A rare chance to watch Thai horror classic

Mae Nak Phrakanong is the best-known ghost in Thai horror anthology. A female spirit who returns from death to continue living with her unsuspecting husband before the villagers chase her out and drive her crazy, Mae Nak is a perfect cinematic character — a banshee who can fit either into the old-school stereotype of an angry, lovesick woman or a symbol of vengeful feminism. There are around 40 versions of movies, TV productions, animation and theatre plays based on the story of Mae Nak, but arguably none is spookier than the 1959 version starring Preeya Rungruang as the ghost.

Tomorrow the Thai Film Archive will have a special screening of the 1959 Mae Nak Phrakanong with traditional live dubbing. This is a rare opportunity to watch the film — originally shot on 16mm — and to experience a vintage outdoor cinema where professional nak paak — or dubbers — speak the lines for the characters in a mix of scripted dialogue as well as improvisation.

The buxom Preeya Rungruang plays Mae Nak, and Surasit Satayawong plays her husband, Phi Mak, in the film directed by Saneh Komarachun. This Mae

Nak Phrakanong follows the core narrative of the legend, in which the pregnant Nak dies in childbirth while her husband is away in a war. Upon his return, he finds his lovely wife waiting with a son, and they continue living together until the secret of Nak is later revealed. The signature scene — repeated several times since — shows Nak’s preternaturally extended hand reaching out to pick a lemon from under the house.

The screening tomorrow will go old-school with a team of live dubbers sitting at the back and speaking the lines for the characters. They work with a script, but Thai dubbers are also well-known for inserting jokes and sound effects. In the old days, the dubbers were a big draw, sometimes as much as the stars of the film, and when film started to come with sound their practice faded away.

The Mae Nak story is a staple of Thai TV series. The most famous big-screen version was Nonzee Nimibutr’s 1999 Nang Nak, with Inthira Charoenpura as Mae Nak. It made huge money and went to screen around the world. In 2013, Pee Mak

Phrakanong told the same story but from the point of view of the husband, played by Mario Maurer, with Davika Hoorne as the ghost. It remains the highest-grossing Thai film in history.

Tomorrow’s screening begins at 7pm at Thai Film Archive in Salaya. Free admission.