Whispering Corridors is a Korean horror film directed by Park Ki-Hyung in 1998 about a series of unexplained murders committed by a ghost. Eun-Young, a former student turned teacher, investigates the murders after Mrs. Park, a fellow teacher calls her about Jin-ju, a former friend of Eun-Young's. Three students, Ji-oh (an art student), Jae-yi (a shy student), and Jung-sook (a strange and unpopular student), doing morning janitorial duties find Mrs. Park's body hanging from a tree. Although her death looks like a suicide, rumors fly around the school that Jin-ju, an unpopular student who died years ago, is back to take revenge on the teachers who tormented her. Eun-young and the three students get caught up in the dark secrets of the school and must stop the ghost before she commits another murder.
This film is the first of a series of horror films known as the Whispering Corridors series (also known as the Ghost School and Ghost School Horror series). The films are all completely unrelated stories, with the only commonality between them being that they are all set in all-girl schools and are horror stories. The series is noted to be part of a New Wave of Korean films produced post-lifting of censorship that specifically deals with subjects that, traditionally, were considered taboo in Korean cinema, including the extremely harsh and authoritarian nature of South Korea's education system, gay relationships, teen suicide, and the like. The second film is known as Memento Mori and is known for being one of the first mainstream Korean films to depict lesbian characters, the third film is known as Wishing Stairs, the fourth film is called Voice, and the fifth film is called A Blood Pledge.
This film provides examples of:
- Before School Cleaning Duty: The three main characters are assigned to before school janitorial duties and it's where they discover the body of Mrs. Park.
- Boarding School of Horrors: Jookran High School for Girls. Not only do you have to deal with nasty class mates and teachers; it's also haunted.
- Driven to Suicide: Jung-Sook, an intelligent but unpopular student hangs herself after being harassed by a teacher.
- Ghostly Goals: The goal of Jin-ju A.K.A. Jae-yi is to take vengeance on all teachers at the school because she was mistreated by them. She's a combination of types A and B.
- In-Series Nickname: Mrs. Park and Mr. Oh are given by students the unflattering nicknames of The Fox and Mad Dog.
- High School: The film takes place in a girls-only Korean High School.
- Odd Friendship: Jae-yi (a shy student) and Ji-oh (an outgoing art student) have little contact with each other at the beginning of the film, but quickly become fast friends.
- One-Gender School: Jookran High School is an all-girls school.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: The ghost looks like an ordinary high school student, is not transparent, and walks around in the daylight.
- Mauve Shirt: Mrs. Park and Mr. Oh
- Psychic Powers: Ji-oh, an art student, is rumored to be able to communicate with the dead. She even conducts a seance at one point before class.
- Posthumous Character: Jin-ju. Much of her character is explained through Eun-Young's flashbacks and dialogue.
- Sadist Teacher: Mr Oh, A.K.A. Mad Dog. He beats students he disliked and sexually harasses those he likes.
- Spooky Séance: So-young, one of the popular students at the school, convinces Ji-oh to hold a seance to find out whether Jin-ju murdered Mrs. Park. The ghost starts to answer, but is interrupted by a teacher.
- Undead Barefooter: Jin-ju is barefoot when she takes her revenge.
