Sentosa is getting a taste of horror. The Singaporean amusement park has contracted a case of fear inspired by Thai ghost stories, and for a second year in a row, the Sentosa Spooktacular is ready for Halloween with haunted twins, dark graveyards and brain-tingling visuals.
Things are already spooky at the front gate of Sentosa Spooktacular.
The theme of this yearly haunted fest is based on Thai horror movies. Partnering with Thai film studio GTH, the Sentosa Leisure Management has converted Fort Siloso, a restored World War II coastal gun battery, into the haunted housing development called "Laddaland". In an example of how creative economics can expand Thai content into a cultural export, the Sentosa Spooktacular is a result of the popularity of Thai horror films across Asia, including Singapore, and how movies can extend their shelf life through creative adaptation.
Made internationally famous by the 2011 Thai film of the same name, Sentosa Spooktacular's recreation of Laddaland was inspired by an abandoned housing development in Chiang Mai, which is believed to be taken over by a demonic presence.
Passing through the Spooktacular gate, we are welcomed by a sight of zombies, broken houses and smoke. Eerie music plays in the background. At twilight, the atmosphere oozes with unearthly mysteriousness. Lonely, bloody figures that lurk through the turns and corners are more than ready to elicit a few screams from anyone wandering too close. The fact that there are many soldiers killed at the old fort during World War II left many to wonder if they would see anything beyond a mere film recreation.
Within the constructed ghost village, three haunted houses inspired by GTH horror flicks Alone, Countdown and The Swimmers are ready to swallow up and scare their patrons senseless.
A mix of actors, visual techniques and thematic atmosphere makes up the three horror rides. Outside the "Alone" house, a group of dancers move their bodies to the remix rendition of John Legend's ballad All Of Me. It was a strange combination as all the dancers are dressed up as gory zombies. But the dance serves as a good set-up before we crossed the threshold into the compound.
Alone is a 2007 film which tells a story of female twins conjoined at the stomach. But when one passes away, she just doesn't seem to want to depart from her living twin too easily. As with the other two films, some elements on-screen formed different parts of the walking trail within the house.
We walked through the long trail inside, leading to a scene straight from a slaughter house and hospital. Suddenly, many figures in hiding jumped out at us and drew screams from the girl beside me. This house was not built for the faint-hearted. With blood stains and hanged bodies, "Alone" is a terror house that was constructed to be hair-raising.
Next we move on to "Countdown" — the 2012 thriller about a group of teenagers and a mysterious, psychopathic drug dealer who cross paths on a New Year's Eve. Upon the first step in, you are assaulted by techno music and neon paint. Some of us were hustling with the dancers with painted faces along the way.
Everyone was almost fooled that it would be just fun and games. But, as seen in the film, the underlying horror still kept our eyes wide open at each turn. The highlight began after we put on 3D glasses. Under disco lights and neon paint on the walls, the effects were ethereal and surreal. It was as though we were flying through green and orange glows.
"It was an experience similar to flying high, quite like what the characters were feeling in the film," said one of the passing visitors.
The next attraction is "The Swimmers", based on GTH's latest horror flick about a monstrous pregnancy involving two athletes and a teen woman. At Sentosa, we started by walking through a smoky path, then entered a narrow corridor that resembled a swimming pool.
Those who have watched the film would know that it is about swimmers, pregnancy, ghosts and a baby. There were infant ghosts, a wall of blood, and an area that seemed to be put together to resemble a birth canal. It felt claustrophobic and creepy, and we couldn't wait to get outside and breathe in fresh air once again.
At the end of the trail, we realised that the organising staff really saved the best, or worst, for last. We gasped as we felt the soft, uneven texture beneath our feet. To get to the exit, we had to go through a dark graveyard littered with fake dead babies buried among dried leaves.
Among some of the first visitors to this year's Sentosa Spooktacular were the young stars from GTH films and series. Chutavuth "March" Pattarakampol, one of the cast members from teen series
Hormones and lead actor from The Swimmers, was enjoying himself by borrowing a skeletal prop and pretending to be a zombie.
"In other places, we only see one haunted house, but this is different. This is like a whole ghost town," said the actor. "Here, very few ghosts and zombies appearing are mannequins, the rest are real humans acting out.
"I'm really impressed that they can stay in characters and bear so many hours in their costumes. Some are even crawling on the ground and the weather is very hot and humid."
March's film The Swimmers was released in Thailand in August to mixed reviews, though it still performed well at the box office. Going through the haunted house inspired by the film was almost nostalgic to the young star.
"In that house, I got a feeling that I just wanted to get out. I didn't know why. But, on that soft, bloodied narrow path, it was like I was reliving my birth moment," joked March.
Standing beside March was Nichaphat "Pearwah" Chatchaipholrat, his fellow cast member from Hormones. The young actress was flushed from the heat, as well as all the screaming she did inside the houses.
"I'm very scared of ghosts. I didn't want to enter the houses at first," admitted Pearwah. "But after going through all of them, it would have been such a wasted opportunity had I not gone in. It was horrifying, but also just plain awesome. You felt as though you were the character in that scene."
For maximum spookiness, it is suggested that visitors should watch all three films before descending upon Fort Siloso. Once inside, the nightmarish events in the films can then be relived.
On average, each house took around 20-30 minutes to walk through. This, however, depends on the speed you wanted to walk, or run screaming your head off, to get to the end of the chilling trail.
Visitors can experience this year's Sentosa Spooktacular on Oct 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 and Nov 1 at Fort Soliso, Singapore. Visit spooktacular.com.sg.
Many zombies will get in your face and make sure they earn a scream before leaving you alone.
Inside the eerie Sentosa Spooktacular's Laddaland.
Among the early birds to be spooked were Chutavuth 'March' Pattarakampol, left, and Nichaphat 'Pearwah' Chatchaipholrat, third left, with cast and crew from GMM Tai Hub.
