Vietnam to premiere American director’s horror movie on Halloween

The premiere of ‘Thang May’ (The Lift) was announced at a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

‘Thang May’ drew inspiration from ‘Elevator Game’ – a ritual game originating in South Korea and Japan, in which the player will take the elevator alone in a building with at least ten floors at midnight.

It is said that the game give the player access to another world.

The movie was produced by director Mourougaya and his team in five years and has been labeled NC18 (No One 18 and Under Admitted) by the Vietnam Cinema Department.

Notably, the cast were taken care of by Hollywood make-up artist Bradley Greenwood, whose work was seen in ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ or the recent ‘Aquaman.’             

‘Thang May’ is planned to be premiered nationwide on October 31 to take moviegoers into the Halloween spirit.

It is also the second Vietnamese movie to hit cinemas in the country post-pandemic after the Busan film fest’s big winner ‘Rom.’

Speaking at Wednesday’s press conference, Mourougaya expressed his gratitude to Vietnamese actors and actresses for their contribution to ‘Thang May,’ regarding the poor conditions of the abandoned hospital in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Phu District where the movie was filmed.

Mourougaya was born in Ho Chi Minh City. His father is an American and his mother is Vietnamese-French.

After moving to the U.S. with his family, Mourougaya studied acting and filmmaking in California, where he made friends with famous Vietnamese directors Charlie Nguyen and Victor Vu.

This friendship later encouraged Mourougaya to return to Vietnam and start his filmmaking career in the Southeast Asian country.

‘Thang May’ is his debut movie.

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