Junji Ito's to hold exhibition in Bangkok in October
Fans of J-horror, brace yourself for the worst. Japan Anime Movie Thailand, in cooperation with Muse License, recently announced that "Junji Ito Horror House In Thailand 2023" will be on display from Oct 7 to Dec 31 on the fourth floor of MBK Center, Phaya Thai Road. Just in time for Halloween.
The master of horror, Japanese manga artist Junji Ito, who has a cult following that spans the globe, has introduced many memorably disturbing characters. Souichi Tsujii is an 11-year-old brat boy who specialises in curses and enjoys causing havoc and he's tame compared to Ito's other figments of imagination. Female fashion model Fuchi looks intimidating with her extra height and a full mouth of fangs ready to eat her victims alive. Tomie Kawakami is a beautiful girl who gets chopped into pieces but can regenerate and multiply and definitely can give Sadako and Kayako a run for their money.
While not scaring people with these enigmatic characters, Ito, who is a cat person #funfact, creates an entire WTF universe that leaves you unsettled. In Uzumaki, his most famous three-volume series, Ito turns spirals into a scary concept as an entire town gets consumed by it, complete with a memorable scene of a man twisting himself into a spiral inside a wooden sushi rice bucket. In Gyo Ugomeku Bukimi, the land is taken over by marine life on leg-like robots called "Death Stenthes". As if being attacked by sharks on legs in your home isn't scary enough, the robots can capture humans and turn them into hosts and mindless, foul-smelling and bloated monsters in the process.
Judging from his past exhibitions in other countries, fans in Thailand can reasonably expect life-size sculptures of his notorious characters and recreations of memorable and iconic scenes from his macabre manga. In other words, perfect photo-ops for the month of Halloween.
Japan Anime Movie Thailand gives a glimpse into the ‘Junji Ito Horror House In Thailand 2023’ by revealing the floor plan and ticket details in their recent announcements. Inspired by the Netflix series Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales Of The Macabre, visitors choose to enter the ‘Horror Village’ or the ‘Farewell Town’ as the first part of their adventure. After that, they'll arrive at an exhibition room to see Ito's selected work up close before they move on to the merch zone and the exit. If you want to check out both the village and the town you'll have to pay extra. Early bird tickets start at B350 and each comes with a mask and a balloon. VIP tickets cost B1,000 and come with all access, fast track and a commemorative tote. However, if you don't want to get spooked and just want to buy the merch, you can do so without a ticket.
Early bird tickets are on sale via Thai Ticket Major until Sept 30 but early bird tickets can be used between Oct 7-31. Visit fb.com/japananimemoviethailand.
