Coming Soon

Title: Coming Soon
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Starring: Chantavit Dhanasevi
Director: Sopon Sukdapisit
Language: Thai

Whenever horror films from Asia crop up in conversation it always seems to be either the Japanese (renowned for being willing to push the boundaries of convention) or the South Koreans (producing fewer films, but often constructed with a larger budget more comparable to the product of mainland Europe) that seem to get mentioned, but the Thai have been developing their little niche as well. With the rise in what is now capable on smaller budgets, a greater emphasis is being placed on using the effects effectively than merely using them in excess allowing this small nation to make claim as to the title of king of ghost stories.

Opening with one of the most ‘bludgeoningly’ brilliant openings for a horror film in recent memory, ten minutes of horror bliss that sets the bar impossibly high for the remainder of the film; the preview showing of the film ‘The Revengeful Woman’ being played within the film in question, it isn’t long before we are introduced to the real protagonist of the story. A recovering drug addict (Chen) working at a movie theatre, struggling to reaffirm his rocky relationship with his girlfriend (Som) and getting tangled up in a scheme to pirate the film before the release date, his problems are only just beginning. When his partner in crime mysteriously disappears, his only lead is the mysterious recording of the film and the deeper he digs the more uncomfortable the truths he discovers.

The lead role could have been handled better, often coming off realistic and ‘average’ which whilst lending to the overall realism of the piece, his uncharismatic manner leaves much to be desired. It is the female counterpart that seems deserving of the most praise for rescuing what might otherwise be destined for a relationship difficult to empathise with, the carefully constructed plot not used to generate some tacked on romantic element but instead allowing for multi-dimensional characters to emerge giving additional weight to many of the scenes. Many of the small minor roles are also capable of performing aptly, in particular the lead actress of ‘The Revengeful Woman’ marking her mark in your mind in just a short period time.

Third time script-writer Sopon Sukdapisit also makes his directorial debut in this film and whilst maintaining a straight forward approach, his inexperience perhaps works to his benefit. There is none of this ‘shaky cam’ that annoys me to no end, nor the cliché frantically cut camera shots to try to demonstrate the quicker pace, instead relying far more greatly on the use of darkness – only allowing enough light to make it apparent what is occurring – and subtle sounds; the grating of a foot as its dragged across the floorboards, or the gentle groan of the wood underfoot. If there were any significant constraints with regards to the make-up on the ghosts then the shots were cut quickly enough to hide this problem perfectly, and furthermore the inevitable plot twist is not only relatively difficult to predict but it actually makes sense, avoiding the frustrating ‘it was a dream’ type conclusions.

Will this film keep me up tonight? Not really no (unless you count me writing this review!), but I rarely find horror films that do. If you go in expecting to come out petrified it’s a safe bet you’re headed for disappointment, but if it’s an actually interesting story you want, void of cheap tricks and cliché characters then there’s plenty to here to sink your teeth into. I confess to being a complete stranger when it comes to Thai horror but if this is what I can come to expect from them, then I doubt this will be true for long. If you can overlook the relatively minor issues here then you can expect a somewhat straight-forward and original idea that manages to deliver on what it promises.