There are a number of Thai horror flicks that are criticized as having weak scripts and borrowing heavily from Korean or Japanese films, but given the number of horror films made around the world today, it is not surprising that Thai filmmakers struggle to come up with innovative scripts for their ghost flicks. However, the recent horror film Coming Soon shows that GMMTaiHub - the studio that made the remarkable Shutter and Alone - still has a long future ahead of it in this genre.
Like the title suggests, Coming Soon starts in a theater when two projectionists Chane and Yod sneak in against the rules to make a copy of an upcoming horror movie Winyarn Arkhat (literally, the revenge of a spirit) for the piracy trade (which is still a serious issue in the industry today). Suddenly, Yod disappears without a trace, but the small video camera that is used to make the copy is still rolling. Chane tries to find his friend, but to no avail. From then on, a series of strange incidents start to happen in his daily life: he sees Chaya, the ghost from the Winyarn Arkhat in Yod's apartment, his own house, and at the theater. Finally, while screening the film, Chane calls Yod’s cell phone in a last-ditch attempt to locate him, and he sees his friend’s lifeless body in the final scene of the film, still holding his phone. As Winyarn Arkhat is based on a true story, Chane decides, with the help of his ex-girlfriend, to find out what happened to the real Chaba and is surprised to find that she is still alive: the ghost he thought was Chaba is instead somebody that died in a sudden and tragic incident…
While Coming Soon offers nothing new to the genre, Sophon Sukdaphisit shows some talent in his directorial debut. The multi-layered script, using the horror-within-horror vehicle, undoubtedly manifests the director's writing experience (Sukdaphisit is credited as a writer in well-known Thai horror movies such as The Shutter and Alone). However, with the inexperience of two lead stars Chantavit Dhanasev and Vorakarn Rojjanavatchara, some scenes become unconvincingly and unnecessary complex, but one feels that they just need more training.
On the other hand, what is outstanding in Coming Soon is the wise use of mise-en-scene, especially editing, lighting and use of color. Coming Soon is smartly constructed, playing with the use of shadow and dark and light combination, reminding us that this is the story of one horror film within another, with the audiences both on- and off-screen sharing the same fear - the ghost appearing on the screen could just as well be someone sitting next to you. Exactly the way that you can see Chaba’s shadow coming from the projector a minute after she hangs herself onscreen… What else could be as frightening as the idea that a ghost you just saw in a movie might appear before your eyes? Furthermore, Thammarat Sumetsupachok's fast and concise editing also helps to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Coming Soon proves that Sukdaphisit has a future in making a good horror films with a smart use of mise-en-scene. With a little practice, he could easily be on the same leve as Shutter directors Parkpoom Wongpoom and Bangjong Pisanthanakul.
Anchalee Chaiworaporn