Welcome back to day twelve of my horror recommendations. Pretty much following on from yesterday’s recommendation, today I’m recommending the first sequel to Whispering Corridors; Memento Mori.
This is another film that I’ve found has mixed reviews as some people have found the storyline a little hard to follow in places, and perhaps isn’t as scary as the original or any of the other sequels. The reason I’m still recommending this film is that I personally found the storyline to be unique and fascinating, and similar to its prequel it had some social commentary about student life – in particular the ostracising of homosexuals.
Memento Mori is set in an all-girls high school and revolves around the relationship between two students, Shi Eun and Hyo Shin. As the two girls become romantically involved, their taboo friendship causes them to be marginalised by the other students. Unable to cope with the social pressures of having a girlfriend, Shi Eun tries to push the increasingly dependent Hyo Shin away. Hyo Shin doesn’t take well to Shi Eun’s change in attitude; she sees it as both a betrayal and rejection. Hyo Shin subsequently commits suicide by jumping off of the school roof. It is also heavily implied that she was pregnant at the time of death, the father being one of the teachers.
Another student, Min Ah, grows more and more invested in the two girls when she finds a diary kept between the two alienated students. This diary allows Min Ah disturbing views to the nature of the relationship and pulls her further into strange chains of events around the school. After Hyo Shin’s death, supernatural occurrences start to terrorize all of the students that condemned the relationship.
The important thing to remember while watching this film is that it is told in a fairly non-linear fashion, and despite the story being about the tribulations of Shi Eun and Hyo Shin, a good portion of the story is seen from Min Ah’s perspective. The story can seem to jump from place-to-place at times, but this serves to allow pieces of the mystery to fall into place gradually.
I found this film compelling, and it is still a horror movie despite the lack of copious gore or violence. You may want to stay away from this film if suicide makes you overtly uncomfortable, but this film is definitely suitable for those of us who aren’t fans of gruesome horror.
Sorry if you’re a fan of real hardcore horror – this was another light-horror recommendation! But I’ll see you guys tomorrow for my final horror recommendation!
