After more than a decade of silence, the Whispering Corridors series makes its grand comeback with the brand new movie. And as usual, it's yet another standalone story.
Following the old tradition, this movie is set in an all-girls school, but refreshingly this time our central protagonist is not a schoolgirl, but an adult woman named No Eun-Hee. Arriving to her hometown, Gwangju, she starts working at a local school that she herself was a student of. Soon after arrival she gets dragged into a whole whirlpool of issues - problem students, odd rumors, vengeful ghosts and her own forgotten past all come with their hardships and challenges.
Despite the supernatural premise this movie is more of a drama disguised as a ghost story. Of course, it has its share of creepy moments, jumpscares and eerie visuals, but they are not central elements of the movie. If you were a fan of the series, you'll know what to expect and if you weren't, I'm making this clear here. It promises to be a horror movie, but it isn't.
With that out of the way, the general storyline of this movie is pretty solid. Not quite novel in many aspects, but enjoyable as a whole package. It combines two layers - past and present - in a rather unique way. Both have their own ghosts, antagonists and societal issues to shine a light on. Most of the time they're only connected by the experiences of Eun-Hee. Telling essentially two different stories in a single movie is a dangerous road to take, but the authors managed to do it gracefully. Certain moments can be very unexpected and shocking, thought provoking and terrifying even. It won't leave your head very easily.
It's not completely flawless though. There are a few odd and awkward scenes here and there. These don't make much sense even on a rewatch and feel like cheap baiting or red herring. It could be much better without those.
Musically it also doesn't have a strong identity, which is especially disheartening when comparing to previous movies. Most of the tracks are just your generic Korean horror stuff. At least there is a pretty nice and bittersweet ending theme song.
Going back to the positives, visually it's very pleasing. It carries good location choices and camera work and overall feels very artistic.
All in all, this is a great watch - both as a standalone experience and as the worthy successor of the long running series. It has a great story, despite a few issues, and looks pretty amazing. It manages to be surprising even in the eyes of old fans, but is also a welcoming introduction to any newcomers.
On a side note, non-Korean viewers might feel a bit confused about certain historical context. I strongly advice to read up on any confusing plot points on the Internet. And don't worry - once you finish this movie, you'll know exactly what to look for.
