Gilbert Chan Tells an Army Ghost Story

Those who have served the nation in the capacity of a soldier may fondly remember the indispensable thrill and priceless fun had from the exchange of horror stories within the platoon. As your enthusiastic buddy described the terror, the best you could do was sketch a vague outline of the otherworldly being in your mind. Much like an attentive curator at the mummy museum, upcoming horror film 23:59 will attempt to add lines and colours to the scary story your buddy told you and make proper the perfect nightmare you have always wanted.

Set in 1983 against the backdrop of an island army barracks, 23:59 tells the tale of an indigenous woman who has returned to haunt the soldiers at the exact time she died. Tan, an introverted platoon outcast, tries to convince his platoon mates that the woman is threatening to take his life away but no one seems to believe him. The mystery deepens when Tan is found dead during the platoon’s 24km route march, arms inexplicably contorted and facial expression splayed out in fear. Despite the disapproval of his hubris-heavy officer, Jeremy decides to investigate and discovers the secret behind the island.

Directed and written by Gilbert Chan who previously co-directed the critically and commercially acclaimed Love Matters (2003) with Jack Neo and whose other notable works won awards at the MDA Scriptwriting Competition and Toronto-Singapore Film Festival, 23:59 stars popular local comedian Mark Lee alongside Malaysian artistes Henley Hii, Josh Lai and Tedd Chan. in2it.sg recently got the chance to chat with Gilbert about his movie and what he has for us in the future!

Besides 2003’s Love Matters which you co-directed with Jack Neo, your previous works include mainly art house films. What was the influence behind your decision to create a commercial movie again?

I don’t think I set out to make an art house film or a commercial movie. I just try to make movies that I would enjoy watching myself and hopefully, a large audience would enjoy it too.

What inspired you to pick the horror genre up?

When Japan horror films were all the rage many years ago, I was in love in it and was really inspired by the genre. I actually wrote the first draft of 23:59 about 10 years ago. The original title of the movie was Charlie Company.

23:59 has an army theme. How does the style of this movie differ from those in other similarly themed horror movies like ‘Where Got Ghost?’ and ‘The Ghosts Must Be Crazy’?

I would say both movies are more about the comedy because Jack, Boris and Mark are natural comedians. 23:59 would have more of the scary elements and horror, and less of the comedy.

Mark Lee has starred in most local horror movies in recent memory. Do you think he has been typecast?

I think the reason why Mark has appeared in many productions is because he is really good. He always brings something special to a role. He was extremely professional and a joy to work with.

You worked with several Malaysian artistes during the production of 23:59. What were some of the challenges faced by the artistes when they were interpreting the Singaporean army culture and how have those challenges affected the production of the movie?

We spent much time talking about the army. They conducted research of their own and learnt how to sing our local army songs. I even provided them with basic military drills. I am actually very happy to have had the opportunity to work with these actors who are not only talented but also professional and dedicated.

23:59 is rated PG13. Do you feel that a decreased level of gore would compromise the overall quality of a horror movie?

It may be easier to shock audiences with gore and other cheap scare tactics but I feel that the challenge behind the creation of a good horror film also involves building a mood of fear and introducing suspense into the proceedings. Ultimately, the scariest kind of horror is psychological terror. I hope that people would remember 23:59 as a movie which still manages to be scary despite the decreased level of gore.

There is an increasing number of Singapore-Malaysia collaborations today. What do you feel about the trend?

I think that it is great! Singapore is a small country and we are limited by the number of audiences. But in a Singapore-Malaysia co-production, we are able to tap onto both markets, therefore increasing the number of audiences and potential box office takings. Ultimately, we need our movies to produce a consistent string of profits so that investors will have the confidence to continue their ventures in movies in Singapore and Malaysia.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I will continue to make good films, hopefully in more genres. My dream is to see a good Singapore movie become successful internationally, gaining a huge audience and bringing huge profits in from Asia and around the world. 

23:59 opens Thursday, 3 November.

23:59 @ FaceBook

Did you encounter the supernatural during your army days? Or do you have a ghost story to tell? Scare others silly with your experiences below in the comment section or head over to our forums to tell your ghost story.

Story by Loh Yong Jian