4 Lud See Lud

Casts : Alex Rendel, Pakorn Chatborirak, Ananda Everingham, Alice Tsoi

Directors Chookiat Sakveerakul, Kongkiat Khomsiri and Phawat Panangkasiri bring their own styles to stories scripted or co-scripted by thriller writer Ekkasith Thairath, who rounds out the foursome with a directorial debut of his own in Sahamongkol Film International’s horror omnibus Lud See Lud (หลุด 4 หลุด).

Ekkasith, writer of comic books and such films as 13 Game Sayong (13 Game of Death), Body Sop 19 and Who R U, offers Grian Laang Lok (Clean-up Day), a short-but-sweet manga-style teaser to start things off.

It stars Alexander Rendel, the young actor who played a scared little boy in Chookiat’s 2004 debut feature Pisaj (Evil). He’s one of a group of guys hanging out, bemoaning the world’s overpopulation. Ironically, they’re sipping coffee at one of Bangkok’s posh and trendy neighborhood malls – places that would cease to exist if there were no people.

Yet they still think a virus would be a great way to end the world – or maybe not, as they soon discover when they’re drowning in the chocolate-syrup blood that’s coming out of their noses.

Ekkasith also manages to chastise people who leave their cell-phones on during movies. Turn it off and you’ll foil his plans, and that’s a good thing.

There's something sickening about this brief opening segment I couldn't quite put my finger on. I found out later it was all one take. The unblinking camera was the reason for my slight nausea.