Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming (2020) Review: Has Its Moments

Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming is a supernatural film directed by Mi Young Lee and starring Kim Seo-hyung, Kim Hyun-soo, Choi Ri and Kwon Hae-Hyo, alongside other cast members.

– Whispering Corridors 6 review does not contain spoilers –

Whispering Corridors is a South Korean supernatural film series that was part of the 1998 film releases after the liberalisation of censorship following the end of military dictatorship in the country. Whispering Corridors The Humming is the sixth film in the series, however, none of their stories has a continuing plot. The first film focused on the authoritarian education system in South Korea.

Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming is not kidding around with its horror tropes, with the film starting with a girl in school uniform dangling from the ceiling followed by odd writing in the blood.

Ok, I am going to be honest here, I started watching Whispering Corridors 6 just for Kim Seo-hyung, whom I absolutely loved in Mine. She was awesome in that series as the headstrong matriarch (sort of) and her as a vice-principle in a (seemingly) ghost-infested school sounded promising.

That being said, Whispering Corridors 6 is your average run-of-the-mill horror movie that’s rife with jumpscares and “creepy” situations which amount to nothing most of the time. The school itself provides a good premise for a horror movie, considering the atmosphere is creepy and mysterious. However, apart from that, nothing new comes out of it.

Whispering Corridors is deemed to be a horror classic in South Korea. After 6 instalments, with the last being a reboot like The Grudge, I can’t help but wonder what audiences who have watched all the films in the series have to say about the latest one. As someone who just got introduced to the series, I can’t help but take this to be a typical school horror movie.

That’s the thing though, this isn’t as about “ghosts coming out of the bathroom” as it is about the schooling system and its various horrors. There’s systemic abuse and students getting sexually abused and the one’s in power turning a blind eye. That indication alone is horrifying to think of. These are the moments that are the terrifying parts of the movie. Just of think of kids having no one to turn to is scary.

However, trying to make a point regarding this, Whispering Corridors 6 has some jump scares that are just plain lazy. Or, as they are called, false jump scares. People coming in from outside? Loud noise! Opening a door to find nothing? Loud noise! However, the humming is quite terrifying and I must give Eun-hee the credit for not running away in the first instance.

Also Read: Mine episodic recaps

Whispering Corridors 6 cuts back and forth from different scenes and sometimes it can get a bit confusing to understand. Especially since similar things happened back then as they are happening now.

Unfortunately, though, Whispering Corridors 6 feels too long. At 108 minutes, the movie does not deliver enough to keep you at the edge of your seat. And, whatever it does deliver feels like a half-baked cookie. Additionally, the ghost that keeps following Eun-hee looks comical and far from scary. I usually love South Korean horror movies, but this one really drops the ball.

That being said, Kim Seo-hyung is awesome as the new vice-principal with a terrifying past. The entire movie mainly rests on her shoulders and she’s awesome as usual. (Go watch Mine if you really want to watch something dramatic and thrilling.) The end of Whispering Corridors 6 is heartbreaking and speaks of deeper issues. I think the movie would’ve benefitted from not focusing on the supernatural aspect of it so much, since it really didn’t have much bearing on the plot anyway. If anything, they should’ve focused the movie better to make it more impactful.

Also Read: Hollywood’s Obsession with Horror Remakes: The Grudge (2020)

Summing up: Whispering Corridors 6

Whispering Corridors 6 feels messy and the supernatural aspect fails miserably. However, the abuse that the kids face at the hands of their teachers is disturbing and makes for horrifying content on its own. No supernatural aspect is necessary. But is that enough to make us sit through 2 hours? That’s probably up to you to decide.

Also Read: Netflix’s Lucifer Season 6 Review: Goodbye, Lucifer Morningstar