Behind the Mystery – 'Ying Terk' Reveals the Making of 'Khao Kala'

Following the release of "Khao Kala," a film exploring alien beliefs and the mysteries of extraterrestrial life through accounts from nine famous personalities, director Ying Terk Thandet Ramsombhop discussed the film's production process.

How did Khao Kala come about? Ying Terk explained: "It came from stories we wanted to present. I had the idea of approaching Khao Kala in an interesting way, viewing it not just as a matter of belief, but as a universal UFO phenomenon. The challenge is that it happens in Southeast Asia, where people don't typically believe in such things. However, if it's about ghosts or nagas, they communicate and believe in those stories."

What makes it compelling? Ying Terk stated: "We presented Khao Kala as one of the top 10 UFO sightseeing locations in the world, yet Thai people don't know about it. What's strangest is that Khao Kala is the only such place globally that isn't a tourist destination. From a tourism perspective, it should be Thailand's soft power, but instead it remains unknown. It's not just underdeveloped as a tourist site—it's abandoned. You need forest permission to visit."

What's the presentation format? Ying Terk explained: "It's best described as a New Age Mystery Documentary with cinematic storytelling, intercut with real accounts from people who experienced the events—like a true-crime documentary with visual effects created by world-class studios that worked on Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Alien: Covenant. It features footage from nine celebrities we interviewed: Kong Huay Rai, Ar The Star, Nam Cha Chirapat, Prang Prangthip, Diew The Star, Toffee Sambathasip, Tong Caramel, Dr. Surat Vongrattanaphatsorn, and Luang Pho Tone Suthchitto.

Kong's incident occurred in Sakon Nakhon at Ai Lina farm. Locals might call such beings demons or shapeshifters, but Kong says he saw with his own eyes that it was an extraterrestrial emerging from a tree. After posting about it, someone commented asking if Kong would disappear too. I understand why people feel disconnected from such stories, but that's what we wanted to convey—that celebrities experience this too. The most confrontational accounts come from Nam Cha, Luang Pho Tone, Tong, and Prangthip, who claim to communicate with extraterrestrials, experiencing nested dreams and seeing blue-glowing entities. Everyone dares to speak because they genuinely experienced it."

Did the celebrities act in their own stories? Ying Terk replied: "We asked each person if they wanted to perform their own role. Surprisingly, everyone agreed—Ar, Kong, Diew, and Tong all performed themselves. Prang initially wanted to, but scheduling didn't work out, so Ticha stepped in instead. Nam Cha was the last to agree, taking three months to decide. I understood this involved concerns about image and family—such claims are a double-edged sword. But eventually, he called to say he'd perform himself, which made us very happy because his story is crucial."

Is this film meant to convince people to believe? Ying Terk answered: "That's an excellent question. To this day, I still don't believe, and I made this film without believing myself. But Toffee believes. That's the perfect mix—when one person doesn't believe and another does, the debate becomes engaging. As producer, Toffee was brave enough to give me creative freedom to make this the best I could without forcing a belief narrative. If I were to believe these are real, I'd have to prove it myself.

I once spent the night at Khao Kala near the pagoda..."

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