In 2005, Banjong Pisanthanakun, alongside Parkpoom Wongpoom, wrote and directed hit horror film Shutter, now due for a Hollywood remake. This year, they did it again with Alone, which had audiences screaming and critics raving.

It’s hard for horror movies like Shutter and Alone to go to big international film festivals. They’re usually not looking for entertaining films like ours, or like The Ring.

I didn’t think Alone would be a Shutter in terms of winning awards. But it won many awards in the US at Fantastic Fest and Screamfest and, in Canada, at Toronto After Dark. Everybody is really happy.

I’m not most excited about winning Best Director, but about Marsha winning Best Actress. It’s very difficult for a Thai actor to win an international award. I feel happy for her; she was so dedicated to the film.

Seeing a lot of movies is crucial for me. There are ghost films coming out every week from every corner of the world, so I need to know how to make mine different.

I won’t start a film if I don’t have a story that I really want to tell. Pakpoom and I work slowly—we spend two years on a film.

It’s difficult to make an original ghost film. When Shutter was finished, I thought I would never make an other ghost film because I’d never be able to think of a plot that hadn’t been told.

When we found a photograph of Siamese twins, we knew there was one type of ghost left that hadn’t been done.

We felt a lot of pressure making our second film. We just kept telling ourselves that we shouldn’t compare it to Shutter or any other movie.

Features film are more difficult than short films, of course. But that doesn’t mean making a short film is easy. You have to be very smart to tell a story in five or 10 minutes and do it effectively.

I admire the people at Thaishortfilm.com. Short film competitions are essential for discovering new directors. Me, I got to direct a feature thanks to the short film contest of the Thai Film Foundation.

You will never get anywhere, if you don’t get started. Making a bad movie—or many bad movies—is the best way to learn how to make a good one.

Most people want to make a unique film and a box office hit. That’s difficult. If you want to attract a large audience, you can’t stray too far from what’s already out there.

It will take time before we can have a greater variety of movies. Actually, Thais are gaining international recognition with movies like those of Joey Apichatpong and Pen-ek on the one hand and movies like Shutter, Alone and Tony Ja’s muay thai flicks on the other. We need to push forward in both directions.

Movies that star famous comedians make money, no matter how good or bad they are. But in fact, some are really entertaining—and that’s an important aspect of cinema.

I watch art films, but I don’t look down on Hollywood films. I watched Transformers so many times.

I’m not afraid of ghosts. I’m scared when I’m watching a ghost film in a theater, but when it ends, it ends. I just don’t believe in ghosts. I believe in karma and that belief is reflected in my films.

I think people are most afraid of what they have done. The scariest thing people can confront is a mistake that can come back to haunt them. This idea is much scarier than a ghost, I think.

Co-directing a film is harder than doing it alone. You have to discuss and argue at every single step and it’s exhausting. Filmmaking is all about personal taste. But if you find the right person to work with, the result can be really rewarding.

The scariest thing in a ghost film is the story. I don’t fall for films like Ju On or The Grudge—films that have no story, only ghosts. For me it’s not scary at all—the ghost needs to appear with some sort of purpose.

Banjong is one of four Thai directors participating in Heineken's World Without Strangers young filmmakers contest. www.heinekenthai.com