Wishing Stairs
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''Wishing Stairs'' ( also known as ''Whispering Corridors 3: Wishing Stairs'') is a 2003 South Korean horror film. It is the third installment of the ''Whispering Corridors'' film series set in girls high schools, but, as with all films in the series, is unrelated to the others; apart from a song being sung in one scene that is a pivotal plot in ''
Voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...
''.


Plot

Yun Jin-sung (
Song Ji-hyo Cheon Soo-yeon (born Cheon Seong-im on 15 August 1981), professionally known by her stage name Song Ji-hyo, is a South Korean actress and model. Song is one of the regular cast members of the South Korean variety show '' Running Man'' since 201 ...
) from humble background and privileged Kim So-hee (
Park Han-byul Park Han-byul, (born November 17, 1984) is a South Korean actress and model. Career As a student at Anyang Art High School, Park posted photographs of herself on the internet, becoming an online celebrity due to her close physical resemblanc ...
) are friends studying
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
at an all-girls art school. So-hee mainly dances to please her mother yet possesses natural talent and grace for the art, thus gains much favoritism from the faculty while Jin-sung has to catch up to her friend with greater effort. Despite the circumstance, the two remain best friends and there are implications that So-hee harbours deeper feelings towards Jin-sung. However, their friendship sours when they find themselves competing for a single spot in a
Russian ballet Russian ballet (russian: Русский балет) (french: Ballet russe) is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia. Imperial Russian Ballet Until 1689, ballet in Russia was nonexistent (ballet has its origins in the cour ...
school and the odds are heavily in So-hee's favor. Jin-sung learns from a timid, overweight and severely bullied sculpture student named Eom Hye-ju (
Jo An Jo Kyung-jin (born November 14, 1982), known professionally as Jo An, is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the films ''Lifting King Kong'' (2009) and ''My Little Hero'' (2013), as well as the family drama '' Jolly Widows'' (2009) an ...
) of an old legend that if a person climbs the twenty eight steps leading up to the school's dormitory and finds a twenty ninth step, a
fox spirit Huli jing () are Chinese mythological creatures usually capable of shapeshifting, who may either be benevolent or malevolent spirits. In Chinese mythology and folklore, the fox spirit takes variant forms with different meanings, powers, charac ...
will grant that person's wish. Curious, Jin-sung climbs the stairs and upon coming across the twenty ninth, eagerly wishes for the spot. To her surprise and anger, So-hee is selected instead. Jin-sung declares her hatred toward So-hee and accidentally sends her down a flight of stairs during a row. So-hee is left unconscious and hospitalized. Jin-sung learns that the injuries render So-hee unable to continue pursuing ballet. She tries to apologize, but receives no response and leaves with guilt. The next day, she learns that So-hee has committed suicide. As the fight between the two was witnessed by several others, Jin-sung is now subjected to other students' bullying, who believe that she intentionally injured So-hee out of jealousy. Jin-sung's wish comes true and she gets the spot for the ballet school but her fellow students treat her coldly. In addition, So-hee's wrathful spirit restlessly haunts her. Affected by the death of So-hee, the only person to have treated her with kindness, Hye-ju (who has become slim due to a wish fulfilled by the stairs at the price of suffering
bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eate ...
) attempts to keep So-hee's belongings for herself, which made her the target of further bullying, especially from Han Yun-ji, a fellow sculpture student. She climbs the steps and wishes for So-hee to come back. So-hee returns as a twisted spirit who possesses Hye-ju. The possessed Hye-ju confronts Yun-ji for bullying her and stabs her to death. Jin-Sung encounters Hye-ju, who tries to convince her that she is So-hee which frightens Jin-sung into fleeing. The spirit of So-hee makes Hye-ju light a match in a basement drenched in paint thinner, leaving the troubled girl to perish in flames. The night before Jin-sung's departure to the ballet school, she is haunted by So-hee. Unable to endure the torment, she tries to climb the stairs again in order to wish So-hee away. Before she can reach the 29th step, So-hee appears and holds her as Jin-sung confesses that she didn't hate her and simply wants to be happy. Believing that Jin-sung does not love her as much she does, So-hee crushes Jin-sung's stomach with her embraces, killing her, then vanishes. Some time later, a new student moves into the dorm room that Jin-sung once occupied. A picture of Jin-sung and So-hee is seen on the floor. In the photo, So-hee's irises disappear, implying that she still remains.


Cast

*
Song Ji-hyo Cheon Soo-yeon (born Cheon Seong-im on 15 August 1981), professionally known by her stage name Song Ji-hyo, is a South Korean actress and model. Song is one of the regular cast members of the South Korean variety show '' Running Man'' since 201 ...
as Yun Jin-sung *
Park Han-byul Park Han-byul, (born November 17, 1984) is a South Korean actress and model. Career As a student at Anyang Art High School, Park posted photographs of herself on the internet, becoming an online celebrity due to her close physical resemblanc ...
as Kim So-hee *
Jo An Jo Kyung-jin (born November 14, 1982), known professionally as Jo An, is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the films ''Lifting King Kong'' (2009) and ''My Little Hero'' (2013), as well as the family drama '' Jolly Widows'' (2009) an ...
as Eom Hye-ju *Park Ji-yeon as Han Yun-ji *Kong Sang-ah as Kyeong-jin *Lee Se-yeon as Young-seon *
Hong Soo-ah Hong Soo-ah (born Hong Geun-young on June 30, 1986) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her early 2000s role in the sitcom ''Nonstop''.Lee Min-jung Lee Min-jung (; born February 16, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She began her career in Jang Jin's stage plays, and for a few years appeared in supporting roles on film and television. She became known after her appearance in ''Boys Over Flow ...
as
dance double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
for Yun Jin-sung *
Kwak Ji-min Kwak Ji-min (born Kwak Sun-hee on February 13, 1985) is a South Korean actress. She is best known overseas for her leading role in the Kim Ki-duk film ''Samaritan Girl'', for which she won Best New Actress at the 2004 Busan Film Critics Awards. ...
as dance class junior *
Moon Jung-hee Moon Jeong-hee (born January 12, 1976) is a South Korean stage, film, and television actress. She has won Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in '' Deranged'' (2012) and Best Supporting Actress award in Buil F ...
as dance teacher


Notes

The film itself seems to mirror the ballet
Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
, which the girls in the film are studying, as well as drawing upon the classic short story "
The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs, first published in the collection '' The Lady of the Barge'' in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with ...
", with So-hee as Giselle, and Jin-sung as Albrecht. Unhappy with always having to play the "prince" to So-hee's princess, Jin-sung betrays So-hee, which in turn leads to So-hee being crippled and commits suicide after her friend Jin-sung confesses she has hated her all along. When So-hee's spirit is wished back, Jin-sung is haunted by So-hee's ghost, the love she once felt for her friend warped by Jin-sung's hurtful actions. As in the two previous movies, this film has strong themes of friendship, betrayal, and the taboo of lesbian affairs in an all-girls school.


Release

''Wishing Stairs'' was released on the August 1, 2003, and exceeded 680,000 nationwide audiences within three days of its release. By August 10, the second week of its release, it was announced that it had surpassed 1.3 million nationwide audiences. In the Philippines, the film was released by Cinema Service on February 11, 2004. The film which was released in Singapore, has achieved $377,298 (USD) for 11 days from the 13th to the 23rd, setting up as the highest box office record in South Korea. Wishing Stairs has recorded an overseas export of $500,000 (USD) across 10 countries including Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.


References


External links

* * {{Whispering Corridors 2003 films 2000s Korean-language films 2003 horror films Films about ballet South Korean horror films South Korean supernatural horror films 2000s South Korean films