In a thrilling new horror venture, child star Althea Ruedas and beauty queen-turned-actress Cindy Miranda bring to life a chilling tale of desperation and the supernatural in the upcoming film “Kuman Thong.”
Filmed in Thailand, “Kuman Thong” which means “golden young boy,” is written and directed by Xian Lim, drawing inspiration from Thai mythology.
In the horror film’s press conference, Miranda explained of the title, “The word ‘Kuman’ means a sanctified young boy or girl, and ‘Thong’ means golden. It is used as an amulet. In the present day, people buy Kuman Thong as an amulet and place them in their homes. There are two types of Kuman Thong: good ones and bad ones, depending on what you ask for. But for this movie, this is a bad Kuman Thong.”
Known for her roles in Netflix hits “Doll House” and “Instant Daddy,” stepping into the horror genre was initially daunting for Ruedas.
“The genre is hard, but it became easier because I was with ate Cindy and direk Xian; they helped me throughout the hardest parts of the movie,” shared the 11-year-old actress.
On the other hand, Miranda, who has made a name for herself in films like “Martyr or Murderer” and “Reroute,” faced her own set of challenges like filming in the intense heat of Thailand.
“I had a hard time because, first of all, it was extremely hot in Thailand. I think some people even died from the heat there, but not in our production. That’s how hot it was. We shot the movie two months ago and were in Thailand for one week,” Miranda recalled.
“As soon as you step out of the tent, it’s scorching hot. But of course, as an actor, you endure everything. Sometimes it even helps with the scene. Our characters in the movie are quite dramatic, after all,” she continued.
The film’s production also highlighted the complexities of cross-cultural collaboration. Miranda, however, noted the difficulties in communication due to language barriers but praised lead actor Max Nattapol Diloknawarit for his proficiency in English, which eased the process.
“This was a collaboration between Thai and Philippine production teams. It was difficult because not everyone there spoke English, so communication was challenging. I’m thankful that our lead, Max, spoke English, and his mother in the film also knew some English. But the rest of the cast and crew didn’t,” she said.
“Apart from that, Max was the only experienced actor; the rest of the cast were first-timers. This made things difficult because we didn’t have much time, and everything had to be done quickly. Almost all our scenes were done in one take, so we had to be on our marks constantly, or we wouldn’t have finished the movie. It was hard, but as direk Xian told us, you really have to be prepared because what we did was like a marathon, and the emotion in this movie was intense,” Miranda continued.
Opening in cinemas today, July 3, “Kuman Thong” is based on a Thai occult tradition in which a figurine housing a child’s spirit brings luck if properly revered… and harm if not cared for.
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