KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Another director joins the Shot on iPhone club — this time Thai filmmaker Parkpoom Wongpoom with his horror short Those That Follow.
Horror fans might be familiar with Shutter and Alone, which he co-directed with Banjong Pisanthanakun and since then he’s worked on other short film projects as well as his first feature film, Homestay.
After a break of more than four years, he returns to the horror genre with a story about two teens played by Krittin Sosungneon and Bhumibhat Thavornsiri on the run after a robbery gone wrong.
The story takes inspiration from the Bun Luang festival held in the northeast of Thailand, that is popularly referred to as Phi Ta Khon.
One of the theories behind the Phi Ta Khon’s name is that it comes from the Thai phrase ผีตามคน/phi tam kon which literally translates to “ghost follows a person.”
Those That Follow is set in the province of Loei, where the festival has its origins, with a highlight being a procession of eager Thais in specially-made costumes and intricate, colourful masks.
Parkpoom harnesses the low light capabilities of the iPhone 13 Pro’s in showing the fears of the two would-be robbers as they grapple with the darkness and what might be more than the cops following their trail.
In a statement, Parkpoom said the film was “an experiment to show the world what we can do and inspire future filmmakers to make their own films.”
He said that even in the dark the phone could still reveal details hidden in the shadows.
“When we hid scary elements or ghosts in the shadows we could still capture it all in excellent quality and allowed us to tell the story that we wanted,” he said.
What can you expect from this little “experiment”? A 20-minute story with secrets, shadows and masks you cannot hide behind which is nice if you need a quick horror fix that is also pretty watchable on, yes, your phone.
Watch the film and its behind-the-scenes clip below:
