Ziam

Ziam (Thai: ปากกัด ตีนถีบ) is a 2025 Thai action horror film directed by Kulp Kaljareuk. The film stars Mark Prin Suparat, Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich, and Wanvayla Boonnithipaisit. It was released globally on Netflix on July 9, 2025, and combines elements of martial arts and zombie survival horror. The film received attention for its fast-paced action sequences, Muay Thai choreography, and dystopian setting.^[1]

The film released worldwide on Netflix and received a positive reviews from critics also it reaches number 1 spot on Netflix's top 10 movies worldwide.^[2][3]

In a near‑future Thailand ravaged by climate change and resource scarcity, Singh, a former Muay Thai fighter turned truck driver, dreams of retiring peacefully with his girlfriend Rin, a hospital doctor. Their plans collapse when a fast‑spreading zombie outbreak overruns the hospital where Rin works. Singh re‑activates his fighting prowess to infiltrate the hospital and save her—and a young boy named Buddy. With no firearms, he relies on bare‑knuckle combat against both the undead and human threats in claustrophobic corridors. A final showdown culminates in a risky sacrifice to ensure Rin and Buddy escape as the hospital explodes.

In a dystopian future, the world suffers from the effects of climate change, poverty, and food shortages. Thailand has barely managed to stay afloat thanks to innovative but risky experiments like insect breeding, but a fatal mistake unleashes a zombie apocalypse that culminates in a major attack on a hospital.

Singh, once a professional Muay Thai fighter, has had enough of the ruthless underground business and wants to return to his hometown of Chiang Dao to start a quiet life with his girlfriend Rin, a doctor. A voiceover explains that rising greenhouse gas emissions have melted the Arctic ice , releasing bacteria millions of years old. VS Corporation, a powerful agricultural company, unknowingly transported contaminated fish from a sunken freighter. These contaminated docking crates ends up in food production, which had been converted to insect farming to alleviate famine. A faulty DNA modification was revealed to be the cause of the contagious pathogen.

On his final mission, Singh travels to the capital with his superior, Kriang, to deliver the fish containers. On billboards, the VS Corporation proudly advertises its "Insect Squirrels for Food Security" project. While Singh considers reorganizing his life, he has no idea he's bringing the pandemic with him.

Barely arrived at the hospital when a patient who had eaten the contaminated fish became the first infected beast to escape. Within minutes, visitors and staff transformed into bestial zombies, transforming the hall and corridors into a battlefield. Singh rushed to the waiting room, where Rin, Dr. Pat, and the little boy Buddy had sought refuge. Together, they made their way through winding corridors—supported by Singh's walls of tables and rollaway beds—while fending off aggressive undead with precise elbow strikes and low kicks.

On the ground floor, the group encounters Vasu, a ruthless entrepreneur and friend of VS Corporation, who has planted bombs throughout the building on his own initiative to destroy the virus—at the expense of all the occupants. Vasu offers Rin a deal: He will evacuate her if she gives him medical expertise, but only promises to save his wife and abandon the remaining patients. Singh sees through the plot when Vasu infects himself shortly thereafter and reveals his true goal.

Singh, Rin, and Buddy race up stairs and through operating rooms to the roof, while the hospital literally collapses around them. On the roof terrace, Singh tries to get the group to safety behind a series of water tanks. He climbs into a tank as the first bomb explodes; the water cushions the blast. Shortly afterward, a zombie opens the lid, and Singh heroically jumps out, decapitates the undead, and makes his way to the helipad.

At the last moment, Singh proposes to Rin in front of the approaching zombies and presents her with a ring. While Rin and Buddy are rescued, the soldiers refuse to allow the helicopter crew to stay with Singh, lest another explosion occur. The helicopter takes off without him. At the moment of the detonation, which reduces the hospital to rubble, only the audience learns through a slow-motion sequence that Singh survives thanks to the tank. Rin remains on the airfield with the ring on her finger—a silent sign of her hope for his reunion.

In the end, Rin believes in Singh's return, while the world continues to be threatened by the zombie plague. This ending hints at a possible sequel in which Singh fights his way through an apocalyptic Thailand to return to his true love.

• Prin Suparat as Singh, a former Muay Thai fighter
• Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich as Rin, a hospital doctor and Singh's girlfriend
• Wanvayla Boonnithipaisit as Buddy, a child survivor
• Johnny Anfone as General Chai
• Pimmada Boriruksuppakorn as Nurse Meena
• Jason Young as Dr. Niran

Kulp Kaljareuk directs the film by the script written of Nut Nualpang, Weerasu Worrapot, Vatanyu Ingkavivat, and Chonnatee Pimnam.^[4]

Director Kulp Kaljareuk explained to Netflix that they want to explore what it's like to fight zombies using Muay Thai and he also add that No CGI was used to create a raw and gory flesh, he said that each zombie is crafted with just makeup. They also used practical effects on the film and they emphasize the action sound to standout. And the title of the film comes from the Thailand’s historical name, Siam, but with a “Z” for zombies.^[5]

The film was released in Netflix on July 9, 2025.^[5]

The film received positive reviews and climb to top in every charts globally after release.^[6][7] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 10 critics' reviews are positive.^[8]

Mary Kassel of Screen Rant gave the film a rating of 5 over 10 and she said; Ziam comes close to hitting upon something new, but it retreats back to safer territory every time.^[9]

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of Inverse gave the film a positive feedback and wrote; Derivative it may be, but there’s always an audience for “cool guy kicks a bunch of monsters in the head,” and director Kulp Kaljareuk knows how to keep that audience happy.^[10]

Jim Vorel of Paste gave the film a rating of 6.2 over 10 and said; This isn’t vintage Tony Jaa, but most of the fight scenes–particularly when Singh has a human opponent to square off against rather than just a zombie charging him–are satisfyingly and unsparingly brutal.^[11]

Alan Jacques of Limerick Post gave the film a rating of 2 over 5 and he wrote; This Southeast Asian flick has plenty going for it but, sadly, it doesn’t take any risks or try and break its ghoulish mould. It’s let down by a halfhearted final act, while setting itself up for what will probably be a reserved and rather disappointing sequel, and proves as memorable as an Irish Eurovision entry.^[12]

• List of horror films of 2025
• List of Netflix original films (since 2025)

• Ziam at IMDb