In the mood for a fresh take onthe slasher genre? With killers dressed up as teddy bears? No, we’re not talkingaboutWinnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. Coming to the U.S. from Thailand isNight of the Killer Bears, centering on five teenage friends living in the city of Bangkok who go on a vacation together at a quiet resort. Things take a dark turn, however, when it’s revealed each of them have hidden secrets and unbeknownst to the group. Plus, there is a furry killer lurking nearby and observing them. When one of them ends up brutally murdered, paranoia and distrust surrounds the group…
One of the couples who visits the film’s hotel setting happens to stay in “room 237,” a clear reference toStanley Kubrick’s timeless classicThe Shining. We recently caught up with the producer ofNight of the Killer Bears, who commented on other scary movies that influenced his Thai slasher.
“You can tell from the mood and tone that I get my inspiration fromScream[and]I Know What You Did Last Summer,” saidLee Thongkham. “And we wanted to put that genre into a tight, tight movie. And we tried and do the twists and turns, whodunit genre. We haven’t had that in a Thailand movie for a while. So I wanted to produce that kind of movie here […] Of course, the whole ‘bear’ [themes] are really popular nowadays.”
Learn more about the Thai slasher film from our interview below!
Putting a Twist on the Slasher Genre
In addition to the classic American scary movies referenced inNight of the Killer Bears, producer Lee Thongkham also noted influence from Asian cinema as well. “That whole concept of having multiple killers was in a past Filipino horror movie, which is something that had a lot of twists,” he told MovieWeb. “Who’s a monster in the end? Like, everybody is basically one, everybody’s a killer. Everybody’s behind a mask, psychologically or visually, story-wise. Everybody have this killer in them.”
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Thai actressPanisara Rikulsurakaalso spoke to MovieWeb about her spooky central role in the film, which comes with a dark side (to say the least). “She’s an actress, or wants to be actress, who [has] mental problems, and she’s had a lot of pressure,” said Rikulsuraka about her character Nan. “A producer [in the film Nan auditions for] is trying to get with her. And then, you know, she kills for fun.”
As demonstrated during a pivotal scene inNight of the Killer Bears, Rikulsuraka shows off some serious martial arts moves, which she says she had to learn and practice leading up to the film shoot. Meanwhile, the actress is no stranger to edgy roles in scary projects. “It’s fun to play those characters, as you may see in my previous [Netflix] filmDeep,” she said. “And inNight of the Killer Bears, it’s also like a psychological character, too.”
From4Digital Media,Night of the Killer Bearswill be released in the U.S. April 18 on DVD, digital, and on demand platforms.
