Folklore Origins Originally, Thai Horror can be traced back to traditional folklore, oral storytelling, and religious beliefs, connected to Buddhist beliefs, these stories were passed down through generation. These generally refers to “Phi” mysterious beings that range from ghost to divine spirit. These spirits influence multiple aspect of Thai people as they were believed to inhabit houses, forest, rivers, or environment around their local environment. There are many supernatural figurines in Thai folklore that were used in Thai horror industry. The most well-known is the legend of
Mae Nak Phra Khanong, a doting wife who haunts the Phra Khanong River after dying during childbirth while waiting for her husband to return from a war. Another distinguished spirit includes Krasue, first depicted in writing as a floating female head with exposed internal organ in Phi Sang Tevada “ผีสาง เทวดา”, a malevolent spirit said to process human bodies and eat raw internal organs.
Early Thai Horror Cinema Thai horror started to appear in cinema during mid-20th century, in this period they focused on adapting well-known local phi legends into motion films. One of the most influential stories was the legend of
Mae Nak Phra Khanong, which has been retold in various productions. Early notable film adaptation was Mae Nak Phra Khanong (1959), which help pave the way for modern media. In this era of cinema, Thai horror was closely connected to melodrama and romance which influenced the narrative to focus on tragic story rather than spiteful spirits, hence the supernatural elements in these films were tied to the relationships between human and spirit.
Late Twentieth Century During the modernization of Thailand in late twentieth century, Thai horror became more prominent within domestic industry and targeted more toward younger audiences and add more element of daily life, communities and drama into the film. There are many influence trends from other Asian film industry which affect Thai horror industry. Thai horror still heavily drawn from local folklore and belief, they incorporated comedic element and wider range of supernatural elements to the film which resulted in wide popularity in Thailand.
International Breakthrough In the early 21st century, Thai horror became more polished, and filmmakers started to blend horror with mystery and detective story. The best example for this era of Thai horror is
Shutter (2004) which grossed over $2,584,600 in Thailand, later got remake into various version from different countries such as
Photo (2006), and American remake with the same name;
Shutter (2008). The film’s success contributed to increased global interest in Thai horror film and show the ability to appeal internationally.
Modern Thai Horror Thai horror industry entered the modern era from 2004 onward according to Asst. Prof. Dr. Sukanya Sompiboon, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University. Filmmakers started to blend different genres with horror which created fresh perspectives and narratives while still keep the traditional culture.
Pee Mak (2013) is an adaptation of the legend of Mae Nak Phra Khanong that retold the story in an easier to digest story. It became the highest-grossing Thai film of all time, earning more than $33 million worldwide (Mostly in Asia).
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. Modern Thai horror media often blends traditional folklore with modern storytelling techniques, allowing the new generations to access the folklore story. As a result, Thai horror continues to be an influential and recognizable genre within Southeast Asian cinema and popular culture. == Characteristics ==