Fridae

First-time Thai director Sophon Sakdapisit is better known for penning the scripts of horror blockbusters Shutter and Alone. And it's clear from his directorial debut that he's much more competent with Microsoft word processor than the camera.

Coming Soon centers on a movie projectionist Shane (Chantavit Dhanasevi) who hopes to make a quick buck by selling a bootleg copy of the latest screamfest to the pirates. One night, after the last cinema patron has left, he plays the horror movie on the projector, while he films the screen using his video camera.

The movie he's pirating tells a true story of a witch who kidnaps little children. And as the reels roll, Shane gets the strangest sense of deja vu - as if he's seen the witch before, as if he's been part of the events in the movie. Before you can say "Brecht", the witch takes on a life of her own�

Coming Soon has a sharp film-within-a-film concept, further proof of Sophon Sakdapisit's screenwriting talents. But the direction falls way short of the ambitious script. Many of the scares are brief and conventional - nothing like the long and satisfying scary scenes in Shutter and Alone (written by Sophon but directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom).