her that he is going to cut his hair and become a monk in order to pray for her sins and allow her spirit to find peace. She still refuses. The kingdom's most respected Buddhist monk, Somdej Toh, intervenes and, in a tearful farewell, Nak repents, leaving her husband for this life. The monk has the centre of her forehead cut out, thus releasing her spirit, and makes a girdle brooch of it. The epilogue states it later came into the possession of Prince Chumbhorn Ketudomsak. It was thereafter handed down for generations, with its current owner unknown. Background The allegedly true story of Mae Nak Phra Khanong is Thailand's most popular ghost tale. A popular shrine dedicated to her at is at On Nut, Sukhumvit Soi 77 in Bangkok's Suan Luang (formerly Phra Khanong) District. The old tale has been depicted on film many times since the silent era, one of the most famous being Mae Nak Pra Kanong in 1958. British filmmaker Mark Duffeld directed a version in 2005 called Ghost of Mae Nak. There also is an opera, Mae Nak, by Thai composer Somtow Sucharitkul. Another retelling of the Nak legend is Pee Mak Phrakanong (2013), a film directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, which relates the story from the husband's viewpoint. The film surpassed one billion baht in box office revenue, Thailand's highest grossing film to date. Release The film opened in cinemas on 23 July 1999. It was wildly popular and became the first Thai film to earn 100 million baht at the box office. In an era of 100 baht cinema tickets it would go on to earn more than 150 million baht. In 2019, on the 20th anniversary of its original release, it was re-released in digital format to select cinemas. Cast Intira Jaroenpura as Nak Winai Kraibutr as Mak See also List of ghost films References External links Center for Asian American Media Nang Nak at FilmThreat.com 1999 films 1999 horror films Thai horror films Thai-language films Thai ghost films Best Picture Suphannahong National Film Award winners Films based on Mae Nak Phra Khanong Thai national heritage films Folk horror films Films about exorcism