This horror film for under 20s is censored and banned in Thailand… but not because of the violence

Thai film censors have cracked down on the release of a local horror film Hun Peon, which was supposed to be released on March 9. As Variety reports, the successful feature had its world premiere on March 7 at a gala in Bangkok. But then the censors stepped in and demanded five scenes be cut and a ’20+’ rating for the five-star production.

Consequently, the classification means that viewers must be over 20 years of age to see the film, thus excluding the teenage population from its audience, and cinema operators are required to check the IDs of all their patrons.

Controversial reasons in themselves

story Hun Peon It’s a man who travels to a village in a border region where his brother, a novice Buddhist monk, is accused of murder. As more and more bodies pile up, the man challenges the villagers’ blind faith in the supposed guardian doll.

But censorship does not intervene here, as one might think, because of the violence of the film. The offending scenes showed the fictional monk passionately arguing with and hugging an elderly woman who may or may not be his mother.

A representative of one of Thailand’s oldest film studios, Five Star, spoke to Variety about this issue.

The cinematographers told us that they did not understand this “20+” classification and asked us to appeal. We have already made the changes and submitted our appeal. This film has acquired multiple licenses and distributors in 13 territories have arranged a simultaneous release. They have delayed the release until we have a new release date. I hope soon.

The Thai Film Directors Association also protested the de facto ban, saying such actions restrict people’s rights and harm the film industry. In a Facebook post, the organization called for reform of the cinema law that gives bureaucrats such substantial power over what people watch.

A few previous ones

Although Buddhism is not legally defined as the country’s official religion, Thai authorities have repeatedly targeted films and series that portray monks as less “holy” than expected. Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2006 Cannes-winning film “Syndromes and the Century” was previously banned for a fictional monk playing the guitar and a scene in which two doctors kiss. Series in 2018 Thi Baan Censored for a scene in which a Buddhist monk mourns the death of his ex-girlfriend.

Such censorship seems incongruous to some who criticize that real Thai monks own accounts on TikTok and others run prominently wealthy temples.

“We don’t understand the 20+ rating, or why that particular movie was targeted”, continued Five Star.

It remains to be seen when the film will be released and whether these scenes will be cut. In the meantime, discover the Hoon Payon trailer in its original version with English subtitles below: