Welcome to The Queue — your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, we’re watching a video that explores how great and underrated Thai horror is.
During October, many of us set off on epic horror marathons, front-loading our watchlists with only the ookiest and spookiest of cinematic offerings.
It’s always a treat to knock-off canonical classics and revisit old favorites. But long-haul deep dives into a specific genre can also provide a wonderful opportunity for discovery. Maybe you’ve been neglecting essential pre-code 1930s horror films like Frankenstein or The Black Cat. Or maybe you want to watch more lady-helmed horror so you’ve sought out bangers like The Slumber Party Massacre and Ravenous. Or, maybe, just maybe, you’re looking to branch out in an international sense. Every country has its own horror tradition. So why limit yourself to the output of just one part of the world?
That’s the spirit of the video essay below, which makes the case that we should all be a little more literate when it comes to Thai horror. While Japanese horror has made the jump across the pond, spawning Western remakes and even (arguably) affecting the aesthetic of certain Hollywood subgenres, Thai horror is comparatively underestimated in the West.
In an effort to help folks correct this blind spot, the video essay singles out three very different Thai horror flicks — Shutter (Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom, 2004), Pee Mak ( Banjong Pisanthanakun, 2013), and The Promise (Sophon Sakdaphisit, 2017) — and unpacks what about them is uniquely wonderful and terrifying.
Watch “Thai Horror Is So Underrated“:
Who made this?
This video was created by Accented Cinema, a Canadian-based YouTube video essay series with a focus on foreign, and specifically East Asian, cinema. You can subscribe to Accented on Cinema for bi-weekly uploads on YouTube. You can also follow them on Twitter.
More Videos Like This
- If you would like to see more of Accented Cinema’s work, we recommend this video on why Train to Busan is a case study on how to craft meaningful character deaths.
- Or, this video, on how Whisper of the Heart taps into the rhythms of what it’s like to commit to a life as an artist.
- Or Accented Cinema’s take on (oh boy) why Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan is a case of failed empowerment.
- Accented Cinema also has a wonderful two-part primer on J-Horror (even those familiar with Japanese horror may learn a thing or two!).
- Here’s a look at the very different, and very beautiful world of East Asian movie posters.
- If you haven’t heard of the wildly wholesome Thai LGBTQ classic The Iron Ladies, buckle up. It’s about volleyball and tolerance, and it rules.
Related Topics: Horror, The Queue
