Whispering Corridors

Without giving too much away, Whispering Corridors is an old-fashioned ghost story. It was the top film at the Korean box office in 1998 and it's easy to see why. Director Park Ki-Hyung takes familiar visual elements from classic horror movies and weaves them into an effective, chilling film.

Set in a seemingly normal girls' school, it explores the more brutal side of the Korean education system. The school is haunted by the memories of the death of a pupil nine years ago, and the rumours of ghosts echo down the corridors. A past alumni of classroom 3-3 returns as a teacher and a new friendship between two, very different, pupils blossoms. When a teacher is found, apparently having committed suicide, a horrific course of events ensues which inextricably links both the past and the present.

Unlike the recent crop of American teen horror films, Whispering Corridors takes a more psychological approach which slowly raises the tension as the body count rises. Good late night viewing.