The 1998 Korean horror film set in an all girl high school; Whispering Corridors turned into a trilogy. Plus Three. All told, this wildly popular horror movie turned into a franchise with a total of 5 sequels. *Sadly, the further away from the trilogy the films got, the less effective they became. Except for Voice, which does come closer to the “originals.”*
The franchise creator Oh Ki-min touted his original script to various studios to resounding negative reactions. He was then inspired by a J-Horror film series called “Gakko no kaidan.” That film was set in a school. *A grade school pupil gets trapped in a hidden room. Her classmates must save her.*
Oh Ki-min decided to base the horror film Whispering Corridors in an all girl school. This decision adds much to the formula. Young friendships, crushes, burgeoning love and stress over the school system are in all the films to a degree. The Korean horror films emphasize the politics, unfairness and stressful student management. They also point out the bullying, from students as well as staff.
Whispering Corridors Film List
Whispering Corridors (1998):
A former pupil returns as a teacher. Another senior educator discovers a disturbing secret. She is then killed. The death toll mounts as the new teacher must solve the mystery around the secret. A supernatural presence is killing off those who get close.
Cast List
Lee Mi-yeon is Heo Eun-young.
Kim Gyu-ri is Lim Ji-oh.
Yun Ji-hye is Kim Jung-sook.
Park Jin-hee is Park So-young.
Choi Kang-hee is Yoon Jae-yi.
Co-written and directed by Ki-hyeong Park, he shares writing credit with Jung-Ok In. Produced by Choon-yeon Lee, the film was made with a budget of $50K.
Momento Mori (1999):
Two girls fall in love and begin a relationship. A fellow classmate discovers their joint diary. She starts following the two and inadvertently reveals their romance. The entire school rises up against the couple causing one to kill herself. The dead girl’s ghost goes on to terrorize the entire school.
Cast List
Kim Gyu-ri is Min-ah.
Park Yejin is Hyo-shin.
Lee Yeong-jin is Shi-eun.
Kong Hyo-jin is Ji-won.
Co-directed by Kyu-dong Min and Kim Tae-yong. They share writing credit with Jun Ok In. This Korean horror film was not quite as popular as Whispering Corridors.
Wishing Stairs (2003):
A remote boarding school for girls has a 28 step stairway. Randomly, a 29th step appears. Girls can then ask the fox spirit for a wish. If their wish is granted, it comes at great cost. One girl wishes to be thin, another to beat her best friend in a ballet competition. Each one regrets wishing on that 29th step.
Cast List
Song Ji-hyo is Yun Jin-seong.
Park Han-byeol is Kim So-hee
Jo An is Eom Hye-joo.
Directed by Jae-yeon Yun. Written by Soo-ah Kim, Shin-ae Lee and Soyoung Lee. There is no information about the budget on either of the two sequels.
Voice (2005)
A member of the choir is chosen to represent the teacher. She cannot sing because of an operation on her throat. The girl’s best friend is left alone when the singer is murdered with a piece of sheet music. Her body is not found. Her friend can hear her voice and tries to help her find out who killed her. The girl finds another ghost while searching for her killer.
Cast List
Cha Ye-ryun is Cho-ah.
Kim Ok-bin is Young-eon.
Seo Ji-hye is Seon-min.
Voice got its first female director Equan Choi. She co-wrote the film with Joon-Seok Sol. This Korean horror, also set in an all girl school, is more mystery/tragedy than pure horror. The scares are at a minimum whilst heart strings are pulled throughout. No budget information. However, this is a good addition to the franchise. It has been called a “detective story” in at least one article. They’re not wrong.
A Blood Pledge: Broken Promise (2009)
Set in another all girl high school, four friends pledge to commit suicide. When the moment comes, only one steps off the roof to die. The next day her body is found. The haunting begins.
Cast List
Son Eun-seo is Soy.
Jang Kyeong-ah is Eon-ju.
Song Chae-yoon is Eun-yeong.
Oh Yeon-Seo is Yoo-jin.
Oh Yeon-su is Yoo-jin.
First time director Jong-yong Lee, who also co-wrote the screenplay, takes the reins here. Lee worked under Park Chan Wook. *He also wrote the brilliant Sympathy for Mr Vengeance.* Writing credits are shared with Joo-Yeon Hwang and Hwang Joo-Yeon. A Blood Pledge: Broken Promise works quite well as an “angry ghost” haunting. It does deviate a tad from the reliable formula of the franchise.
Whispering Corridors: The Humming (2020)
Eun-hee returns to her old school as a teacher. Oddly enough, she remembers nothing about attending the all girl school. There is a boarded up washroom where two girls hear a humming. It is coming from the toilet. One of the girls believes that their new teacher has something to do with the unsettling noise. Eun-hee, after being accused of being responsible for the noise, starts seeing and hearing things.
Kim Seo-hyeong is No Eun-hee.
Kim Hyeon-soo is Kim Ha-yeong.
Choi Ri is Kim So-yeong.
First time director, who also co-wrote the feature, Mi Young Lee takes the helm on this last in the franchise. It misses the mark. By deviating from the students and focusing on the former teacher it loses its way. *Rather interestingly, Producer Choon-yeon Lee is not listed here or A Blood Pledge: Broken Promise.* This is also the only film that I could not find on DVD. It is streaming on Prime however.
Let’s Talk Whispering Corridor Franchise
The entire franchise is set up to make us sympathize with the characters. Choosing vulnerable high school girls makes their terror and stress all the more heartbreaking. The setting, in the school, is intense focus on grades and competing with their friends. It is no wonder that these horrible things are happening. A place where teachers may strike their students with impunity.
The Verdict
Whispering Corridors is a solid 5 stars. Momento Mori is also a solid 5 as is Wishing Stairs. *Fun Fact: The overweight girl in Wishing Stairs was wearing prosthetics to maker her appear heavy. In real life, she was a svelte and slender actress.*
The final three in the franchise rate a solid 4 stars bar the last which earns a shaky 3.5.
Where to Watch
All the films with the exception of “The Humming” (Which can be rented via Prime.) have to be purchased via DVD. *Momento Mori and A Blood Pledge are apparently out of stock. I have lost my copy of A Blood Pledge and had to buy another via Ebay.*
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.