Paul Magne Haakonsen I have only seen the first movie in the "Wishing Stairs" franchise, so I can't really claim to know whether or not there is a continuity throughout the movies, or whether or not you need to watch the movies chronologically in order to get more out of the movies. But I do believe that they serve as stand-alone movies as well. And with that impression I sat down to watch "Wishing Stairs 4: Voice" (aka "Yeogo goedam 4: Moksori").Well, actually since this is a South Korean horror movie, then I needed absolutely no convincing in order to sit down to invest 1 hour and 44 minutes of watching the movie from writer Joon-Seok Sol and writer/director Equan Choi. The movie does start out quite well and does not waste any time in having to go through a prolonged time of establishing the story, character development and having to build up the atmosphere of the movie. No, "Wishing Stairs 4: Voice" just starts out with the good stuff, so to speak, right from the very beginning. And that set the movie for an intense start. However, the air quickly deflated from the balloon, so to speak, and the movie lost momentum as the storyline settled into a slow, monotonous pace as the befuddled story unfolded on the screen.And it was a nice change of the usual approach that Asian movies take on ghost stories; you know, the one where the ghost is a woman in a white dress and having her black hair covering her entire face. This movie, luckily, didn't fall into that stereotypical niché, and that made for a refreshing approach. In fact, the movie would have been comical in a sense if they had opted for that particular type of ghost for this movie. However, it would have been that much better if they had ensured that the ghost didn't cast a shadow whenever there was light on it; it would have added that much more sense of supernatural to it instead of it just being a regular girl portraying a ghost.Storywise, then "Wishing Stairs 4: Voice" seems a bit flimsily and seems to want to focus on a bit too many things, which means that the prime focus of the movie sort of becomes blurry along the way. Focus and detail get lost and the movie does suffer a bit from that, especially because it is a bit difficult to keep track of what it is that director Equan Choi is trying to portray and accomplish with the various things."Wishing Stairs 4: Voice" is listed as a horror movie, but you actually have to look long and hard to find anything scary about the movie. I would say that the movie better qualifies as a supernatural thriller more than it does as a horror movie.The two leading actresses OK-bin Kim (playing Young-eon) and Ji-hye Seo (playing Seon-min) were quite nicely cast for their roles in this movie, and they carried the movie quite well with their performances. Actually everyone on the cast list was doing well in the movie, which was a great for the overall result of the movie.The music score for the movie was actually quite good, with lots of fitting and atmospheric music that complimented the movie in a very good way.I will say that there are so nice visual effects in the movie, and the special effects do serve their purposes quite well in furthering the story and bringing it to life on the screen. The elevator scene was rather interesting, nicely constructed and filmed, but it felt rather anti-climatic.The lack of scares and horror element and a somewhat befuddled storyline caused the movie to suffer, and the movie wasn't allowed to become all that it could have been. As such, it ends up as a rather mediocre movie. And I must also admit that once the initial thrilling and well-paced start of the movie was over, and the story settled into a monotonous pace, then it was hard to keep focus on the movie and it was progressively difficult to maintain an interest in the movie. But I stuck with it, hoping that the movie would pick up pace and become more interesting.My rating of "Wishing Stairs 4: Voice" ends on a flat 5 out of 10 stars.

thomvic First of all, for those who expect to be scared out of their mind with this film - you will be disappointed but if you look at this film from a different angle, you will find this film really touches on how loneliness can alienate all of us whether we are alive or dead.The film tells how a girl Young-eon, a talented singer in her high school is murdered by a music sheet (sounds ridiculous but it will make sense when you watch it) and ends up becoming a ghost - only her best friend can hear her and help her find out what happened.What the film explores is the feeling of being lonely and also being remembered. The two lead actresses do a great job in portraying the emotions and confusion of two teenagers and also bring out their friendship in a believable way. The film I would say is more psychologically driven in the thriller mode and it's pace is more steady which gives you time to get to know the characters.Some scenes are spooky, and the film has an ambiguous atmosphere (as most Asian horrors do) so they keep you watching till the end so you can uncover all the mystery of the plot. I prefer horror films where you can have some emotional substance as it can sometimes take a turn that just shatters you - this film doesn't do that but makes you sympathise with the characters as well as be slightly spooked out.The ending perhaps is a bit cliché - and also makes you question the main protagonists position in her actions and if she would do that (so much for friendship - that's all I'm saying) but overall I enjoyed this film and didn't bore me compared to some other Asian horror's I've seen in the past few days (Doll Master for one).

Leofwine_draca The fourth in a series of South Korean ghost films, all of them set within haunted schools for girls. Like some of the previous instalments, most of the focus on this one is on drama rather than horror, although there are a handful of RING-inspired shock sequences along the way to appease the fans.This is quite an unwieldy movie that delivers little you'd expect. Once it settles into gear, it feels a bit like an Asian version of GHOST as the spirit of a murdered schoolgirl attempts to figure out the reasons behind her death. Things get stranger as they go on, with the usual bouts of teen hysteria, lesbianism and bratty students. The cast are solid but the direction competent rather than decent, and while this film throws some intriguing slants on the usual ghostly plot lines it's definitely the weakest entry in the series yet.

ebossert This installment is the strongest of the "Whispering Corridors" series. The rule system regarding the communication between the ghosts and humans is interesting, and is utilized well when everything comes together near the end of the film. There is limited (yet successful) use of special effects and the night time atmosphere is very good, using dark red lighting on numerous occasions that rivals the beauty of Dario Argento's "Suspiria." Everything about this movie screams quality, from the interesting storyline to the excellent acting to the effective, stylish horror elements. The scene that plays during the closing credits is something really special. This is a beautiful film with fantastic scriptwriting.The sense of friendship is much stronger in "Voice" than in any of its predecessors. This is due mostly to the fact that the movie is seen through the eyes of the ghost instead of the living schoolgirl, which automatically humanizes the spirit instead of portraying it as some inhuman entity that floats around. In addition, the supporting characters are very likable and important in the storyline this time around; the third actress (playing the allegedly psychotic student) gives one of the best performances in the entire film. Finally, the play on ghostly voices is really great stuff because the strength of the ghost's voice is a direct gauge on the strength of her existence.The horror elements may not be the scariest of the "Whispering Corridors" series (that nod goes to "Wishing Stairs"), but they are very unique (especially the elevator scene). If you're looking for anything more than a few tame deaths you'll most definitely be disappointed. No matter though, this film is still magnificent anyways.Fans of Hollywood horror may be disappointed that the teen girls in this movie are actually somewhat mature and likable. I know American audiences tend to like their teens as trashy and stupid as humanly possible, but the girls in Voice are very intelligent and classy. This may prove "boring" for your typical teenie bopper surfer kids who like American slasher movies, which is yet another reason to watch this movie. Oh, and this film does make sense. Check out my explanation thread on the IMDb message board.In all honesty, the only South Korean horror film that beats "Voice" out is "A Tale of Two Sisters." But then again, that movie beats everything out anyways. :)