4BIA (Pisanthanakun, Purikitpanya, Thonkonthun, Wongpoom)

Thai horror, is it different than contemporary American or Japanese horror? After seeing the four segments of 4BIA it becomes clear that most of them have been enspired by American films. For example, the first film is obviously inspired by Rear Window. There's a protagonist with a broken leg and somebody watching through the window. In the third segment horror films are even mentioned by the characters in the film. ''He doesn't know he's a ghost, we have to let him know he's a ghost. Like in the Sixth Sense!'' Screams one of the main characters. 

If these films are influenced so much about American films, what is still Thai about them? Asian horror films are known to draw more on atmosphere than on plot and twists. Recent Japanese ghost films, had been inspired by films such as Mizoguchi's Ugetsu Monogatari or Kobayashi's Kaidan. But this influence is not visible in 4BIA. There's much more visual spectacle than in Japanese  horror films. There's plot twists in nearly every segment as well. The films are closer related to Hollywood than to Japan. So what makes these films different from contemporary American horror films? 

The Thai aspect in these films could be that these filmmakers really believe in the supernatural. For example, after the film there was a question & answer with the filmmaker of the second segment. When someone in the audience asked him if he believed in ghosts, he told the audience he once had an encounter with a ghost. Also in one of the segments, one boy is buried with his cellphone, so he may call his parents from the grave, which happens more often in Thailand. 

The interest in the supernatural has made the horror genre quite populair in Thailand.  This seems to make sense when a lot of Thai people really believe in the supernatural. 4BIA was an unexpected big hit in Thailand. The filmmakers were young filmmakers that got more freedom than in the usual studio system. 4BIA makes for some nice frights and laughs, especially in the third segment. With its popularity in Thailand, we can expect more Thai horror in the future.

*** (out of 5)