Asian Horror Reviews Blog: Laddaland

Laddaland opens with a brief glimpse into Thee’s life, a married father of two, who is finishing the final touches of his newly purchased home. He is rehearsing his first night with his family at their new home in Laddaland. No, Laddaland is not the equivalent of Playland with an assortment of rollercoasters, hall of mirrors, merry-go-rounds, and Ferris wheels. Instead, Laddaland is the name of a housing development in the suburbs of Thailand. The opening sequence is a brief sequence that captures the essence of Thee’s character, which is that of a good man and father doing his best to take care of his family. His actions are the embodiment of a hard-working and proud individual. Of course, it wouldn’t be a horror movie if there wasn’t something strange about Laddaland.

What starts off as a run-of-the-mill horror film, with jump scares, shadowy figures, and probable ghosts. Laddaland quickly transforms into something more. Just below the surface of a ghost story, it is the story of a man who is conned into joining the ranks of a scam that, needless to say, ends up scamming him. Of course, Thee knew nothing of this and is now forced to figure out how he will support his family and pay a mortgage when said company leaves him high and dry. Add to this, a conniving mother-in-law who was never a fan of his from the start. She put up with Thee for the sake of her grandchildren. The pressure is overwhelming, and Thee starts to crack. There is a sense of shame when he doesn’t live up to his or his family’s expectations. By his own accord, and his recent falling out with the company, he is forced to stoop to new lows to continue providing for his family.  

Despite the tropes of long-haired ghosts, a haunted house, unsavory neighbors, and, of course, the occasional jump scare, Laddaland was an absolute joy and pleasure to watch and experience. I went into the film expecting to anticipate every outcome and was pleasantly surprised when it took a turn that left me aghast (in a good way) at the film’s conclusion. I wanted more of the same from the director’s later film outing, The Promise (2017), which tried to capture the same emotion but fell short. While The Promise was a decent effort in its own right, between the two, Laddaland takes the pedestal front and center. The horror element of the film took a back seat and came second next to the emotional ride we were on. Like The Promise, director, Sophon Sakdaphisit, tried to capture this very same essence but could not quite live up to the effect that Laddaland was able to produce.  

Laddaland featured excellent performances from the cast, a great story, and a great direction. In the end, the film was a heartwarming tale of the lengths a father would go through to care and provide for his family and his struggles to give up that dream and sense of security. Just when I thought I knew how it would end, the rug was swept from underneath me and really sunk in for me finding its place in one of the better Asian horror movies I have seen.