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Out of the Darkness (1971 film)
Encyclopedia
Out of the Darkness is a 1971
Thai
science fiction
musical
action
drama film
directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol
, about an invasion by extraterrestrial beings
in Thailand. It was the first science fiction film made in Thailand, and was also the debut feature film by Chatrichalerm.
Professor Thongchai and his assistant Sek observe some meteorite
s falling and determine they struck somewhere in Southern Thailand
. They head for Ranong Province
where they start their investigation at a potash
mine owned by Luang Kosit. When they arrive, they find the place under siege by some gunmen. Sek pitches in to help out, and to return the favor, Luang Kosit brings Thongchai and Sek to his home and offers them a place to stay.
Luang Kosit's daughter is Chonlada and she thinks she can help Sek determine where the meteorites fell. They contact the local "sea clan", where Chonlada had made friends with the chief's daughter, Sarai.
Meanwhile, a male friend of Chonlada's becomes jealous of her time spent with Sek, and while lamenting over the situation with some other friends, the group breaks out into song to chide him, while he voices his heartfelt desires.
At night on the sea clan island, the chief goes to pray to the goddess Kali
on a cliff overlooking the sea. As he departs, he is attacked by a blob-shaped, tentacled creature that has a large glowing green eye. Possessed by the alien, the chief returns to his village, and with green ray beams emanating from his glowing green eyes, he kills everyone.
The next day, Sek, Chonlada and others from the mainland take a boat to the sea clan island. On the way there, another song is performed. Initially they think the village is mysteriously deserted, but upon further investigation they find only the skeletons of the villagers. The party decides the burn the village, however Sarai is still alive. Some drama ensues as she is trapped in the fire and Chonlada and the other men rush to her rescue, and then bring her to the mainland.
The next night, the alien creature finds its way to the mainland and attacks a young couple, who then turn their death-ray eye beams on others. Various ways are tried to kill the alien-possessed people, but they are impervious to bullets and flame. Professor Thongchai examines a sample of the alien under a microscope, and eventually it is noticed that exposure to sunlight kills the creature. This explains the creature only attacking at night.
It is then discovered that the alien has taken up residence in a nearby cave, so it is decided that the cave should be dynamited to close up the entrance. More drama ensues as Chonlada and Serei go into the cave just as it is to be sealed, and Sek and another man need to scuba dive in to rescue them through an ocean entrance.
Trapped in the cave with the alien creature, Serei is angry and wants revenge against the alien for killing her father and wiping out her village. She tries to attack it, but is vaporized by its green ray beam.
Sek and another man arrive to help Chonlada escape, and the other man is killed. Cut off from their escape route, Sek and Chonlada face certain doom, but then Sek finds a mirrored, metal shield and discovers it deflects the alien's death ray. He goads the creature into firing at him, directing the ray towards the roof of the cave. Eventually, the beams break through, and sunlight pours in, killing the alien.
film produced in the Thai film industry
, and its production standards were crude compared to other sci-fi films and television series being made in the era. "It was terrible," director Chatrichalerm Yukol
admitted in a 1994 interview. It was also his first film. "I was in television before I started in film. And then, I made a film called Out of the Darkness, just for fun, because no science fiction film had ever been made in Thailand. I was thinking about what if some of the ETs
would come down in Thailand."
, PAL
disc with English subtitles by the Mangpong video retail chain.
1971 in film
The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
Thai
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol
Chatrichalerm Yukol
His Serene Highness Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol is a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A prolific director since the 1970s, among his films is the 2001 historical epic, The Legend of Suriyothai. A member of the Thai royal family, his official royal title is Mom Chao, or M.C., the...
, about an invasion by extraterrestrial beings
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
in Thailand. It was the first science fiction film made in Thailand, and was also the debut feature film by Chatrichalerm.
Plot
AstronomerAstronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Professor Thongchai and his assistant Sek observe some meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s falling and determine they struck somewhere in Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand is a distinct region of Thailand, connected with the Central region by the narrow Kra Isthmus.-Geography:Southern Thailand is located on the Malay Peninsula, with an area around 70,713 km², bounded to the north by Kra Isthmus as the narrowest part of the peninsula. The...
. They head for Ranong Province
Ranong Province
Ranong is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the coast of the Andaman Sea. It is the province with the fewest citizens. Neighboring provinces are Chumphon, Surat Thani and Phang Nga...
where they start their investigation at a potash
Potash
Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
mine owned by Luang Kosit. When they arrive, they find the place under siege by some gunmen. Sek pitches in to help out, and to return the favor, Luang Kosit brings Thongchai and Sek to his home and offers them a place to stay.
Luang Kosit's daughter is Chonlada and she thinks she can help Sek determine where the meteorites fell. They contact the local "sea clan", where Chonlada had made friends with the chief's daughter, Sarai.
Meanwhile, a male friend of Chonlada's becomes jealous of her time spent with Sek, and while lamenting over the situation with some other friends, the group breaks out into song to chide him, while he voices his heartfelt desires.
At night on the sea clan island, the chief goes to pray to the goddess Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
on a cliff overlooking the sea. As he departs, he is attacked by a blob-shaped, tentacled creature that has a large glowing green eye. Possessed by the alien, the chief returns to his village, and with green ray beams emanating from his glowing green eyes, he kills everyone.
The next day, Sek, Chonlada and others from the mainland take a boat to the sea clan island. On the way there, another song is performed. Initially they think the village is mysteriously deserted, but upon further investigation they find only the skeletons of the villagers. The party decides the burn the village, however Sarai is still alive. Some drama ensues as she is trapped in the fire and Chonlada and the other men rush to her rescue, and then bring her to the mainland.
The next night, the alien creature finds its way to the mainland and attacks a young couple, who then turn their death-ray eye beams on others. Various ways are tried to kill the alien-possessed people, but they are impervious to bullets and flame. Professor Thongchai examines a sample of the alien under a microscope, and eventually it is noticed that exposure to sunlight kills the creature. This explains the creature only attacking at night.
It is then discovered that the alien has taken up residence in a nearby cave, so it is decided that the cave should be dynamited to close up the entrance. More drama ensues as Chonlada and Serei go into the cave just as it is to be sealed, and Sek and another man need to scuba dive in to rescue them through an ocean entrance.
Trapped in the cave with the alien creature, Serei is angry and wants revenge against the alien for killing her father and wiping out her village. She tries to attack it, but is vaporized by its green ray beam.
Sek and another man arrive to help Chonlada escape, and the other man is killed. Cut off from their escape route, Sek and Chonlada face certain doom, but then Sek finds a mirrored, metal shield and discovers it deflects the alien's death ray. He goads the creature into firing at him, directing the ray towards the roof of the cave. Eventually, the beams break through, and sunlight pours in, killing the alien.
Production
Released in 1971, Out of the Darkness was the first science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film produced in the Thai film industry
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
, and its production standards were crude compared to other sci-fi films and television series being made in the era. "It was terrible," director Chatrichalerm Yukol
Chatrichalerm Yukol
His Serene Highness Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol is a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A prolific director since the 1970s, among his films is the 2001 historical epic, The Legend of Suriyothai. A member of the Thai royal family, his official royal title is Mom Chao, or M.C., the...
admitted in a 1994 interview. It was also his first film. "I was in television before I started in film. And then, I made a film called Out of the Darkness, just for fun, because no science fiction film had ever been made in Thailand. I was thinking about what if some of the ETs
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
would come down in Thailand."
DVD
A DVD of the film was released in Thailand on an all-regionDVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
, PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
disc with English subtitles by the Mangpong video retail chain.