2016/01/01 by Mary J. Ainslie · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Asian Culture and Media Studies #Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics #Socioeconomic Development in Asia
paper · doi:10.1057/978-1-137-58417-5_9
openalex publication_date 2016/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Ainslie examines Thai horror films as the dominant representation of Thai popular culture in Malaysia. Outlining the rise of Thai horror cinema internationally, she proposes that the cultivation of a pan-Asian horrific image of urbanization has allowed Thai horror to travel well, and proposes a degree of ‘cultural proximity’ between the horrific depictions of the Thai and Malaysian film industries. This particularly Southeast Asian brand of the horror film is best understood through attention to structure and genre. Yet despite these similarities, Ainslie argues that in the complex context of contemporary Malaysia, the ‘trauma’ that is given voice in Thai horror may offer the new urban consumer an alternative depiction of, and engagement with, Southeast Asian modernity not addressed by Malaysian horror. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.