Spirit Sentient: Bangkok 13 Muang Kon Tai (2016)
My dear readers, while I wish I could claim to have been sure of my purpose from the very outset, the truth is that I spent some years drifting about before finding my calling as a professional critic of horror cinema. I made ends meet by a variety of means and even spent some of this time as an apprentice to a locksmith. Though I cannot pretend to be naturally suited for technical labor, my mentor was of a patient disposition and his only rule was to never fiddle about with the peculiar mechanism that sat upon his desk. Unfortunately, as a younger lad my inquisitive nature was too strong to tolerate this interdiction, and though I managed to stave off temptation once or twice in my employer’s absence, eventually I could not help but see what all the fuss was about. And so, one afternoon when he departed for a midday meal, I fit the key into the lock and sprang it open. You can imagine my disappointment when this produced no unusual effect. I thought it possible that was all a kind of test and no matter how I rearranged the parts, my mentor would always know of my disobedience. Sadly, I never did uncover if this was his intention, as he did not return from lunch that day or make an appearance any day afterwards. From time to time when I passed his storefront, I fancied I heard his voice calling out from a distant place, saying something about how if the lock remained open he would be doomed to float about this earthly realm as a mere shade. I imagine that memories of influential figures in our lives create such echoes for us all.
Pia’s job brings her in close contact with the supernatural
Pia (Thanthara Rungruang) knows a thing or two about struggling with employment herself. At a very young age, Pia made contact with members of the spirit world and since then she has been positively unable to escape their company. Despite many years of frequent visitation she has not been able to adapt to the sight of them and tends to make quite a spectacle if a phantasm should pop up all of a sudden. Screaming and fainting fits have not proven to be an asset in most professional environments and at first, the same proves true for her new position working alongside Ryo (Thospol Siriwat), who finds Pia to be a nuisance.
Ryo is a television personality of some note, currently in the midst of hosting a series about Bangkok’s most haunted locations. It is a most meticulous production and Pia’s outbursts veer considerably from the scripts that have been prepared. But after a keen-eyed editor spots a few choice specters in their recent footage, Ryo realizes that her behavior is a response to being spirit sentient. Sensing an absolutely sensational broadcasting opportunity, he talks his producers into putting Pia at the center of the action. At the outset this advancement is rather glamorous indeed, as it is accompanied by a considerable pay raise and the sneering distaste of her envious coworkers. But as increasingly irate apparitions put the crew in some physical danger, Pia discovers that Ryo has a perilous indifference towards both the living and the dead.
Though they make many appearances, ghosts do not seem to be fans of Ryo’s show
While Bangkok 13 Muang Kon Tai certainly presents a jolly little journey through the various ghostly characters one is likely to meet when hopping about the “city of angels,” I believe I can anticipate the disapproval it is bound to encounter. Champions of Bangkok’s lesser known infestations of ectoplasm will undoubtedly roll their eyes in collective exasperation upon seeing Pia and her associates promote the old predictable batch of derelict police stations and deadly traffic curves. And these same concerned individuals will no doubt become incensed when Wat Mahabut receives even more publicity even though the city has many other worthwhile attractions. While all of these concerns are well worth voicing, I would beg anyone who finds themselves getting impatient to consider the viewer who has not even heard of Khlong Sam Wa’s “House of 4 Bodies.” For this lucky sort of audience member, just getting their first glimpse of all the horrors this particular metropolis has to offer, Bangkok 13 Muang Kon Tai is both an enjoyable bit of narrative and the beginning of a rich education. I can only hope proponents of unsung sites will remember a time when they, too, were novices in the field of Thailand’s supernatural landscape.
Bangkok 13 Muang Kon Tai runs 97 minutes and does not possess a certified rating in the United States.
