CONTEMPORARY THAI HORROR FILM: A Monstrous Hybrid

Examines Thai horror film and the central role this genre plays in Thailand’s film industry • The first book to study the prolific horror genre of Southeast Asia’s most internationally renowned film industry • Provides an alternative way to examine Thai cinema through narrative structure and viewing context • Considers how the social changes in Thailand since the post-WW2 period have impacted upon Thai film style • Provides a new international case study of the horror genre • Examines the changing political position of Thai horror • Highlights the continuing significance of Thai horror films in the digital age and throughout the Southeast Asia region This book focuses on the most significant and dominant characteristic of Thai cinema throughout its history: the Thai incarnation of the horror genre and the central role this plays in Thailand’s film industry. Tracing the development of Thai cinema throughout wider contextual changes, the book explores the influence of audiences and viewing scenarios from previous decades upon this industry today. Most evident in the popular horror genre, close analysis of films demonstrates a specific style of Thai cinema as well as the wider social forces (both formal and thematic) that have shaped Thai cinema as a national industry. Looking at these films through a framework built from horror theory, this book questions our understanding of ‘horror’ as a generic category when we move outside of its traditional Euro-American origins and the voyeuristic viewing scenario often associated with the genre.