Contemporary Thai Horror Film: A Monstrous By: Mary Ainslie

Author: Mary Ainslie

This book focuses on the most significant and dominant characteristic of Thai cinema throughout its 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.