Thai Horror: Letters of Death

December 6th, 2006 in Movies

I am currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. While I may not be up on all of the films released in the U.S., some films now are released on about the same day all over the world. Such was the case with Casino Royale and will also happen with Eragon. In the meantime, I will be posting reviews of new films playing in Thailand that interested Screenhead readers may look forward to on DVD and/or VCD. While the comedies are often not very funny, I know that there is always interest in good, and sometimes not so good, horror films. There is also great interest in the Thai martial arts films, especially the films starring Tony Jaa. As the Francis Ford Coppola edited version of The Legend of Suriyothi has shown, there are also fans of Thai historical films. In addition to Thai films, I will be also write about other Asian films available on DVD or VCD. One of the nice things about living in a major city is that I can see new Thai films theatrically with English subtitles in one of the two multiplexes here. The only downside is that new Chinese or Japanese films are dubbed in Thai, so like many of the readers here, I have to wait for a DVD with English subtitles or dubbing.

Letters of Death, is a fairly entertaining bit of Thai horror that sticks to the formula. In this case a group of young people, all former classmates, discover that their fellow classmates have been killed under mysterious circumstances. A letter that each receives provides some clues as to who is behind the violent deaths. The film offers a few jolts, particular when one of the victims is trapped in an errant elevator. The scene is effective in a movie theater alternating complete darkness with brief flashes of light. Otherwise most of the death scenes are easily anticipated including what seems to be the obligatory death of a hot chick in a bath tub.

Is there anything you haven’t seen in a recent horror movie? Not really. But there is some giddy anticipation in knowing that someone is going to get killed, even if you don’t know how. One scene with the classmates having dinner outside hints that there are at least a couple of ways someone could get killed. There are several cuts to one guy working with a power saw, while other shots indicate loose electrical wiring and water are nearby. It’s almost a relief when the saw blade flies loose, and is lodged in the head of one of the victims.

While I am not familiar with the stars of the film, the guy seen in the still above, Mhasmuth Bhunyaruk, recently made his film debut starring in the acclaimed Invisible Waves, the film originally announced to be the Thai entry for the Academy Awards. Certainly easy on the eyes is female lead, Chonlada Mekratree, whom I hope to see more of in future films.

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