What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Medium
Banjong Pisanthanakun · Film · 2021
If you loved The Medium, start with Midnight Mass (Mike Flanagan, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Medium across media.
What hooked you in The Medium was the terrifying intersection where cultural belief systems and deep-seated family trauma violently collide.
Books on the same thread
The Forbidden Body
Douglas E. Cowan · Book · 2022
Explores: Religious control, Body image, Marginalization.
Just as The Medium explores the vulnerability of the body to spiritual possession, this book examines the ways religious structures historically exert control over our physical forms and identities.
Play Nice
Rachel Harrison · Book
Shares a thread with The Medium: demonic possession.
Much like the familial curse depicted in The Medium, this story centers on sisters grappling with a haunted legacy and the inescapable weight of generational trauma following a death.
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson · Book · 1987
Shares a thread with The Medium: Supernatural Horror.
The Medium showcases how isolation and belief can erode one's grip on reality, a theme mirrored in this gothic classic as researchers confront the uncanny nature of their surroundings.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. · Book · 2015
Explores: Trauma recovery, PTSD, Mind-body connection.
While The Medium uses possession to illustrate internal suffering, this text provides the scientific context for how the mind and body hold onto the echoes of traumatic life events.
Series on the same thread
Midnight Mass
Mike Flanagan · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with The Medium: Loss of Faith.
This series mirrors the loss of faith and religious deception found in The Medium, focusing on a town whose desperation for miracles blinds them to a sinister, encroaching darkness.
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan · Series · 2018
Explores: Trauma, Family Secrets, Mental Illness.
If the family dynamics in The Medium resonated with you, this show masterfully explores how haunting memories and grief can fracture a household across different points in time.
The Terror
David Kajganich · Series · 2018
Explores: Survival, Isolation, Madness.
The Medium excels at creating a sense of inescapable dread, a feeling this series replicates by placing its characters in extreme isolation where their sanity begins to rapidly unravel.
Evil
Michelle King · Series · 2019
Explores: Skepticism vs. Faith, Good vs. Evil, The Nature of Belief.
This show bridges the gap between science and the supernatural, echoing the investigative tension found in The Medium as characters attempt to distinguish between miracles and demonic possession.
Podcasts on the same thread
Kisah Tengah Malam (Podcast Horor)
Podcast
Shares a thread with The Medium: Supernatural horror.
If you appreciated the focus on cultural mysticism in The Medium, this podcast offers a deeper dive into the real-life ghost stories and regional folklore that fuel such terrors.
MALIKMATA
Podcast
Shares a thread with The Medium: Supernatural Horror.
The Medium highlights how local belief systems shape our understanding of the supernatural, a concept this collection of folklore-driven stories explores through the lens of traditional cultural encounters.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Medium based on a true story about shamanism?
The Medium is a 2021 film directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun. While it focuses on a shaman's family and the concept of goddess possession, the metadata does not classify the film as a true story or a factual documentary regarding shamanic practices.
What is the central conflict in The Medium?
The central conflict in The Medium involves a shaman's family who believe their goddess is controlling one of their members. The plot takes a dark turn when they discover the entity causing the possession is not the goddess they originally believed to be responsible.
Is The Medium a supernatural horror film?
Yes, The Medium is a 2021 film that explores themes of possession and spiritual entities. The narrative follows a family that encounters a frightening turn of events when they realize the force possessing a family member is not the goddess they initially worshipped.
Who directed The Medium?
The Medium is a 2021 film directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun. The story follows a shaman's family who discover that a possession affecting one of their own is not being caused by their goddess, leading to a frightening series of events.