October 6, 2024 03:46 AM

The Petch Siam Theater: Inside Thailand's Eerie Movie Theater

The Petch Siam Theater in northern Thailand has sat desolate and untouched for more than three decades. Its array of red seats is shrouded by cobwebs with vintage projectors are still in working order.

The Petch Siam Theater has opened to the public in the early 1970s, but the operation only lasted for a decade. After it closed, the place remained abandoned until now. At present, it depicts a rather post-Armageddon sight, with cobweb-laced seats, and dilapidated curtains.

Photographer and technology teacher Dax Ward, 36, who is based in Bangkok, visited and took photos of the disintegrating place in December 2016. He told that the roof is yielding in, that dust and dirt have collected on the seats. He added that the floors have been eroded away by flooding. He added that the majority of the place and all of the essentials of an operational movie theater remain.

The Petch Siam Theater in many ways appears as if the last full show ended, the blissful audience stood up from their seats and walked away. The immaculate doors were bolted and the place has sat in that same state for 30 years. Daily Mail reported that Dax had talked with the owners of the theater who said they tried every strategy they could come up with to make the business succeed or at least make a comeback.

The exterior of the building is unremarkable. It simply looks like a big building or storeroom with no signage or other indication of what is inside. Tourists seldom visit the area as the town is too off the trodden path and is approximately 40 minutes away from the central sights and lodgings in Sukhotai. Thailand is a treasure-trove for abandoned places and Dax plans to continue to discover the veiled areas it has to offer. He said that he took photos of five abandoned theaters in the past months and The Petch Siam Theater is the only one that still has the seats, screen, and even projectors.

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