One can only wonder about what goes through Eric Khoo’s mind. After posing quietly for an hour, he has a lightbulb moment in front of the camera. “Imagine if there’s a ghost in this room,” he says suddenly. The team is spooked but intrigued. We ask him to elaborate.
“Imagine if there’s a ghost living in this studio, who falls in love with Wee Khim [the photographer] and it’s because of her help that his business is booming,” he continues excitedly. We’ve just witnessed Singapore’s most iconic filmmaker take inspiration from his environment and conjure the premise of a horror film. While he is an avid fan of the genre, he hasn’t yet directed a horror film, though he would love to one day.
Khoo is affable in person, especially when discussing movies. As it stands, it’s a passion he’s been cultivating since he was three, when his late mother began taking him to the cinema. “We’d go to the 4 o’clock show. We went everywhere, Odeon Cinema, Capitol Theatre, and Lido Theatre. I have always been mesmerised by film.”
He’s also a big fan of the Marvel Universe and answers a few film and music questions posed by his second son James, who has produced films like Orang Ikan, Spirit World, Morte Cucina, and Kopitiam Days.
Khoo answers a couple of questions posed by his second son, James.
You’re a diehard Marvel fan who has seen all the films. Is there a superhero story that hasn’t been told yet that you’d love to see on the big screen?
I met Stan Lee once and we talked about a character we both truly love: Silver Surfer. He created it after looking at a sketch of a gleaming figure riding a surfboard through space drawn by the late comic book artist Jack Kirby. I’d love to eventually watch a standalone film about this tragic, misunderstood character who hopes for a better world. With all the unnecessary bloodshed happening now, it’s relevant that the humanity of Norrin Radd be shared on the big screen.
You watch a ton of horror films and have produced your fair share, too. If you ever directed one, what kind of horror story would you tell?
I’d love to eventually direct a truly frightening yet meaningful paranormal film that would make my mother proud since she was the biggest horror fan I’ve ever met!
You’re also a fan of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. How has music shaped you and your work?
I used to include music by The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson in my short films, but I came to realise that you cannot sell shorts with copyrighted music. For my latest production, Spirit World, Edward, my eldest son and the scriptwriter, told me we should pay tribute to Brian Wilson. Songs like This Whole World, Break Away, and Won’t You Tell Me became the creative pillars of Spirit World. We did at one point consider featuring an actual Brian Wilson track, but in the end, we used a score written by Christopher, my third son who’s also a fan. We’re saddened by his recent passing, but we all have his wonderful music to live life through.
Photography Wee Khim
Styling Chia Wei Choong
Grooming Keith Bryant Lee using Kevin Murphy & Shiseido
Photography assistant Ivan Teo
Styling assistant Annalisa Espino Lim
