Memento Mori is the sequel to the first Whispering Corridors series of films, and therefore logically known as Whispering Corridors 2. Where Whispering Corridors went for more chills, Memento Mori opts for a richer, human story as opposed to having the ghost with the most.

Two school girls, Hyo-shin (Yej-jin Park) and Shi-eun (Young-jin Lee), have developed a bond of friendship that has developed into something deeper and more meaningful. Their feelings towards one another are kept secret, and their relationship equally so. However, when Shi-eun starts to distance herself from the Hyo-shin, things start to turn sour, resulting in the death of Hyo-shin and a lot of strange events following this.

Prior to Hyo-shin’s death, Min-ah finds (Min-sun Kim) a diary written by the two lovers which Another school girl comes across the diary belonging to the two other girls. Initially Min-ah is intrigued by the book, which reads like a labyrinth of thoughts and events. However, soon she starts hallucinate, and after Hyo-shin’s death, Min-ah starts behave oddly, becoming more aggressive.

Memento Mori is a, sometimes confusing, film of two halves. It’s an adolescent drama about two girls who are abandoned by the community of their school mates and teachers who consider their relationship both disgusting and taboo. It makes a good effort in portraying an inhibited school system that treats those who don’t fit into their understanding of normality as outcasts. Some of the events that take place are harrowing to watch, to see the how low individuals and groups become at their own lack of understanding and tolerance.

It’s also a horror, or at least an attempt at low-fi horror that doesn’t quite work. The film isn’t scary in any regards, and there’s little gore if any until the very end. I understand the writers and directors wanted to include no gore or violence and simply create a drama about the horror of human nature. Sadly they were forced to withdraw by the guys at the top to include more ghostly antics. This poisons the film for me, and it also looks ridiculously bad. Some of the scenes towards the end made me cringe with shame, with effects seemingly ripped from the 70s rather than the late 90s when this was made.

The loving relationship between the two girls is delicately handled, being neither over dramatic, nor grotesquely perverse in any sense. There was one moment of cheese, however, when Hyo-shin brings Shi-eun a carton of milk during her lesson. That I found quite ridiculous, no matter how in love she was with her. I couldn’t see this happening in any relationship, gay or straight. Aside from that mistake, it’s an intriguing development that draws you in and allows you to empathise with their plight when they are hounded by the others for their public antics.

Min-ah’s character is brilliantly innocent, and it’s rather strange to find that the ghost seems to be chasing the only character with a good heart through out the film. I mean, there’s probably a dozen or so bad characters, that deserve a good fright in their pants, but poor Min-ah gets the hell scared out of her.

Memento Mori is a decent, moody drama. If approached as a horror, then you lose much of what it has to offer. The drama is human drama, the real horror is human nature. Any aspect of visual or violent horror is simply not needed nor required, but is included and handled rather poorly. Don’t let that out you off, however, as it offers an idea of the social framework within all girls schools in Korea. The writers and directors actually looked into diaries written by school girls of the same age, and found much of what was written was far more sinister than offered in the film. This makes the experience that slightly more gripping, because if this considered tame, then God knows what the real diaries contain.

Performances in general was egnaging and thoughtful, with direction and writing helping to take the film along a path which is paced. There are subtle moments in the film, such as the modest but effective use of humour. You actually feel as though you know these girls, like some sort of documentary. The quality of the picture looks a bit grainy and startched, the entire thing feels and looks bleak, bar the tender moments between the two girls. The use of variations in colour are welcome, though using negative effects in film are best left in the 80s.

It’s not a particularly exception film, however, and there’s nothing new or inspiring about the film. What it does do, it does well, on a low budget, and with some style. The only let down is the ending, which starts to go a little bonkers, and the hysterical school girls eventually got on my nerves as I begged for a Carrie-style massacre that seems to be on the cards, but never happens.

A film worth renting, even though by now it looks pretty dated, offering some solid performances and a touching story to boot. The only let down is the ending, and the horror inclusion which doesn’t really work. It won’t scare you at all, but there’s worse ways to spend over 90 minutes of your time, and Memento Mori is worthy of watching once.

Verdict: A thoughtful, different horror tale of human nature. Prepare to be engaged, rather than scared