History
Through the 1920s-1940s there were Thai beliefs that were called phi, they were supernatural beings ranging from protective household spirits to evil entities associated with illness, death, and the violation of social norms. Friendly spirits such as phi baan and phi ruen were seen as guardians of villages and homes said by the Thailand Foundation [10] , while harmful phi were believed to consume human or animal organs, cause sickness, or inflict violent and unexplained deaths. There were vengeful female spirits, ghosts arising from improper or violent deaths, supernatural punishment for moral transgressions, and the blending of tragedy with fear became components of Thai horror traditions these beliefs became the basis for early Thai Horror narratives. [11]
The 1920s was the foundational period for Thai Horror. There was crime, violence, ghost, and grotesque incidents that became widespread in emerging mass media. They were shared through chapbooks, periodicals, and a genre known as folksong newsprint (Lamtat). Lamtat is a type of Thai vocal performance as said in a Manusya: Journal of Humanities [12] . Lamtat reworked ballad traditions into “sung news” which combined real crime stories, moral messages and dramatic details. Lamtat materials were performed sometimes allowing horror stories to exist not just on print but also theatrically.
During the 1930s, Thailand went through significant social and political changes. This started with the end of their absolute monarchy in 1932 which increased urbanization and allowed for more modern technology [12] . This era was shown through the media because many people in Thailand were worried about modernization like rural vs urban life, fear of outsiders, and lost of traditions. As a result, symbolisms as “haunted village” and revenge based spirits were shown as social tension. Throughout this time period there was a decline in popularity for lamtat as mass market novels and new print formats gained popularity. Even though there was a change in media, crime and supernatural narratives continued. Foreign films, particularly horror ones, also reached Thai cinemas during this time and helped shape the public's expectations for what horror should look like including dim lighting, jump scares, and haunted settings.
The 1940s was the final phase of early crime and supernatural printing, as most chapbooks of this time were reprints of older material [12] . Despite the decline in new productions, horror and crime narratives continued to shape the public interest and expectations. By the end of this era, Thailand had a very big horror audience, with clearly defined supernatural themes and storytelling patterns that blended crime, ghost, fear, and moral lessons. The 1940s represented an important period for early horror narratives to solidify and maintain a mass audience in a genre. Even though chapbooks were declining, these stories continued in other media for decades to come.
Thai Cinema: The Complete Guide states that "the history of Thai cinematic achievements is to a large extent the history of Thai horror." [13]
Nang Nak (1999) has been described as a key part of "Thai New Wave". [14] [15] Shutter (2004) was critically acclaimed and commercially successful locally and internationally. [16] [17] The film was successful in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Brazil, and was remade in the United States and in India. [14] Pee Mak (2013), a comedy horror, became the highest-grossing Thai film of all time upon its release. [18] The Medium (2021), a Thai-South Korean co-production, was awarded Best Film at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival [19] and was the Thai submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in its year of release, but was not nominated.
However, "the appearance of zombies in Thai horror films is a relatively new theme." [20]
