Weird. While doing research on Whispering Corridors, I discovered that viewers rated it, on average, very high on one site and mediocre on another. Herd mentality, perhaps? I’m not sure. After watching it though, I have two things to say (but of course I’ll say more):

1. “Mediocre” is too high of a rating.
2. I have no idea how this film spawned two sequels.

I’m usually a fan of ghost stories, and I love movies that unravel their mysteries slowly and take the time to build character development. In “Whispering Corridors” those mysteries are unraveled so slowly however, that it just becomes dull. The convoluted and disjointed storytelling also don’t help matters any.

The plot concerns a school that is being haunted by the spirit of a long-dead student. That’s revealed right off the bat, in an excellent sequence that’s creepy and fun to watch. Then, nothing happens. And more nothing happens. And then, a lot of nothing happens. I can’t count the number of times I had to rewind because my mind was wandering and I missed dialogue that I was afraid may have been important (not that it ever was). By the time something actually does happen a full hour later, its impact is undermined by choppy editing, ruining any tension that I may have felt.

The truth is, if I didn’t have to watch these things until the end credits roll, I would have shut “Whispering Corridors” off after an hour and moved on with my life. But then I would have missed the “big reveal” that anyone with half a brain in that school would have noticed right away. Doesn’t say much for their educational system. And don’tcha just know there’s going to be a final “just kidding” scene that completely contradicts the previous “ending”? Yawn. I’ve never seen that before.

The only entertaining thing about this film is the amount of abuse the students take from their instructors. Seriously, they get pounded more than Prime’s salami during an all night marathon of “Roadhouse.” As much as I’d love to visit Korea, I’m glad I didn’t grow up there. Judging by how many times unruly students get bitch-slapped by teachers, I’d have had no teeth left by the time I graduated.

“Whispering Corridors” starts off with a strong first act, and ends with an interesting, but nonsensical, final ten minutes. It’s not enough. These corridors aren’t whispering, they’re groaning with boredom. And so was I.

Pros: The first scene really gets your attention...
Cons: ...the rest of the film (except the final few minutes) drains it. Confusingly edited. The blood looks like neon paint (although the copy I screened was an import, so this may have been fixed in the US release).
Review Rating: 4 out of 10 times one character says to another “I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t have any choice” I wanted to know why. But, of course, that isn’t explained.