Whispering Corridors (film series)
Whispering Corridors is a South Korean supernatural horror film series. The series uses an all-girls high school as the backdrop for each of its films. Every Whispering Corridors film features a different plot, characters and settings. The series is notable for helping generate the explosion of the New Korean Wave cinematic movement, and dealing with taboo topics such as authoritarianism in the harsh South Korean education system, gay relationships and teen suicide, following the liberalization of censorship.
History
In the late '90s, screenwriter Oh Ki-min had written the screenplay for Whispering Corridors and showed it to various production companies, but the film was rejected by all of them. Meanwhile, producer Lee Choon-yun became aware of a Japanese horror film set in a school and thought this type of horror film might work well in Korea. Since many Korean schools have urban legends tied to them, Choon-yun intended to produce a contemporary film version of the scary stories adapted from school legends. Choon-yun stated that another thing that motivated him was his antagonism toward the harsh South Korean education system. The producer thought that an all-girls high school was an attractive setting, stating that "It's a space that stimulates male curiosity, a place that men have never been in but are fascinated by. Conversely, for women, it's an environment that they can feel nostalgic about."The film became a big commercial success, which led to several sequels. The films don't share any direct links with each other, due to the producer wanting Whispering Corridors to be a "brand name".
Films
Film | Year | Directors | Writers | Producer |
Whispering Corridors | 1998 | Park Ki-hyung | In Jung-ok & Park Ki-hyung | Lee Choon-yeon |
Memento Mori | 1999 | Kim Tae-yong & Min Kyu-dong | Kim Tae-yong & Min Kyu-dong | Lee Choon-yeon |
Wishing Stairs | 2003 | Yun Jae-yeon | Kim Su-ah, Lee Yong-yeon, Eun Si-yeon & Lee Soyoung | Lee Choon-yeon |
Voice | 2005 | Choi Ik-hwan | Choi Ik-hwan | Lee Choon-yeon |
A Blood Pledge | 2009 | Lee Jong-yong | Jong-yong Lee | Lee Choon-yeon |
2020 | Lee Myung | Lee Myung | Park Eunha |