Somewhere in Chiang Mai, a water park has been left to rot. The slides are rusted, the pools are dry and green with moss, and the only splash of colour is a figure in a red raincoat that should not be there. One night a group of teenage friends sneak in to play hide-and-seek. Only some of them come out.
Kijsada Paradise, the Thai horror hit from director Phontharis Chotkijsadarsopon, arrives on Netflix in the UK on Wednesday 11 November, after a cinema run in Thailand in the summer. It is a ghost story that cares more about guilt and friendship than about jump scares, and while it takes its time and loses focus at the end, its haunted setting is one of the most memorable horror locations of the year.
A place built for screams of joy, drained of every last one: this is a haunted house with water slides.
Movie at a Glance
- UK availability: Streaming on Netflix from Wednesday 11 November 2026
- Original release: In Thai cinemas from 11 June 2026
- Director: Phontharis Chotkijsadarsopon
- Starring: Nattawat Jirochtikul, Yongsin Wongpanitnont, Jaturawit Cheawprasit, Pannawit Pattanasiri and Sorathon Chaloemlapsombut
- Studio: 13 Studio
- Language: Thai, with English subtitles
- Runtime: 113 minutes
- Netflix UK age rating: 15
- Genre: Supernatural horror
Viewer Match
- Best for: Fans of Thai and wider Asian horror, abandoned-location chillers and ghost stories rooted in guilt.
- Maybe skip if: You want a scare in the first ten minutes and a high body count, or you dislike horror mixed with comedy.
- Mood and pace: A slow, atmospheric build with comic breaks, rising to a busy final act.
- Cinema or streaming? A late-night Netflix watch with the lights off and the sound up.
- Spoiler level: Spoiler-free: we stop at the disappearance that starts the story.
A Game That Never Ended
Nattawat Jirochtikul, the Thai star known to fans as Fourth, plays Taek, the cocky ringleader of a group of school friends. It is his idea to play hide-and-seek in Kijsada Paradise, the abandoned water park that every local kid has been warned about. On the fringes of the group is Jod, a vulnerable, gentle boy played with real tenderness by Jaturawit Cheawprasit. When Jod vanishes during the game, the friends make a choice that will follow them for years. Eventually they have to go back, and this time it is something wearing Jod’s face that comes looking for them.
That idea, that the true horror is what the friends did rather than what waits for them, gives the film a sting that lifts it above a simple monster chase. Cheawprasit is the standout: he gives Jod a fragile, believable inner life, and his bond with the friend played by Yongsin Wongpanitnont produces the film’s most moving scenes. Jirochtikul, best known for gentler romantic roles, is convincing as a teenager whose arrogance slowly curdles into fear.
The Water Park Is the Star
The location does a lot of the heavy lifting, and it earns it. Water parks are built for noise, crowds and sunshine, so seeing one empty, dark and decaying is deeply unsettling. The production design is excellent: slimy tunnels, cracked tiles, rusting towers and dry pools become a maze where anything could be hiding. The set-pieces on and inside the giant slides, which mix practical sets with digital effects, are the film’s most exciting moments, and the figure in the red raincoat is a simple but striking image.
Phontharis made his name with the hugely popular Pee Nak horror-comedies, and his taste for comedy is still here. The friends’ banter and some broad gags from the supporting players ease the tension. Sometimes that works as welcome relief; sometimes it drains the dread just as it is building.
Slow to Start, Crowded at the End
At nearly two hours, Kijsada Paradise is long for a ghost story set largely in one place. It takes its time to reach the darker material, and the jump scares, when they come, are fairly standard. The mythology around the park and its red-coated spirit is also thinner than it should be; the film hints at a dark history but never quite digs into it. Most frustrating is the ending, which tries to deliver several different messages at once and blurs what should be a sharp, painful payoff.
Even so, there is real feeling under the scares, a cast that works well together and a setting you will not forget in a hurry. For anyone who enjoys Asian horror, it is a solid pick for a dark evening.
Spoiler-Free Verdict
Kijsada Paradise turns an abandoned water park into a superbly creepy playground for a ghost story about guilt and friendship. It is overlong, light on big scares and muddled at the end, but its setting and its heart make it worth a stream.
- Performances: 6.5/10
- Direction: 6/10
- Screenplay: 5/10
- Score: 6/10
- Cinematography: 7/10
- Entertainment Value: 6/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Star rating: 3/5
Verdict badge: Stream It
One-line verdict: Ready or not: a gloriously eerie location and a sad, human ghost story make up for a long, wobbly ride.
Watch the Official Trailer
Step inside the park in the official trailer, with English subtitles.
Hungry for more horror? Our definitive guide to horror films is packed with picks, our Weekly Streaming Highlights covers the rest of the week’s streaming, and the Weekly Cinema Pack has what’s new in cinemas.
Which abandoned place would scare you most at night: an empty water park, a closed-down funfair or a deserted school? Share your spoiler-free reaction to Kijsada Paradise.