A grieving wife returns from the dead to protect her husband. But she does not come back as a spirit or a zombie. She returns as a vacuum cleaner. This is the bizarre and touching premise of the new Thai film A Useful Ghost. The movie has already made waves internationally and won big awards in France. Now it is finally coming to American movie theaters.
Cineverse is releasing this unique supernatural comedy across the United States this week. The film starts its limited theatrical run on January 16, 2026. Critics are calling it a masterpiece that mixes deep sadness with dry humor. It offers a fresh look at how we deal with loss and the objects we leave behind.
A Strange Tale of Love and Dust
The story follows Nat. She is a woman who worries constantly about her husband. He suffers from severe dust allergies. After Nat passes away, her spirit cannot move on because she is too worried about his health. She decides to possess the family vacuum cleaner to keep the house clean for him.
This sounds like a joke but the film treats it with serious emotion. Nat wants to be a “useful ghost.” She roams the house sucking up dust and fighting off other “useless” spirits who want to haunt the living. The movie uses this odd setup to talk about real human feelings. It asks how much we are willing to do for the people we love.
Davika Hoorne A Useful Ghost Thai movie vacuum cleaner scene
“The matter-of-fact way the characters treat ghosts and haunted household appliances lends an arch, ironic tone to the film.”
Ankit Jhunjhunwala, The Playlist
The director mixes the supernatural with everyday household chores. This creates a style that is both funny and heartbreaking. Viewers might laugh at the vacuum moving on its own. Then they might cry at the wife’s desperate attempt to care for her husband from beyond the grave.
Award Winning Success in France
A Useful Ghost is not just a weird comedy. It is a highly respected piece of cinema. The movie premiered last year at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. It played in the famous Critics’ Week section. The jury awarded it the Grand Prix which is the top prize for that section.
That win put the film on the map. Global distributors started fighting for the rights. Cineverse secured the deal for the United States. They believe American audiences are ready for something different. The studio is marketing it as a “deadpan Thai fable.” This means it tells a moral story with a straight face even when things get crazy.
Film Festival Achievements:
- Festival: Cannes Film Festival 2025
- Section: Critics’ Week
- Award: Grand Prix (Winner)
- Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
The film has built a strong reputation since that win. It appeared on several lists for the most anticipated films of 2026. Movie fans have been waiting months to see if the hype is real. The release this Friday will be the first chance for the general public in the US to judge for themselves.
The Visionary Director Behind the Vacuum
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke is the creative mind behind this project. This is his first full length feature film. He is not a newcomer to the film world though. He made a splash previously with his short film titled Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall. That short won an award at the Locarno Film Festival in 2020.
Boonbunchachoke has a specific style. He likes to mix politics with surrealism. Surrealism is art that uses dream logic instead of real logic. In his movies, strange things happen but nobody acts surprised. He uses ghosts and objects to talk about history and society.
Why this director matters:
- He blends genres like horror and comedy seamlessly.
- He uses mundane items to tell big stories.
- He focuses on “environmental cruelty” and how our surroundings affect us.
In A Useful Ghost, the director looks at how we treat the things we own. He suggests that maybe our objects have feelings too. Or maybe we just project our feelings onto them. He crafted a world where a haunted appliance is the hero of the story. This unique vision helped him transition from short films to a major theatrical release.
Star Power and Cast Details
The movie features some of the biggest names in Thai entertainment. The lead role of Nat belongs to Davika Hoorne. She is a massive star in Thailand. International fans might know her from the horror comedy blockbusters she has done before. She is often called the “Queen of Ghosts” because she is so good at playing supernatural roles.
Her performance here is different. She has to convey emotion often through voice or interaction with the machine. Starring opposite her is Witsarut Himmarat as the allergic husband. The chemistry between the man and the machine is the heart of the film.
Key Cast Members:
- Davika Hoorne as Nat (The Wife/Ghost)
- Witsarut Himmarat as The Husband
- Apasiri Nitibhon as Supporting Role
- Wanlop Rungkumjud as Supporting Role
The acting anchors the weird plot. If the actors treated it like a joke, it would not work. But they play it straight. They act as if talking to a vacuum cleaner is the most normal thing in the world. This makes the emotional moments hit harder. It also makes the funny moments even funnier because of the contrast.
We live in a time where most ghost movies are just about jump scares. A Useful Ghost tries something new. It uses the ghost to talk about love and care. It turns a cleaning tool into a symbol of devotion. This bold choice is why critics loved it in France. Now audiences in New York, Los Angeles and other cities can see if they agree.
