What's with the water? Never got that...
If you guys are keeping up with my blogs and are familiar with Korean horror films, you may have found some discrepancies in my post on the prequel to Momento Mori, Whispering Corridors. I had mentioned the interesting voyeuristic quality of the journal in Whispering Corridors. I watched these movies back to back a little while ago and they kind of became one movie to me. That statement on the journals holds true to this movie and not the other one. In truth, these movies have nothing to do with each other. Sorry for the confusion, and on to the review!
So this movie stood out to me a lot more than its predecessor (despite the two being unrelated). Momento Mori is the story of gossip and alienation among an all girls school. In this movie, two girls, Yoo Shi-Eun and Min Hyo-Shin are the focus of ridicule and spite around their school. The pressures placed on these two girls due to their lesbian relationship are almost insurmountable for the two. Through a roller-coaster of emotions and problems, Shi-Eun and Hyo-Shin face the ridicule of those around them with a brave face. Until everything goes wrong.
The relationship of these two is weird...
And that’s where the horror element comes from. Coming from a more thriller/suspense angle, this movie lacks terror and horror you would expect from a movie like this. A lot more of the tension and jumpiness comes from the voyeuristic element of Soh Min-Ah, the third party participant who finds their journal/diary. With the discovery of the journal lost by the lovers at any moment, Min-Ah must walk on eggshells around school, knowing what is truly going on between the two girls. And then things start becoming strange around the school, and the entire school must suffer for their treatment of two different kinds of lovers.
About as frightening as it gets.
This movie really did leave a lot to be desired in the horror department. It’s plot was well done, but the elements you would expect in the semblance of a horror movie really didn’t come out. With a few surreal elements that didn’t necessarily fit, I found a lot of the movie interesting more for its characters and scenes than its terror and suspense. There is quite a creepy element that exudes from the two lesbian lovers, which I don’t necessarily think comes from the acting as it does from the lack of skill. There’s not much else to say about this less than remarkable film, but I will give it at least an attempt to watch for anyone who is interested in the toned down style of Asian horror films.
reviewsfromtheabyss 