge emerges from the shadows just then, as a partially revived Dà You targets the entire family.
Death Whisperer 3 Ending: Does Yak Find Yee and Defeat Dà You?
At the end of ‘Death Whisperer 3,’ Yak rescues Yee by defeating Dà You and then shoving her into the depths of hell for good. While the Black Spirit almost seems invincible at first, Yak is successful due to two weapons, both of which carry symbolic meaning. The first is his knife doused in the amniotic fluid that comes out after Yad gives birth, which sears through Dà You’s skin upon impact, temporarily disorienting her. The reason for this ties back to her backstory told at the start of the movie, where her own baby died at the hands of British soldiers. In the present, the pain she once felt is twisted into one of her weaknesses, and Yak makes use of that to unleash his second, and lethal attack: the mercury ball.
Earlier in the story, we are shown a cluster of bells that are supposed to ward off the forest’s evil spirits, but it is only later that we learn why the bells work. Sarge deduces that the balls, filled with mercury, have a repelling effect on evil spirits, as is consistent with several occult mythologies. To that end, he fills a series of bullets with mercury to test the hypothesis, and it works. The detail also recontextualizes why Sayador smeared mercury onto Dà You’s forehead in the first place, and putting two and two together, Yak charges ahead with a mercury ball, ramming it into her head with his final bullet. Although this is enough to strip the Black Spirit of all her powers, she isn’t gone just yet. At that moment, Yakhin urges Yak to send Dà You back to hell, which he does by throwing her, along with himself, into the gateway to the afterlife.
Although Dà You uses all of her remaining might to latch on to Yak, he ultimately manages to break free and exit the well before it’s too late. With this, the curse on the entire forest is lifted almost instantaneously, meaning that Mawae, as well as all the ghosts of her village, all cease to exist one by one. While we never get a proper conclusion for Yakhin and Kongmu, it is very much implied that they return to the afterlife, or are at least elevated to the status of benevolent spirits, as we see in the case of Yam from the first movie. However, it is important to note that Dà You isn’t fully dead, but merely trapped in hell along with other nefarious souls. Provided that she survives for some time and is revived by figures such as Mawae in the future, we may see the Black Spirit making her return once again.
Is Sarge Dead or Alive?
Yak and the company’s victory against the Black Spirit comes at one major cost: the death of Sarge. The veteran has been a part of the series since the first movie, and while he managed to survive a bullet wound back then, this time his injuries prove to be fatal. Shortly after the birth of Yad’s child, Dà You creeps up behind the group and impales Sarge with her bare hands, effectively pulling him out of the fight. However, it is only after the climax is over that we learn of the severity of Sarge’s injuries. With an emergency bandage wrap barely holding back a pool of blood, it becomes increasingly clear that Sarge isn’t gonna make it, but Yak and his siblings can hardly come to accept this reality.
For a moment, it almost appears that Sarge will make it out of this ordeal through sheer force of will and love, but towards the end, he is the first to realize that his time has come. Instead of breaking down, he gives a moving monologue about the value of life and how he has only come to truly cherish it after embarking upon these journeys. In a way, Yak and his siblings represent a new generation of thought that is built on top of Sarge’s legacy, and this movie marks a fitting send-off for the character. Still, parting ways with Sarge is far from easy for Yak, and even as the scene cuts to black, it is clear that he isn’t ready to accept his mentor’s death. How this major turn in the narrative impacts his psyche remains to be seen, and can give way to a radical transformation in his mindset going forward.
Who is Crying in the Mid-Credit Scene?
The enigmatic mid-credit scene of ‘Death Whisperer 3’ suggests that Yak is not the only character mourning Sarge’s death. Through carefully stacked close-up shots, we see a woman, possibly Sarge’s daughter, crying in front of his photo frame, which means that she might be a part of the story going forward. While we only catch a glimpse of her eyes and cheeks in the scene, sources indicate that actor Maylada Susri is taking on the role, and we may see more of her in the case of a potential fourth entry in the series. Notably, the brief sequence doesn’t shine much of a light on the character’s intentions, but for the creators to specifically place her there suggests that she may emerge as an antagonistic presence, targeting more of Yak’s family members.
From the start of the movie, one of the running themes is the disillusionment characters have with their faith. Much of that is triggered by the deaths of their loved ones, and in the case of Dà You and later Mawae, this often leads to a turn to the occult. Given how intensely this new character is hurting due to the death of Sarge, we might see her presence similarly turn evil, especially as Sarge only dies after getting involved in a rescue mission for Yak’s sister. On the flipside, it is just as likely that this new character is all set to be an ally of Yak and his siblings, and might even bring forth new realms of spiritual knowledge, just as Sarge often did in the other movies from the series.
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