![XRF-krasue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/XRF-krasue.jpg)
Thai horror refers to
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
s produced in the
Thai film industry
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by François-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited. This spar ...
.
Thai folklore
Thai folklore is a diverse set of mythology and traditional beliefs held by the Thai people. Most Thai folklore has a regional background for it originated in rural Thailand. With the passing of time, and through the influence of the media, large ...
and
beliefs in ghosts have influenced its horror cinema. Horror is among the most popular genres in Thai cinema, and its output has attracted recognition internationally. ''
Pee Mak
''Pee Mak'' ( th, พี่มาก..พระโขนง; ) is a 2013 Thai supernatural romantic comedy- horror film directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun. The story is an adaptation of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong legend of Thai folklore. It was re ...
'', a 2013 comedy horror film, is the most commercially successful Thai film of all time.
History
''
Nang Nak
''Nang Nak'' ( th, นางนาก) is a 1999 Thai supernatural horror film based on the Thai legend of Mae Nak Phra Khanong. It was directed by Nonzee Nimibutr and released in 1999 by Buddy Film and Video Production Co. in Thailand. It depi ...
'' (1999) has been described as a key part of "
Thai New Wave".
''Shutter'' (2004) was critically acclaimed and commercially successful locally and internationally. ''Shutter'' was successful in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Brazil, and was
remade in the United States and in India.
''
Pee Mak
''Pee Mak'' ( th, พี่มาก..พระโขนง; ) is a 2013 Thai supernatural romantic comedy- horror film directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun. The story is an adaptation of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong legend of Thai folklore. It was re ...
'' (2013), a
comedy horror
Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary genre, literary, television genre, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three ty ...
, became the highest-grossing Thai film of all time upon its release.
''The Medium'' (2021), a Thai-
South Korean co-production, was awarded Best Film at the
25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and was the
Thai submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in its year of release, but was not nominated.
Notable films
* ''Mae Nak Phra Khanong'' (1958)
* ''Krasue Sao'' (1973)
* ''
Nang Nak
''Nang Nak'' ( th, นางนาก) is a 1999 Thai supernatural horror film based on the Thai legend of Mae Nak Phra Khanong. It was directed by Nonzee Nimibutr and released in 1999 by Buddy Film and Video Production Co. in Thailand. It depi ...
'' (1999)
* ''
Bangkok Haunted
''Bangkok Haunted'' ( th, ผีสามบาท) is a 2001 Thai horror anthology film directed by Oxide Pang and Pisut Praesangeam. It consists of three ghost stories, as told by three people sitting around in a darkened Bangkok bar.
Premis ...
'' (2001)
* ''
Buppah Rahtree
''Buppah Rahtree'' ( th, บุปผาราตรี also ''Rahtree: Flower of the Night'' and ''Buppah Rahtree: Scent of the Night Flower'') is a 2003 Thai comedy-horror film written and directed by Yuthlert Sippapak. With its comic reference ...
'' (2003)
* ''
SARS Wars
''SARS Wars'' ( th, ขุนกระบี่ผีระบาด or ''Khun krabi phirabat'', also subtitled ''Bangkok Zombie Crisis'') is a 2004 Thai action fantasy comedy horror film directed and co-written by Taweewat Wantha.
The story in ...
'' (2004)
*
''Shutter'' (2004)
* ''
Art of the Devil
''Art of the Devil'' ( th, คนเล่นของ or ''Khon len khong'') is a 2004 Thai horror film directed by Tanit Jitnukul. It has two titular sequels, ''Art of the Devil 2'' (2005) and ''Art of the Devil 3'' (2008), but these films ...
'' (2004)
* ''
Art of the Devil 2
''Art of the Devil 2'' ( Thai: ลองของ or ''Long khong'') is a 2005 Thai horror film directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri, Art Thamthrakul, Yosapong Polsap, Putipong Saisikaew, Isara Nadee, Pasith Buranajan and Seree Pongniti (known collecti ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Krasue Valentine
''Krasue Valentine'' ( th, กระสือวาเลนไทน์, also ''Ghost of Valentine'') is a 2006 Thai romance-horror film written and directed by Yuthlert Sippapak. The film concerns the krasue ghost legend that is common in South ...
'' (2006)
* ''
Art of the Devil 3
''Art of the Devil 3'' ( Thai: ลองของ 2 or ''Long khong 2'') is a 2008 Thai horror film directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri, Art Thamthrakul, Yosapong Polsap, Putipong Saisikaew, Isara Nadee, Pasith Buranajan and Seree Pongniti (known coll ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Pee Mak
''Pee Mak'' ( th, พี่มาก..พระโขนง; ) is a 2013 Thai supernatural romantic comedy- horror film directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun. The story is an adaptation of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong legend of Thai folklore. It was re ...
'' (2013)
* ''
Inhuman Kiss
''Inhuman Kiss'' ( th, แสงกระสือ), also known as ''Krasue: Inhuman Kiss'', is a 2019 Thai supernatural horror film directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri. It was selected as the Thai entry for the Best International Feature Film a ...
'' (2019)
*
''Ghost Lab'' (2021)
*
''The Medium'' (2021)
Notable directors
*
Nonzee Nimibutr
Nonzee Nimibutr ( th, นนทรีย์ นิมิบุตร, ; born in 1962 in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand) is a Thai film director, film producer and screenwriter. Best known for his ghost thriller, '' Nang Nak'', he is generally c ...
*
Sompote Sands
Sompote Saengduenchai ( th, สมโพธิ แสงเดือนฉาย; ; 24 May 1941 – 26 August 2021), internationally known as Sompote Sands, was a Thai film director, special effects creator and producer best known for directing ...
*
Yuthlert Sippapak
Yuthlert Sippapak ( th, ยุทธเลิศ สิปปภาค, born November 8, 1966 in Loei, Thailand) is a Thai film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his genre-blending films '' Killer Tattoo'' (comedy and actio ...
*
Banjong Pisanthanakun
See also
*
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by François-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited. This sparke ...
*
Folk horror
Folk horror is a subgenre of horror film that uses elements of folklore to invoke fear and foreboding. Typical elements include a rural setting, isolation, and themes of superstition, folk religion, paganism, sacrifice and the dark aspects of natu ...
*
Ghosts in Thai culture
Belief in ghosts in Thai culture is both popular and enduring. In the history of Thailand, Buddhist popular beliefs intermingled with legends of spirits or ghosts of local folklore. These myths have survived and evolved, having been adapted to th ...
References
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