After watching the first film in this series, I wasn’t expecting much. Now, I sit here stunned: “Momento Mori” is simply one of the most haunting and beautiful love stories I’ve ever seen. It’s tragic and unsettling on different levels, and it makes for a ghost story that is closer in tone to “A Tale of Two Sisters” than “The Ring.”

Memento Mori, like Whispering Corridors, takes place in an all-girls school, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end (in fact, each film can be watched on its own and in any order). “...Mori” tells the story of three schoolgirls in their senior year: Min-ah, Hyo-shi, and Shi-eun. At the start of the film, Min-ah finds a secret diary detailing a love affair shared by the other two girls and begins to immerse herself in it, to the exclusion of all else. Then something unexpected happens, and she finds herself unable to pull away.

In spite of how it sounds, Memento Mori is not lurid in any sense of the word. The film remains non-judgmental throughout and allows the story to simply be. Hyo-shi, and Shi-eun’s diary (in itself, an additional character) is a heartbreakingly guiltless and pure example of adolescent love; each page is alive with color and activity. Remember that intensity of your first love? How it felt as if your heart would physically break in two if the one you loved were to ever rebuke you? I actually felt that again, watching this film.

Of course, this is a horror movie, but it’s horror on a different level; it’s the horror of how inhumane we can be to each other. In that respect, it’s similar to the first film (where teachers mercilessly pounded on students), but in a more subtle and terrifying way. There’s not much in the way of traditional scares, but that may be a good thing. This film gets under your skin and stays with you long after the credits roll. And yes, I realize I’m being vague, but this is a film that needs to be viewed fresh. The less you know, the better.

It’s quiet, and it develops slowly but works on such a higher level than the first film, that I understand why the directors (reportedly) prefer “Memento Mori” to the “Whispering Corridors 2" moniker. Not everyone will enjoy it, but I’m not certain that an enjoyable time was what they were going for. Regardless, it needs to be seen at least once, especially if you have any teenagers in the house. Round ‘em up and watch it with them; “Memento Mori” is a keeper.

Pros: The cast is amazingly natural and appealing. The story is solid, convincing, and absolutely, cross-culturally, true to life.
Cons: Don’t expect much gore, and there are no long-haired spirits here.
Review Rating: 8 out of 10 little pink pills for you and me.

This is definitely not a horror movie. The directors didn’t even want the ghost stuff included but the producer insisted, causing scenes that are completely jarring.

This movie is a love story, a doomed love to be sure but a love story nonetheless. This is what you will get from this movie; do not see it if you’re looking for scares. There are a couple of creepy scenes but that’s it.

The story itself was good but sad. The actresses were wonderful; I believed every one of the performances. The filming was pretty, very mellow and attractive I thought.

I’d recommend this movie if you know you’d like this kind of thing. This is the first movie I’ve seen in the Whispering Corridors series (actually it’s US title is only Memento Mori so I didn’t even realize I was watching one of the series) and I’m interested enough to check out the other three. I’ve heard this is the best of the four.