Thai Folk Horror ‘Tame’ Brings Fear, Ritual and Family Control to Theaters This Halloween
Thai folk horror is heading to theaters for Halloween week with Tame, the first feature from newly formed production venture B-EST Pictures.
The horror-suspense film will open in Thai cinemas on Oct. 29 following the launch of its international sales campaign at the Toronto International Film Festival’s market. Tame also marks the feature directorial debut of Thamuya Thasananukulkij.
Set in a rural Thai bullfighting community, the film follows a teenage girl living under the control of her family. The village’s animals are broken through fear and ritual, and the same ideas surrounding obedience and domination begin to intersect with the girl’s own circumstances. She eventually turns the methods of an ancient spirit against the people who raised her.
The film’s combination of folklore, ritual, family dynamics and rural horror positions Tame within a branch of folk horror that has found an international audience through films including The Witch and Midsommar, while its story remains rooted specifically in Thai culture and traditions.
T-pop performer Pimmada Chaisakcharoen, whose credits include Human Resource, leads the cast. She is joined by Chayanit Chansangavej (Cracked, Supposed) and Jespipat Tilapornputt (The Stain).
Anucha Boonyawatana produces the film after previously producing Malila: The Farewell Flower, which received the Kim Jiseok Award at the Busan International Film Festival and the NETPAC Award at the Golden Horse Film Festival. BrandThink founder Ekalak “Luck” Klunson, whose credits include Netflix’s Redlife, Halabala and 5th Round, also produces.
“Tame furthers the genre by pairing visceral suspense with deep emotional and cultural resonance,” Sophie Changhui-Shi, head of studios at EST N8, said in announcing the project. She described Thasananukulkij’s debut as “haunting, provocative and uncompromising.”
Tame will also serve as the first release under B-EST Pictures, a new joint venture between EST N8 and Bangkok-based content company BrandThink.
The partnership combines EST N8’s film financing, international sales and distribution operations with BrandThink’s work across publishing, entertainment, creative communities and Thai youth culture. The companies plan to co-develop, finance and produce feature films and live experiences, initially concentrating on Southeast Asia before expanding further internationally.
“Great stories and cultural movements are happening in Asia every day, but the gap has always been curation and distribution built for an international audience,” EST N8 co-founder Kris Eiamsakulrat said. “By pairing EST N8’s sales engine with BrandThink’s pulse on youth culture, music and creator communities, we’re positioning B-EST not just to distribute finished content, but to produce the cultural moments that generate it.”
BrandThink’s film operations previously produced the 2023 feature Redlife and Netflix’s anthology series Terror Tuesday: Extreme.
EST N8’s current slate includes Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s Master, Indonesian horror title Danur: The Last Chapter, Kimo Stamboel’s Janur Ireng, Tetsuya Mariko’s Dear Stranger, The Invisible Half, Chan Chun-hao’s Dead End and Filipino thriller Jaguar.
B-EST Pictures is also preparing three additional titles, with announcements expected in the coming months.
Tame opens in Thailand on Oct. 29.
Comments