Fright flight

Horror haunts airborne actress

By Tatat Bunnag

Photographs by Varuth Hirunyatheb and courtesy by Five Star

Horror movie fans that remember the creepy film Art of the Devil 2 will be happy to hear that director Issara Nadee is back with 407 Dark Flight, a new 3-D thriller from Five Star Productions.

The film has a supernatural story about a flight attendant named New (Marsha Wattanapanich), who was the only survivor of a plane crash. After recovering, New finds a job with another airline, but she soon finds to her horror that the aircraft she’s on is the same haunted plane that crashed years ago.

407 Dark Flight also stars newcomer Peter Knight in the role of an aviation engineer on New’s flight who has to help deal with the passengers mysteriously dying, one by one.

Student Weekly recently met up with Peter at Five Star HQ to talk about the making of 407 Dark Flight, opening in cinemas on March 22.

Student Weekly: How was your first acting experience?

Peter: I’d never thought of becoming an actor before. I had no real acting experience and I can barely read Thai. I’d just done some modelling and made some appearances in a few music videos. I went to the audition for this movie for fun and didn’t expect them to choose me. But once we started filming, I really liked it. I think acting is a very challenging job.

Student Weekly: Can you tell us a bit about your background?

Peter: I moved to London when I was 6 years old. I had several different jobs in London until I ended up working for my friend’s real estate company. That job has allowed me to travel to different places like Madrid and Bangkok. Acting and modelling are pretty much part-time jobs for me.

Student Weekly: What is 407 Dark Flight about?

Peter: It’s a horror film about supernatural incidents during a routine flight on a normal airline. I play an aviation engineer on the flight named Bank. He’s friends with New, an air hostess who believes that a vengeful spirit is causing planes to crash.

Student Weekly: What was it like working with Marsha?

Peter: I was very nervous! I’d never met her before filming, but I knew that she’d been a superstar in Thailand for a long time. It was my first acting experience, so I was worried that I’d annoy her or slow her down. But she was really relaxed and easy to work with. She gave me lots of good advice while we were making the film.

Student Weekly: We heard that Marsha has a fear of flying in real life. How about you?

Peter: No, I don’t have a problem with flying. I’ve travelled a lot since I was a kid, so I’m used to it. The only thing I hate about flying is the pain you sometimes experience in your ears when the air pressure changes.

Student Weekly: What kind of movies do you generally like to watch?

Peter: I enjoy all types of movies. I used to love big-budget films with lots of special effects. But now I’m into films that end with a great twist. I love films like Snatch and Pulp Fiction.

Student Weekly: What makes 407 Dark Flight an interesting movie to see?

Peter: It’s not just a ghost movie. It’s about the psychology of fear. As well as the plane being haunted, each passenger on board has their own dark secrets haunting them. It’s a very interesting film.