Movie

Thriller in flames

By Tatat Bunnag, Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb

Horror director returns with �Burn�

Horror movies have become a popular staple of the Thai film industry. Hitting cinemas on September 11 is Burn, the latest in a long line of scary supernatural thrillers.

Burn is directed by Peter Manus, the man behind the spooky horror hit 999-9999 in 2002. Burn combines the mystery of spontaneous human combustion � the belief that the human body can bursts into flames without an external source of ignition � with a crime investigation plot.

The film stars sexy actress Bongkot Kongmalai (Tak), playing ambitious lawyer Mona, whose mother is believed to have died from SHC. As Mona tries to find the truth behind her mother�s death, she discovers a sinister corporate cover-up.

Student Weekly recently met up with Peter Manus to talk about the making of Burn.

STUDENT WEEKLY: What have you been doing in the six years since 999-999?

Peter: I directed some TV commercials. I also made a TV series called The Hive, now showing on a sci-fi channel in the UK. It was a big production with a budget of 200 million baht.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Has your style changed much since your first film?

Peter: Yes. I learned a lot after 999-9999. That film was more like an exercise in style and visuals. I didn�t really get to explore the content very deeply.

STUDENT WEEKLY: How did you come up with the idea for Burn?

• Did you know •

SHC has also featured in the films Repo Man and This Is Spinal Tap.

Peter: Nobody has ever been able to explain spontaneous human combustion. It�s a mystery that�s been on my mind for a long time.

There are plenty of movies about weird things like ghosts and aliens, but nobody had ever made a film about SHC.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Is it true that you avoided using computer-generated effects for Burn?

Peter: I only had a small budget for CG effects. With a limited budget, it�s hard to make CG images of fire that look realistic. It would have looked cheap and fake, so I tried to use other methods to create the effects.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Did you always have Tak in mind for the lead role?

Peter: I picked Tak because of her personal background.

She had a very tough childhood, and that perfectly matches the character in the film.

People probably expect Tak to play a sexy character in Burn, but she�s not like that at all. [Laughs.]

STUDENT WEEKLY: What are your expectations for Burn?

Peter: I wanted to make movie that�s more than just an entertainment. It�s time for films that make people think, rather than just forcing ideas onto the viewer.

I hope that Burn causes people to think and ask questions.

	staple (n): a large or important part of something supernatural (adj): that cannot be explained by science and that seems to involve gods or magic spontaneous (adj): happening naturally without being made to happen combustion (n): the process of burning ignition (n): the action of starting to burn or making something burn ambitious (adj): determined to be successful, rich, powerful, etc sinister (adj): seeming evil or dangerous cover-up (n): action that is taken to hide a mistake or illegal activity from the public budget (n): to money that is available to somebody for a film, special project, etc. avoid (v): to try not to do something IDIOM in mind: to be thinking of somebody, especially for a particular job, etc.