Under Japanese rule, there is a girls’ boarding school in the countryside, which has very strict rules and regulations. New student Juran is finding it difficult to adapt to the strange ways of the school, and only Yeondeok among the classmates treats her well. According to the school’s policy, the best students with exceptional sports ability are sent to Tokyo, so students work hard in PE class. Yeondeok and Yuka compete with each other all the time. When Juran′s unexpected talent is discovered, it causes a storm among the students. The principal of the school insists students take the same medication at the same time every day, and then a student suddenly disappears. In the meantime, Juran is frightened by repetitive and bizarre phenomena at the school. The film has taken a school in modern Korea—like in the Whispering Corridors series—and placed it under Japanese colonial rule. With scares, competitive spirits, friendship and love among teenage girls, The Silenced oscillates between horror and thriller. Park Bo-young’s surprising characteristics and fresh actors catch the viewers’ eye. (NAM Dong-chul)