For many, watching certain types of Asian films delivers more of an emotional experience than say do American or European genre films. This is the same emotional territory that (Japanese) anime fans claim sacred. If you are one of those folks, then the schoolgirls of the Wishing Stairs will deliver a fascinating dramatic narrative with intriguing horror elements to keep you glued to the TV set. As in so many "haunted schoolgirl" films from Asia (especially South Korea and Japan) there often exists a romantic, dark innocence about the characters that Western films and their female characters simply lack. When Asian girls of this breed are thrown into a dramatic tragedy within a horror narrative you get wonderful films like The Wishing Stairs. Similarly, the ideas of Asian superstition add greatly to the interest factor of the characters - their motivations, reactions, expressions, etc. And like so many other Korean films, Memento Mori, Dead Friend, and Bunshinsaba, the subtext of "bullying" (a very real element in modern Asian society) adds yet a very earnest, heartfelt drama to the film. Having said that, for fans of Asian schoolgirls in horror peril, the Wishing Stairs indeed answers your prayers.
Review of Wishing Stairs
