Pee Krasue.

For the crazy and virtually unknown genre of films featuring Asian witches with flying heads.

Pee Krasue films were made in Thailand, Indonesia and Malayasia beginning in the 1970's and continuing on in to the early 1990's.

Some 'Pee Krasue' titles to look for are:

** 'Pee hua kard'
- Starring : Tah Boyscout, Note Chernyim, Thep Phongarm, Jaturong Mokjok


** 'Krasue' (2002) (Eng. trans. 'Demonic Beauty')
- Starring : Lakana Wattanawongsiri, Nak-rob Traipoe, Ekapun Bunluerit
- Official release date : 12 March 2003
- Story :
"The legendary tale of Thai ghost 'Krasue'. Arawati was a beautiful girl among Khmer villagers cornered in battle. She was sentenced to death after being caught in a secret affair with a young soldier. Burnt alive, her soul remained in her head and bowels. At the same time in another town, village beauty Dao died. Tarawati's soul took the chance to occupy Dao's corpse. At night, her head and entrails join the occupied body to drift in the air looking for prey."


REVIEW:
The Phii Krasue is a very scary ghost in Thai mythology. It consists of a flying head with entrails hanging from it and a voracious hunger for blood and intestines. It uses its long flicking tongue to lick the dead carcass and sharp teeth to chew on it. It has a similarity with a ghost type from Malaysia called the penanggalan (“head with dancing intestines”). This type of ghost has been depicted at least a couple of times previously in Asian films with Hong Kong’s “Witch with the Flying Head” (1977) and Indonesia’s “Mystics In Bali” (1981). The krasue in this Thai film is actually quite a sympathetic figure and this shifts it from being a straight out and out attempt at horror to something that takes on more a melodramatic veneer. This probably hurts the film in the long run. Though this interpretation of the krasue does give it some emotional impact – it detracts considerably from the horror and gore element that a film like this is made for. This krasue is just too darn well behaved!
The Thai’s have defeated the Khmer empire in the mid-1700’s and taken the lovely Princess Tarawatee prisoner. Seeing her beauty, the Thai ruler weds her, but then later sees her in the arms of a man. He sentences them both to death – one through a beheading and the other to be burnt to death. While waiting for her execution, the Princess hears from a fellow inmate that in a small village not too far away lives a young woman called Daow who is her exact physical double. As flames start to burn around her, the Princess sends her spirit to inhabit the body of Daow – but just as her spirit zips off to find her double, Daow is killed by a voodoo like curse – and the spirit ends up inhabiting a deceased body – but it soon springs to life surprising everyone around it. The body is now partly Daow but also partly vengeful ghost – and at night a painful hunger comes and it desperately needs to feed on blood and entrails – and so the head slips away from the body for a little refreshment. This soon causes consternation among the villagers!
This is generally a rather entertaining film with decent production values, a bit of solid action – but it gets bogged down in a soap opera like situation in which romance and gossipy village women sit around and talk about how strange Daow is acting lately. There is in fact way too much talk in this film and not nearly enough gore and revenge. The biggest drawback though has to be the special effects for the flying head – it looks so fake – like a lit jack-o-lantern flying through the jungles. On the plus side are the stunning village girls who are the height of fashion in their revealing halter-tops and a very sympathetic performance from Princess Tarawatee/Daow (Lakana Wattanawongsiri).

Reveiw of 'Krasue' from: www.brns.com/thaifilms/pages/thai16.html



Siam Film Development Co. Ltd. - REFERENCES: www.siamlab.com/i_references.html

2000
- Iron Ladies, Tai Entertainment
- Go-Six, Five Star Production


2001
- Behind the Painting, Mongkol Cinema International
- Goal Club, Film Bangkok
- Krai Tong, Software Supply International
- Sherry Ann, Five Star Production
- Body Jumper, Sahamongkol Films


2002
- 7 Prajanban), Sahamongkol Films
- Phos Keng Kong, Bangkok Studio
- Born Blood, Sahamongkol Films
- Norchor, the Prisoner, Tai Entertainment
- The Hotel!!, Five Star Production
- Earth Crying, Five Star Production
- The Trek, CM Film
- Headless Hero, Pranakorn Film
- Krasue Demonic Beauty, Mongkol Cinema International
- Sin Sisters, Mongkol Cinema International
- Pra-apai-manee, Software Supply International


2003
- OngBak, Mongkol Cinema International




** Of questionable existence is this title found on IMDB.com at this link: us.imdb.com/title/tt0271713
PENANGGALAN* , THE HEADLESS TERROR' (1967)

(*Penanggalan also makes a short appearance in the end of each 'Sundelbolong' movie
(SUNDELBOLONG, TELAGA ANGKER and MALAM SATU SURO)


ABOUT SOUTHEAST ASIAN GHOST TALES:
^ Malaysia - Langsuyar/Penanggalan

Much like the Pontianak (which it is also known as the Langsuyar), it is recognised by her long fingernails, green robe and the hole in her neck. She died during childbirth. This hole is where she feeds on infants' blood. They may fool men into marrying them as humans but at the first big dance they get over excited and fly off into the trees. The Langsuyar was recorded by Sir William Maxwell in the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society circa 1885.

Like the Phii Krasue of Thailand, the Penanggalan consists of a head and some entrails. The Penanggalan actually separates from its whole, female form into a motionless, headless, gutless body and flying head. It seeks out the blood of children or the blood from childbirth.

^ From the BBC, article on Vampyre lore: www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A273566


^^ "TALE OF THE NORTHEAST GHOSTS"
This book is suitable for those who are interested in devils, such as "The Ghost Of Weeping Kula
Field", "The Mad & Big Ghost of The Northeast", "The AngrySoul Of Folk Girl Singer", "Porp Ghost"
, "Krasue Ghost", "Fah Ghost", "Phya Taen", "The PrisonerGhost"or "The Ghost In The Prison", "Blood
Sucking Ghost" and etc. (see photos for book cover)

ISBN/Barcode#: 974-87044-2-4/Barcode 9789748704425

^^ LINK: http://161.200.139.232/cgi-bin/main/kampoon.asp

www.Chulabook.com
-- Background information on the genre, movie posters, and available formats (Laserdisc, DVD, VCD, VHS) for purchase would be extremely useful to this Tribe. Please send links of any online sources. A network of trades and websites detailing titles, directors and actors helping to expand the scope of 'Pee Krasue' to the world are welcome and should be in progress.


-- Check eBay for Seller's like: 'arunyavpr' (as of 12.02.03) who are selling DVD and VCD titles from Thailand and Hong Kong in the 'Pee Krasue' genre. www.ebay.com


Strange Things:
www.strangethings.nu/thailand.htm

POKER INDUSTRIES:
www.pokerindustries.com/poker.store

ALL THAI CD:
www.allthaicd.com/product/movie_type.asp



***
Asian Horror, Ancient Monsters, One Eye Browed Priest and Vampires (that hop)/ ala Chinese Ghost Stories:

- ALOHA LITTLE VAMPIRE STORY
(Made when they started to water these films down and make them for children.)

- CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE VAMPIRE
(A YUEN CLAN effort, starring many of the same people as SHAOLIN DRUNKARD, TAOISM DRUNKARD and MIRACLE FIGHTERS)

- CRAZY SAFARI

- EXORCIST MASTER
(This has western and hopping vampires and one pissed-off ghost. The way western religion is portrayed is always educational.)

- FIRST VAMPIRE IN CHINA

- HAUNTED COP SHOP

- HAUNTED COP SHOP II

- KUNG FU VAMPIRE BUSTER

- MAD MAD GHOST

- MORTUARY BLUES
(Good pace and typical goofy humor. Carnage is kinda high for an HK horror-comedy. Not particularly graphic though.
The climatic fight at the theatre is decent.)

- MR. VAMPIRE

- MR. VAMPIRE 2

- MR. VAMPIRE 3

- MR. VAMPIRE SAGA 4

- ONE EYEBROW PRIEST (New Mr. Vampire 2(?))

- ROBO-VAMPIRE
(Features hopping vampires, along with a doofy 'Robocop' ripoff who battles them.)

- SPOOKY ENCOUNTERS (Sammo Kampo Hung)

- TWINS EFFECT
(All the vampires seem to be western)

- ULTIMATE VAMPIRE

- VAMPIRE CONTROLLER

- VAMPIRE HUNTERS

- VAMPIRE STRIKES BACK

- VENOMS vs WU TANG
(Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng, a Joseph Kuo picture)

- VAMPIRE vs VAMPIRE

A Forum for 'Asian Cinema Discussion'
Posts regarding HK-Vampire and Ghost films:
www.mhvf.net/forum/asian...8244698.html



*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

'10 Things I Learned While Watching Asian Horror'

A list found in "Sex and Zen & A Bullet in the Head" by Stefan Hammond and Mike Wilkins"
An book on Asian cinema, especially Asian horror.

When watching Asian horror, you will recognize some interesting differences from other forms of horror.
Here is funny list of what you should expect is Asian horror.

1."Fierce ghost and vampires can be subdued by affixing Taoist charms --writing in red ink on yellow paper--to their foreheads. But the temptation to play with these immobilized ghoulies(push them, insult them, et) is completely irresistible and completely unadvised...

2. ...Because if taunted or belittled a subdued ghoul, the chances that the charmed paper will come off--restoring the monster's lethality--are 100 percent.

3. Witches' heads just won't stay on. If they're not getting accidentally chopped off in battle, they're purposely being shucked with a neck-toss. In either case, witch opponents get preoccupied with the disembodied heads, which fly around howling and trying to bite. But you also can't ignore the headless body, which always hops up and gets into a fight!

4. Humans have yang: energy; the undead are yin-,heavy. Since human men have more yang energy than human women, they are a prime target for the seductive powers of female ghost. Whether the ghost's motives are noble or duplicitous, this kind of love never ever works out. As a Taoist priest put it in The Glow Swallow, "There's no love between man and ghost, Sonny".

5. Born under a bad sign? Stars crossed in your horoscope? Sorcerers and Taoist priests shrug their shoulders; they can predict your fate, but can't change it. Even if you started out as the hero of the film, if the geomancer says trouble ahead, you better stock up on incense and Hell Bank Notes, because you are done for.

6. When the exorcist asks for sticky rice, he damn well means sticky rice. Sticky rice is the active ingredient in poltergeist poultices. Regular rice is a spurious(and dangerous) substitute, often sneaked into the rice bag by the dishonest salesman because it's cheaper. The consequences can be dire.

7. The Chinese word for the number four sounds like the word for "death". So don't count on finding any room number four in a Honk Kong hospitals or dining at a restaurant called the Four Seasons! On the other hands, the number eight is considered quite lucky, and you'll spot it everywhere, from billboards to personalized license plates.

8. If your pet fish die, expect trouble.

9. Ghoul Knowledge:

a)Ghouls can't see humans, but they can spot them by smelling their breath. If you hold your breath, you are invisible to a vampire. But he will put his blue face about an inch from your nose and sniff furiously!

b)The undead hope (or glide) only in straight lines along the floor. This is why Chinese Temple often have a threshold you must step over, or why pawnshops have a screen directly in front of the entrance. Many a terrified humans has received a reprieve when the vampire chasing them simply couldn't hop a log or high curb.

c)Chinese child-vampires are children first, and vampires second. Human children recognize this, befriend them, and shield them from meddling adults.

10. No monster is ever really finally dead until it explodes."

(Taken from Sex and Zen & A Bullet in the Head by Hammond and Wilkins)
This book is readily available, very cheap and used on Amazon.com.

Above list culled from:
www.houseofhorrors.com/bewareit.htm

http://PeeKrasue.tribe.net