6 Thai Dramas to Watch This Spooky Season

I recognize that spooky season is almost over, but there is still time to binge one or two of these dramas to get you in the mood for Halloween.

There may be a time in the near future when I don’t primarily post about Thai dramas, but today is not that day. With Halloween fast approaching, I’m here to recommend some shows for anyone who wants something a little scarier than the traditional BL fare.

Peaceful Property

Ever since Peach (Tay Tawan) was hit by a car three years ago, he has had the ability to see ghosts. This comes in very handy for Home (New Thitipoom), who has recently inherited a bunch of haunted properties from his beloved grandfather.

So Peaceful Property isn’t actually a BL, even though it stars branded pair TayNew. The series focuses more on the dynamic of found family with Peach, Home, Peach’s sister Pangpang, and Home’s assistant Kan. (Oh, and Home’s bodyguard Suradech.) However, it can absolutely be read as a BL (and many of us did), and director Dome Jarupat did actually write a Twitterfic where Peach and Home got together for Christmas. (There is also a BL subplot in one of the episodes.)

For the first few episodes, it’s a very monster-of-the-week story, with the group going to a different property to liberate the ghost. So each episode has its own backstory as we learn more about the ghost and the people left behind. (The ForceBook episode punched a lot of us in the gut, got its hooks in, and didn’t let go.) But as we get deeper into the series, we learn that there is more going on than Home simply trying to claim his inheritance and Peach trying to adjust to his ability.

Peaceful Property surprised a lot of us. I expected a goofy ghost-hunting show, based on the trailer, but it had no right to be as good as it ended up being. The ghost episodes are heartbreaking, the relationship between the gang is fantastic, the guest stars are top tier, and the makeup department deserves a raise because wow. There is also a season-long mystery that is well-crafted and intriguing, as well as several clues that can be found in the oft-changing opening credits.

Peaceful Property is 12 episodes and can be streamed (in the US) on Viki.

Spare Me Your Mercy

Thiu (JJ Krissanapoom) is returning home to be with his dying mother, only to find out he missed her passing by hours. Her doctor, Kan (Tor Thanapob), offers him some comfort in his grief. But when terminally ill patients start being murdered, Thiu suspects Kan is responsible.

I meant to write a recommendation post for Spare Me Your Mercy after I watched it, but I never got around to it. So this is the perfect opportunity to try and get people to watch it. This show is less spooky than it is chilling and suspenseful. It is about a serial killer, but it is also a fairly sympathetic exploration of assisted suicide. In this sense, it may be triggering to some people.

As this is a mystery, I hesitate to write too much because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. But multiple things are happening. You will see an event from one perspective, and then later we’ll see it from another perspective. Even once you realize what’s going on, I think you will have no clue of how everything is going to end up. It’s very much an “edge of your seat” kind of show.

The focus is meant to be on the story, so the relationship is a slow burn and not the most important part of the series. Still, it’s a very interesting dynamic as Thiu, a cop, is secretly investigating Kan, while Kan is fully aware that Thiu suspects him and is trying to distract him. I really did love their relationship; it’s a little understated, and while they don’t quite trust each other, you can tell that there is something there.

Spare Me Your Mercy is 8 episodes and can be streamed on iQIYI and Viki.

The Sign

Tharn (Babe Tanatat) has had premonitions for as long as he can remember, and they all seem to center around Phaya (Billy Patchanon), his partner in the special investigations unit. Soon it becomes evident that someone – or something – is determined to kill Phaya.

More supernatural than truly spooky, The Sign has a great mythological component as well as crime drama elements. Tharn, Phaya, and the rest of their team have several crimes that they’re investigating, and it turns out that everything may be connected not only to each other, but also to the murder of Tharn’s father years ago. Unfortunately, Tharn and Phaya also have to wrestle with the supernatural forces that keep trying to drown Phaya, and figure out why Tharn keeps seeing Phaya’s death in his dreams.

I really enjoyed The Sign but I’m not going to lie, it does get bogged down in its own mythology. Like many Thai dramas, this series is based on a book. While it was airing, people who had read the book would have to explain things to people who hadn’t, just so that we could understand why things were important. Still, I really like the story; I found it interesting.

Billy and Babe also have insane chemistry. Most of the reason I kept watching even though the plot gets kind of convoluted is because I love Tharn and Phaya’s relationship so much. They really are fantastic, and completely obsessed with each other. (Also, the side characters are stellar, particularly Yai. I just started a rewatch after it went up on iQIYI and I’d forgotten how much I loved Yai.)

The Sign is 12 episodes (plus a special episode) and can be streamed on YouTube and iQIYI (uncensored).

Midnight Museum

When the café that he is working for abruptly closes, Dome (Gun Attaphan) needs a job fast. Enter mysterious customer Khatha (Tor Thanapob), who offers him a job at his museum. The museum is only open at night and features a variety of odd exhibits, which end up going missing and needing to be tracked down.

Midnight Museum is such a good watch. Like Peaceful Property, it follows a mostly monster-of-the-week format, with each episode focused on Dome, Khatha, and the rest of the museum employees tracking down the exhibits. They also have to deal with whatever chaos the cursed artifacts have wrought. But it turns out that there is also another mystery, as apparently, Dome only has memories of the past few months.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started watching, but this show goes way darker than I thought it would. It’s actually kind of gross at times; the bug episode really got under my skin and was difficult to watch. But every episode is so engaging, and this show really utilizes its cavalcade of guest stars to the best of its ability.

Midnight Museum is our other non-BL on this list, although, unlike Peaceful Property, it does not contain a branded pair. (There is a BL subplot in one of the episodes.) However, it definitely gives off BL vibes and can absolutely be read that way, if you are so inclined. Fans have been clamoring for a season 2 pretty much since the show ended in 2023.

Midnight Museum is 12 episodes and can be streamed on YouTube.

Khemjira

Khem (Namping Napatsakorn) was born into a cursed family. Male children do not live past the age of 21. With his 21st birthday approaching, the ghosts that Khem can see have started appearing more frequently and becoming more vicious. His only hope is with Pharan (Keng Harit), a shaman related to the man who saved Khem’s life as a child.

Fair warning, I have not seen Khemjira in its entirety (I started watching it yesterday and am only two episodes in), but my Tumblr dashboard has raved about it, so I was really excited to start it once it finished. The final episode aired this past Saturday, and I have heard nothing but praise about the series from start to finish.

And even then, with just two episodes down, I am hooked. If I didn’t have to get up early this morning, I would have kept going – the first episodes were just that good. It’s appropriately scary (I actually worried about watching this just before bed – I absolutely get nightmares after these kinds of shows), but it’s also a nice exploration of religion and magic. I have also heard very good things about the found family aspect.

Khemjira is 12 episodes and can be streamed on iQIYI.

Dead Friend Forever

Eight friends gather at a vacation house as a last sendoff to a friend who is going to study abroad. However, as they reminisce, they realize that there may be a ninth person in the house, and that they are all in danger.

This is another one that I haven’t seen, and honestly, I have no real desire to just because it very much looked like something I personally wouldn’t enjoy. That being said, I do know a lot of people who loved this show and still talk about it. And in the tradition of something like Scream or Friday the 13th, I figured it would be the perfect show to recommend (or rather, suggest) for Halloween.

Dead Friend Forever is 12 episodes and can be streamed on iQIYI.

Honorable Mentions

These two shows are honorable mentions because they will both fit the spooky, Halloween vibe but have not actually started airing yet. However, they both coincidentally premiere on Halloween!

Zomvivor follows a group of college students who take refuge in their school when a mysterious virus spreads through town and starts turning everyone around them into zombies. I am very much not a zombie person, but this cast is pretty stacked, so I’m actually kind of excited to watch it. Zomvivor will stream on Netflix.

Goddess Bless You From Death is a supernatural crime drama about an orphan with extraordinary senses who must investigate a series of ritualistic murders alongside a man who dismisses everything to do with the occult. Again, not really a Jamie kind of show, but I’m still looking forward to this because the trailer looked so good. Goddess Bless You From Death will stream on iQIYI.

And there you have it! Six shows (plus two) that you should absolutely check out in honor of Halloween. I’m sure there are a lot of other dramas that would fit the bill, but I personally don’t know them. If you’ve got other spooky series to rec, let me know!

Happy Halloween!

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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