Few modern kaiju films have truly impacted me the way The Lake has. It reinvigorated my love for the genre, and reminded me that there are still new, exciting, and fresh kaiju films to be made in the modern age. The Lake is directed with love by Lee Thongkham, with crisp, beautiful cinematography by Brant Hackney, and a monster design for the ages by Jordu Shell. But that’s just the latest from Lee, whose other film, 2020’s The Maid, has been a smash hit in Thailand and among horror fans.
After my long journey with this film, both dropping a news article announcing its American release, as well as reviewing it for the site, I was simply ecstatic to sit down with one of the forefront directors of kaiju films in the modern age. Sure, Japan’s the home of the kaiju film, with Godzilla being the granddaddy of them all, but the recent rise of other countries producing their own creature features again, is simply icing on this modern kaiju renaissance cake. I was deeply curious to find some insight from Lee, especially from the Thai perspective of how to handle a monster in their movies. Were they politically charged like Japan? Or were they much closer to home, more indictive of cultural mythology from Thailand?
Read on to find out.
Images used with permission by Lee.
Our Chat With Lee
JL: Jacob Lyngle
LT: Lee Thongkham
JL: Hey guys! Jacob from Kaiju United here with Lee Thongkham, director of 2020’s horror flick The Maid, and the new Thai kaiju film, The Lake. We’re here to talk about his new movie, as well as our love of cinema and kaiju movies. Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself, Lee?
LT: Hi, my name is Lee Thongkham. I am the director of The Maid, and The Lake, that just released online. You can see it on Amazon, iTunes, anywhere streaming online. I hope you all enjoy the movie!
JL: So, right out the gate. Getting The Lake made. Not only did you co-produce it with China, but you also had a Chinese co-director, Aqing Xu?
LT: Yeah, the co-director helped us film with the Chinese performers. And there’s more footage, there’s a second version, the Chinese version, where the there’s more to the Chinese characters’ point of view. We shot in China and had the whole background story of those two people, you know, for like half an hour. So, it’s like, there’s so much going on in this movie. This movie, if you think about is like 90 minutes, but we have like a three-hour original cut.
JL: That’s crazy. I would love to see a Director’s Cut one day, that’d be awesome. Was it equal footing with a co-director? Because I know that sometimes that can juggle and differ a little bit. Some direct specific scenes, like Kaiju films having different directors for the human scenes, versus the action scenes with the suits and miniatures.
LT: Yeah, I can go on and on, and tell you all the difficulties in the head butting and everything, but it’s a part of the business., I mean, if the movie was going to be done big, a directing partner is there to, you know, help lift the movie into more than a Thailand movie. The extra help makes it international, in a way. We want to expand our brand, and the movie to international audiences. How can we do that? It has other funding and investors involved and the Chinese studios can come in and elevate this project.
JL: Didn’t the gigantic creature animatronic get built in China as well?
LT: Yes! I built the creature in China, of course, a different type of collaborative partner. After the model I designed with Jordu Shell was complete in California, I flew to China, up north, where they built like those amusement park animatronics and creatures. So, I stayed there for like a month, and then they just built the monster over that time. When it was done, we shipped it right to Thailand to film with! Like the second Jurassic Park, shipping the T-Rex on the boat. (laugh)
JL: I can’t imagine the shipping costs on that! It’s funny you bring up the T-Rex. Your inspirations behind The Lake… we know Jurassic Park’s the big boy, it’s written all over your film, especially in the sequence with the big yellow eyes, gazing into the car, rain pouring down. What are more of the influential films from the kaiju side of things?
LT: Of course, being in Asia, one of the popular kaiju films here was The Host, directed by Bong Joon-Ho. Godzilla is really big too. The original, the first one, of course. Both films do not show much of the creature, and it’s more about the people involved. People tend to do that kind of storyline when you start with a new kaiju. You know, the kaiju is just a symbolic thing, so I tried to go for that. Mine is more like a spiritual and religious symbolism type of style. It’s not like a Godzilla versus King Kong type of movie. That’s a thing where people would be confused. “Oh, it’s going to be one of those monsters attacking the people and mindlessly eating everything”. Well, it’d be nice if you had a big budget to do stuff like that.
(laughs)
Basically, let’s tell a more grounded human drama story with the kaiju in the background in a symbolic way.
JL: I know the monster itself was based on some Thai mythology. Can you kind of break down the actual myth behind that creature a little bit for us?
LT: Yeah, of course! In Thailand, especially the northern part, is a place called Bueng Kan. It’s the countryside. Those towering mountains, and the rocks where the smaller monster runs to in the movie are found there. That area is like the Grand Canyon for our country. So over there, they believe in like a big giant serpent God. So that’s what they pray directly to. They believe, religiously, that the creature lived there, in the water for a long time, and eventually the caves there. We are not trying to say our monster *is* that creature, but I’m trying to say that there’s a lot of stuff going on in that province that we don’t know about. Different creatures, different mythical legends, and mysteries that we haven’t figured out. And that’s how I tried to keep it a secret!
JL: That was the massive thing I took away from The Lake. Stories like this get passed down through generations, and it’s kind of up to us to kind of figure out: Is it real? Was there something lurking in “The Lake” that caused the genesis of this folklore? Or, are they just entertaining stories that just resonate with us?
LT: Yes.
JL: That’s one of the themes I got out of it. The other one was of course, the family dynamic with the father/Daughter, and of course the bigger and smaller creatures themselves.
LT: It’s all about human connection, that’s it. It’s about a father trying to connect with the daughter, and the other side with the siblings trying to connect with each other. Also, the monster struggling to connect with the baby trying to get her baby back, with her eggs and stuff.
JL: I know you did your monster movie homework when watching the film. Of course, you’ve also gone on record saying how you watch almost every monster movie you can. Was there any type of reference or connective tissue to other parent-and-child kaiju films, like 1961’s Gorgo, from Great Britain, or Japan’s Gappa: The Triphibian Monsters? Or was that just an idea you came up with?
LT: Yeah, that’s just an idea we had. It’s really a big one and small one. Like with a T-Rex, and a Velociraptor!
(laughs)
But the main key is all about family, and I made a kaiju family. Like the mother and the kid. Father and daughter. Siblings. It’s all about that family and how they all connect with each other, right?
JL: It’s definitely a profoundly serious, very character-driven kaiju film, in its relationships, just like you were saying earlier with the whole “kaiju means something”, and the characters are the focal point. Regarding other kaiju films, as we’ve covered earlier, South Korea has The Host. Japan, of course, has Godzilla. How does it feel to be Thailand’s answer to these stories and characters?
LT: I wish we’d do more of this in Asia, specifically do more of this in Thailand. We need to get different types of storytelling than most movies out there. With kaiju films, audiences need to be brought different perspectives. Hollywood’s doing a lot of monster movie stuff, but we could tell so many stories over here in Thailand. The different provinces have different legends. Even across Asia, Vietnam has a different type of legend too, in their lake, or river, or something. Different countries have so many different folklore, fairy tales, monsters, and creatures. We just need to like, bring it out. Bring out the kaiju from different countries!
JL: Do you have a favorite local legend? Is it the one you use for The Lake, or is there a different one?
LT: There’s a lot more from this from Thailand that I want to show but let’s see if a sequel comes in. Another cave, maybe? The cave drawings at the end. Oh my god, I got so many ideas, like where humans ride the kaiju. Like, what is going on here?
JL: Like Dino Riders? Let’s make it happen!
LT: Kaiju Riders! Come on!
JL: Kaiju Riders! Let’s do it. I’m here for it.
LT: Imagine the main character, the father, riding the kaiju back into town. Come on, that’s got to be a good sequel!
JL: He’s like “Try and cover this one up!”
(both laugh)
I think that’s what I like about kaiju films in general. That they’re so malleable. They’re the perfect representation of cinema and art and how it can just be whatever you want it to be.
LT: You can tell so many stories! So many different perspectives. You can tell it from a casual perspective just as a monster movie, just action and destroying the city. You can tell from a political point, where the Japanese really shine, from a people standpoint, and so on. You can tell it from all kinds of different types of standpoints. Is it about family? Is about lovers? Is it about the public trying to survive the night? The options are limitless.
JL: I think that’s why they resonate with us so much just because they stand for our fears or our hopes. Monsters are the best way to tell stories.
LT: And the best part, you can give them any power. But, to come with power you got to give them weakness, because every kaiju has one. When we designed the one for The Lake, we were thinking, is the creature going to have like a beam coming out of its mouth? Then we were like, no, no, it’s not Godzilla. But I mean, the weakness of the monster in the film is his kids. The eggs and the baby and stuff you know. So not trying to kill anyone, he just wants his damn kid back!
JL: Give me my child!!!!!!
(Both laugh)
We’ve gone over the process of building the creature, but what was the story behind designing the monster? You got Jordu Shell, who’s worked on Cloverfield and The Mist, a guy with a resume to his name. That’s quite the story right there!
LT: Amen, man. Back then I was nobody you know, I just like hey, what’s the worst could happen? Say no? So, I emailed him. Hey, man, I got this great idea from Thailand. I’m pitching my crazy idea. And he’s like, okay, let’s meet in California. Oh my god. Okay. fly to California for you from Thailand. I met him in person. I’m like hey, please help me with it. And he’s just like okay, let’s do it. And he helped me design it. Of course, he asked me questions like: What kind of creature is it? I was like, it’s from the lakes in Thailand. What lives in the lakes here? Catfish, snakes, alligator. I combined them. I also told him that this monster doesn’t really eat people, it just kind of lives there, and he went crazy with it! It looks cool. It was great.
JL: It’s super cool that it can emulate an alligator with, for example, the shots of it in the water. It moves its entire body in the water back and forth, kind of like most marine reptiles, and kind of how Godzilla tends to move in the Legendary films, too.
And then it gets up on land and just kind of looks like its own kind of species, really. With a design like that design I appreciate that the important close ups were done with that giant animatronic.
LT: I wanted it to be as real as possible.
JL: Wasn’t there like ten guys you needed to operate that thing?
LT: Yeah, man. Someone’s pulling ropes and it’s simply crazy. And then there’s no guarantee. One time the mechanics broke. Usually, you have mechanics in the eyes to express, but there was so much rain, it just stopped working. So, we just used a bunch of ropes. Just keep moving it back and forth. It’s a fun process, man. Always fun to make these movies. Animatronics are simply fun and entertaining. And looks real. That’s the most important part for me. I keep doing animatronics more because it feels like the authenticity is there. It’s real.
JL: The smaller monster in The Lake — was that a suit? Because I know some of the shots like when he was running in the Thai countryside. That was all CG obviously, but was there a practical suit involved at all?
LT: We built a small suit. We tried to work with it. It wasn’t the size we were expecting, but it’s there!
JL: Totally. Effects challenges wise, was it more difficult with the CGI, than dealing with an animatronic that malfunctioned during the rain? Or was it easier to just animate and go?
LT: It’s easier to CG of course, but it’s a coin toss. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. You never know. Especially a production with a small crew, but we made it work, and tried our best with it. It’s a fun process. That’s why I want to make movies.
JL: Was that (the CGI) done in Thailand? Or was that also a Chinese collaboration effort?
LT: The CGI was done in Thailand. They’re great. They are underrated here, but they really put effort into the CGI and want to make it the best possible. Despite everything, they pull it off. We built this practical, animatronic monster and they enhanced it with CGI to bring it to life, just like they did with Jurassic Park. I really looked at Jurassic Park with how they did all the effects.
JL: I’m assuming it was much easier to supervise the CGI elements of the film, given that the vfx house was closer to home?
LT: Of course. I went and checked for updates every week– they asked questions like, “Hey, how’s this work?”, and I go yeah, let’s try this. Try that. Try this. Much easier.
JL: Of course, all these effects were further elevated by your cinematographer on The Lake, Brant Hackney. I noticed that Brandt was also on several of your other projects as a frequent collaborator.
LT: Yes! Mostly all my projects so far. Me and him went back, we went to school together in Florida. We went to film school together, so we understand how each other thinks, and he is going to be working on all my projects from now on.
JL: It almost seemed like a John Carpenter and Kurt Russell kind of dynamic going on here. I kept seeing Brand’s name come up every time I watched one of your films!
LT: He always adds improvements to the overall atmosphere of the film. He makes the scary bits scarier, the action scenes more thrilling. I am grateful to be collaborating with him on my films.
JL: That rain shot in The Lake, right out Jurassic Park. Easily my favorite moment of the film.
Let’s segway a bit into your previous film, The Maid. For those unaware, The Maid is a ghost story film, centered around a maid working at a mansion with a mysterious past.
Were there any traditional Thai ghost stories influenced in there? Or was it just you know, you just wanted to make a horror movie?
LT: No, it’s really a movie that we wanted to do for a long time. We don’t have a Maid Ghost yet!
(laughs)
I just want to tell a great love story, with different twists and turns in between. A slasher horror movie with ghosts!
JL: It was crazy. I watched it this week. It was just wild how it just like it went from dolly shots in the first and second act, to carefully articulated handheld camera work to the third act, to emphasize the crazy slasher bits.
LT: Woah, hey, thanks! It’s great to know that stuff.
When you break down The Maid, it was like the three chapters, right? It’s like 1, 2, and 3. Chapter 3 gets the craziest, And the music changes too, even like, chapter one, more like a slow pace. Ha, chapter three is like jazz!
JL: Is the composer, Bruno Brugnano, another frequent collaborator on your films?
LT: Yes, he also did The Lake. Oh, he’s great. He’s Italian and he just knows my style. He’s, my Hans Zimmer!
JL: Sounds like you’ve got some frequent fliers with you. Such an impressive thing to have, an entire creative team together like that in each movie.
LT: It’s amazing to work with this team. We discuss everything. I go talk to them. I see them work and it’s just all collaboration. If your team can know how you think, then it’s going to become great. Communication is key in making movies.
JL: How’s the reception been for both films over in Thailand?
JL: The Maid is crazy, it’s great. They want part two right now, but the Lake is 50/50 in Thailand. It’s like a thing. It’s just too advanced for them. I don’t know just what it’s like. But the American audience is really loving it though, which is good.
JL: That’s awesome. I’m glad to hear Westerners like The Lake. And I think it’s the perfect time for a film like that to come out. We’re kind of entering this second boom of kaiju films coming up. It’s great to see Thailand enter the fold. We have you, of course, with The Lake. We have Chalit Krileadmongkon with Leio the Terrible Giant. There’s just so many ways and different people make these movies now.
We’re doing it! Bring it out! Bring out the monsters, man! We want more!
Can I ask— what do kaiju films mean to you? Are they fun creature features, is there something deeper and more personal about your relationship with them?
LT: Yeah, it’s my entertainment. I never miss one. Any news that drops, I check out. A new monster movie comes out? I see it. It’s my guilty pleasure.
It’s something that me and my dad used to do– go watch them when I was a little kid. I was raised in America with my stepfather. He likes all these different movies, kaiju movies, of course. I couldn’t speak much English back then, so that was our way to communicate. So, my dad just took me to the movies and went hey, monster movie! Kaiju movie! So that’s how we bonded and communicated with each other. I was like “oh my god”, we’re excited about this genre together!
Because it’s something you share with other people. It’s not fun with just yourself liking the kaiju, but if you and your friend like the same kind of stuff, you both can share ideas. Hey, what if this happened? What if that happened? That’s the fun part of being a kaiju fan. To share and bond with other people.
JL: Absolutely, that’s what we’re all about here at Kaiju United. Like we’re just a bunch of people in a community getting together, talking about these movies, and sharing why we love them. I go to the conventions in the U.S. all the time just to be there with my peers. It’s great.
We were discussing other kaiju films just a minute ago— your favorite Godzilla film is the original. Am I getting that right?
LT: Absolutely, it’s the classic, of course. This new one’s something interesting— the Shin Godzilla one. Like, I can’t wait to see what the next one will be. When will the sequel come out? I want more of that Godzilla!
JL: Takashi Yamazaki is releasing his Godzilla film this November. Directed Always Sunset on Third Street, and the Godzilla theme park ride. I’m really interested to see if he goes crazy like Shin Godzilla, or if he takes down a notch.
LT: Man, I just love movies. Any movies that can entertain me; make me open my eyes. I love it. Especially horror movies. That’s also the thing. I like to be thrilled when I’m watching movies. especially horror. I like to eat well.
(laughs)
JL: I’m super into Guillermo del Toro!
LT: Oh yes, especially him. Me too. Yeah, he’s one of my inspirations of filmmaking and technique, keeping everything animatronic and real as much as possible. You know, building creatures and puppets and everything I love that stuff.
JL: We’re all just monster nuts at the end of the day.
So, Lee, you’ve had The Maid drop on Netflix. It’s the first Thai Netflix original film. Extremely complimentary to you. You got The Lake, that’s now out, and that’s buzzing and doing great in America. Well, what’s next on the docket? What’s coming up?
LT: Oh! I have two movies, actually… the next Thai movie I’m releasing comes out in June. It’s kind of like a Kill Bill, kick-ass kind of film. I’m really into comic books, so I wrote my own. It’s called Kitty the Killer; it’ll be an action-comedy movie. I love something action.
JL: Sounds like a blast. I can’t wait to see you tackle other genres. That one’s coming out quick! Can you talk about the second one at all?
LT: Oh yeah. So Badass. It’s a based on a Cambodian legend. The Snake King? This is the Snake Queen. That’s what we’re doing with it. Imagine Carrie, but with Medusa!
JL: She’s got psychic powers and telekinesis, then?
LT: She’s Medusa, she can communicate with snakes. Rad!
JL: Is it another horror movie akin to The Maid?
LT: It’s a fantasy film. Like Guillermo Del Toro. Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, that kind of stuff.
JL: Are you filming that soon?
LT: It’s done! And we’re just waiting for the release.
JL: Wow, that’s impressive. You’re just making movies left and right! With that kind of a busy, firm schedule of the process of filmmaking. How do you keep afloat as a full-time director?
LT: I’m just 24/7, man. I love movies. I love entertainment. I like to surround myself and breathe stuff that I love, and I love all this– kaiju, action, Marvel movies. I just like to surround myself with these positive energies, not just other things you know?
JL: Totally. We’re in agreement there. Live, breathe, and die movies, man. What an impressive schedule! 4 movies in 2023. Looking like 2023 is the year of Lee!
LT: Oh, yeah! It’s going to blow up this year. There are two films coming to you! I hope you all love what we’re going to give you from Thailand. I hope Thai film can become more than just, like, Muay Thai, I guess. Ha-ha. We want more genre from Thailand to come out– like action movies, monster movies, Medusa movies, horror movies. More genre films from Thailand!
JL: All right! Thank you, Lee, for taking the time out to do this. I hope to have you back sometime soon.
Yes, excellent. Let’s do it man! Thanks for having me.
Where to Watch:
Epic Pictures (Distributor) Site
Lee’s Filmography
Director:
Producer/Writer:
Night of the Killer Bears (2022)
