Memento Mori (DVD)

1999’s Memento Mori is a sequel to Whispering Corridors; both are set in a big, old all-girls’ boarding school that affects certain students in a deadly way. The first film, I thought, was rather slow and dull. Memento Mori — shot with a totally different cast and crew — is not much more exciting than its predecessor, but at least it isn’t dull. It’s better-acted, and the mystery and ghost story aspects are better. (Previous and other reviewers generally think just the opposite, by the way!)

When Min-Ah (Min-sun Kim) finds a strange and beautiful illustrated diary, she reads it and gets caught up in the mystery of the suicidal girl who left it behind. Once she learns the truth, the writer is dead and it’s too late for Min-Ah to turn back. The terrifying tome gains strength from curiosity and becomes able to arouse palpable fantasies, provoke the dead, and awaken forbidden desires in the hapless reader… as Min-ah turns each page, the story unfolds in a series of flashbacks and present-day happenings.

Mostly, Memento Mori is the story of a love affair between two teenaged girls and their struggle to find acceptance not necessarily in their fellow students and teachers — but within their own hearts. The drama is high and well-done, evoking feelings for the character who winds up committing suicide and haunting the school (like Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter stories, this ghostly gals also favors the school loo).

Memento Mori starts off far too slow for your average M-TV generation viewer, but as Min-ah gets more embroiled in the story of Hyo-shin (Park Ye-jin) and Shi-eun (Lee Young-jin), and as the director begins to cut back and forth quicker between unfolding events and flashbacks, the movie picks up nicely. It’s well-photographed and the set design is excellent; unfortunately, the music score is intrusive and sometimes cheesy.

It’s not a great ghost movie in the Asian genre, but Memento Mori is worthwhile if you’re in the mood for a slow-undulating, absorbing drama. While never truly scary, the movie is creepy at times and employs the use of blood judiciously and effectively. It’s a good “horror movie” for people who don’t really like too much horror.

The DVD contains quite a bit of additional release material, including some interesting interviews with the actresses and a nice photo gallery.

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson