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I always knew Thai horror is underrated
But I never really gave it a chance
With its rich history and vibrant culture rooted in Buddhism
Thai horror film has to be special
Yet I know literally nothing about the genre
So last week, I finally set everything aside
Picked a few movies
Sat my ass down and watched some
And boy oh boy
Do I have some recommendations for you
Today, I have 3 Thai horror films to share
Each geared towards different types of audience
I'll explain why they are so good
Why they are different from other horror fairs
And offer some of my analysis
So you can jump into the films and experience them to their fullest
Come join me
As I explore, for the first time
The underrated world of Thai horror
Let's start with the obvious choice
2004's Shutter
It came out during the J-horror boom of the 2000s
And is one of the few non-Japanese horrors
That received the Hollywood treatment
It certainly has that J-horror atmosphere
The film centers around a couple
Just your average girl with her photographer boyfriend
Having fun, getting drunk
Who ends up committing a hit and run
After they leave the scene
Unnerving events begin to occur around them
The scares are standard for its time
Ghostly photographs
Which we saw in Ringu
Haunted public washroom
Which we saw in Ju-on
But they are effective and cohesive
Making the film more than the sum of its parts
The interesting part, though, is where it differs from J-horror
For J-horror, it's pretty clear from the beginning that there is a curse
The danger is external and real
In Shutter, for a big chunk of the film
You don't even know if there really is a ghost
Every time there's a scare
Boom! the character wakes up
Ghostly photos?
"Your film's faulty"
Faces on photos?
"It's just double exposure and bad focus"
Halfway through the film
You don't even know if there was a car accident to begin with
"A car crashed into a road sign"
"Probably drunk"
It makes you feel like both the characters and you are going insane
It focuses less on the source of the horror
And much more so on the protagonist's guilt-ridden mind
It's almost like everything is in his head
With the settings of the blood-red photo lab
Where all the messed up things happen
And the photo studio that suddenly goes dark
Where the protagonist cries out into the void with no response
Turns out, this is a movie with heavy Buddhist influence
In Buddhism, there are two different sides of hell
There is the Hot Narakas
Where the body is tortured through physical pain
And the Cold Narakas
Where the soul is tormented through darkness and cold
Watching this movie through the lens of Buddhist philosophy
Makes it even better
It's about Karma
About a man's guilt coming back to torment him
And dragging him to hell and back
It's about desire
How it leads to unsatisfaction
And how it is the cause of all suffering
I can't go into more specifics without spoiling the plot
But keep those concepts in mind while watching the film
And I think you'll find yourself fascinated by it
Just the way I was
If not, Shutter is still great even for casual viewing
It is definitely one of the best horror films from that era
If you like J-horror
You will love Shutter
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One thing I learn about horror
Is that it doesn't have to be scary to be good
"People aren't donating to the temple these days"
Pee Mak is one of those
It is a 2013 spooky comedy about a group of soldiers who return from war
They stay in Mark's house, where Mark's wife also resides
Unbeknown to everyone, but known to you
Mark's wife is a ghost
The plot centers around the friends trying to get to the truth
Get Mark away from his wife
All without tipping off the ghost
Who is all too willing to murder them in cold blood
It's surprisingly touching
And quite funny at times
"Actually my name is pronounced 'Mark'"
"Ma..."
"Mauauauauaurk?"
Reminiscent of the Stephen Chow style comedy
It also looks really good for a movie with only a 1.8 million dollar budget
But the most impressive thing is how suspenseful it is
It is the Hitchcock way of building tension
You know, two men talking
Not knowing there's a bomb underneath their table
Well, the ghost wife is the bomb
At first, you don't know who she is, and if she really is dead
And then the friends discover she's dead
But don't know if she's dangerous
After their first failed attempt at cluing Mark in
A villager let them know the wife has killed someone before
Which explains why the villagers are so scared of her
The film ramps up the tension with expert writing
They are in danger
But they can't leave their friends behind
It is a 2 hour long dancing with the devil
It's so suspenseful I love it
And that
Yes, ALL OF THAT
Happens in the first quarter of the movie!
While all this is happening
The film never stops being funny
It has been a long time since I last saw a film does visual comedy like this
The ghost wife literally in the shadows
Staring at them, making sure they are "having fun"
It's uncomfortable but hilarious at the same time
If you pay attention, she's almost always in the background staring
Faded into the shadows
Just enough to make you really uncomfortable
But not enough to stand out
It is a great visual motif for horror
And also a funny visual gag
How this film manages to balance horror and comedy is beyond me
The way it is simultaneously a horror and a comedy in the same shot
Is mind-boggling
Even the romantic moments feel real
Genuine and sincere
"If one day I die"
"Can you live without me"
The film went on to become the highest-grossing Thai film, ever
Probably because it has a little bit of something for everyone
It's one heck of a fun ride for casual viewing
And an excellent film to study writing tone and atmosphere
If you are into Stephen Chow horror
Or you want a spooky fun time this Halloween
Pee Mak is the film for you
Finally, let's talk about a more recent Thai horror film
2017's The Promise
The film opens with two young girls leaving their handprint
On the highest floor of a skyscraper under construction
They promise to live together, once the building is finished
Gotta love a good long take
Oh it's still going
It was 1997, Thailand was at the beginning of its economic upturn
Large real-estate projects were being built
Middle-class populations were growing
Things were looking good
But then, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis hit
Tearing apart their families
As their parents suffer
They, too, suffer
Conflicts emerge
Escalating into domestic violence
We see these two girls trying their best to support each other
But as both of them sink deeper into depression
They begin contemplating suicide
Which leads to a very tragic end
And you may be wondering
How is that supposed to be a horror film?
Well, you see, that's not the entire story
That's just the first 20 minutes
The film's actual plot is about the girl who ran away from the suicide
20 years later, she's now a successful businesswoman
And a loving mother
On her daughter's 16th birthday
She suddenly finds herself haunted by the ghost of her dead friend
It took me this long to tell you the actual plot
Because the film takes 20 minutes to enter the main story
For the first 20 minutes, it is unconcerned with horror, or suspense
Much like its long take, the film itself takes time with its characters
Not just showing you who they are
But letting you live through their lives
Feel their emotions and their relationships
The filmmakers understood the value of good character writing
And trusted that their characters would be enough to keep your attention
And they were right
I was actually invested in seeing how the story would play out
And once the actual plot starts
I was there for the protagonist
For example
When she sees that handprint on the wall
The same handprint from the opening
Drawn by her daughter while sleepwalking
My first reaction was...
How shocking it must be for her
Yes, this movie has some amazingly suspenseful scares
It's entertaining on its own, enough to excite audiences in a regular horror flick
But in this one
I feel like I understand every move she makes
Every feeling she experiences
The shock she feels
I wasn't in the mood to be excited
I felt a sense a dread
No doubt, the same dread felt by our protagonist
The rest of the film is filled with scares like this
While not subtle, the film is not violent either
Just very emotionally impactful
With the excellent acting from the actress that transcends the language barrier
This really is the most emotionally charged horror film I've ever seen
Eclipsing Babadook
And even Dark Water
This is just one heck of a well-done film that
I believe, anyone with an interest in film should watch
It's great casually, too
But put down your phone, sit tight
And really look at this film with no distractions
It is worth every bit of your attention
It's that good
I know I haven't even scratched the surface of Thai horror
But just these few films are enough to make me excited to see more
Not only are these films good and entertaining
It feels like I'm learning a lot about Thai culture as well
From the importance of Buddhist philosophy in Thai culture
To the impact of the 97 Financial Crisis
I even noticed a cultural shift
Where themes in movies shifted from religious punishment
To money and human relationships
Even the signature Thai greeting is showing up less and less
So, if you are from Thailand, let me know
Was my instinct correct?
That people are getting more and more secular
With Buddhist traditions fading into the background?
Isn't it fun that you can learn about Thailand like this
Just by watching movies?
It's like traveling
And in 2020, it's probably one of the best ways to travel
So, why not book your trip right now
Set a day you'd like to relax and be entertained
Buckle up and enjoy the journey
And when you are finished
Come back and leave a comment below
Let me know what happened
On your journey into the underrated world
Of Thai horror