Being a J-Horror fan recently I knew it wouldn’t be too long until I begin to check out another Asian country’s take on the genre. While Japanese horror films are certainly worth your time it would be a mistake to not sample the offerings of some of the other Asian cultures. Korea is also a country who knows how to make a good scary film. My initiation into Korea’s horror filmmaking began with the phenomenal A Tale of Two Sisters. I was officially hooked.

Momento Mori is my fourth excursion into the world of Korean Horror and is another interesting example of the genre. While it definitely has some creepy moments I would say this isn’t a horror film in the truest sense. It’s more of a coming of age film with horror elements incorporated. This film is a sequel of sorts to the movie Whispering Corridors, another Korean film about school girls, ghosts and regrets. There are two other movies in the series and I plan on seeing them as well; Wishing Stairs and a film called Voices. While Whispering Corridors were only mildly entertaining I would say this one was considerably better.

Memento Mori tells the story of a young Korean school girl Min-Ah who finds a diary while washing up outside the school one day. She opens up the forbidden pages and becomes a voyeur into the mysterious lives of her classmates. Slowly she is drawn into the story of her classmates Hyo-Shin and Shi-Eun who have a budding romantic relationship. Through flashback we see the tale of their taboo love affair unfold. Soon tragedy strikes one of the girls and a chain of events is set into motion until the poetic and dramatic conclusion. This movie is definitely not for those who want their films to be clear and not left open to interpretation.

I thought the acting in this film was very well done. I sometimes find it hard to judge acting in a foreign film because of the language barriers but I believed all the characters and the characters were very distinctive. I found myself getting confused when watching Whispering Corridors about who was who yet in this one I remembered each one immediately. I thought all three girls who played the lead roles did a fantastic job and made the story far more believable and engrossing. Another great element of the movie is the music. The piano gives us a simple melody which is as beautiful as it is haunting. Much like the relationship depicted in the movie. Finally I thought the design of the diary and how it was crafted as a prop was also really interesting. The diary is the focal point of the film and really manages to capture the strange beauty of their relationship.

I think it’s important to point out there is no connection between Whispering Corridors and this film except for that its technically a sequel. They share no characters or back story. Even the tone of the film is markedly different. The only elements that are similar is the presence of ghosts, school girls and abusive teachers.

Overall if you are looking for an interesting Korean horror film this would be one choice you could make. I recommend A Tale of Two Sisters or Spider Forest first but this one is worth your time as well. Just don’t expect every piece of the plot to fall into place.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age