Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Horror comedy 'Teaching Practice' tackles school issues with ghosts, humor
A scene from "Teaching Practice: Idiot Girls and School Ghost" / Courtesy of Studio Santa Claus Entertainment
By Baek Byung-yeul
"Teaching Practice: Idiot Girls and School Ghost" is a horror comedy that combines supernatural elements with a message of encouragement for teachers, its director Kim Min-ha said Wednesday.
"I want them to know there is a movie that cheers for them while they protect our schools, and I hope this story allows them to dream again,” the director said during a press conference in Seoul.
The film is a high school horror comedy that follows Eun-gyung, a passionate student teacher played by Han Sun-hwa, who returns to her former high school.
She and the girls of a mysterious dark magic club face a deadly mock exam against ghosts representing different academic subjects like mathematics and foreign languages. To protect her students from these supernatural forces, Eun-gyung leads the young club members in a fight for survival.
The director explained that his motivation for the film came from seeing the struggles of teachers and the overwhelming growth of private academies.
"I wanted to create a high school horror comedy because I was inspired by the 'Whispering Corridors' series made by my seniors," Kim said. "After seeing teachers gathered to protest for their rights in 2023, I felt a strong need to include the issue of teachers' declining authority in my work alongside the reality of the private tutoring market."
From right, actors Han Sun-hwa, Hong Ye-ji, Lee Yeo-reum and Lee Hwa-won pose during a press conference for their movie "Teaching Practice: Idiot Girls and School Ghost" at a theater in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis
Actor Han said she was initially confused by the unique nature of the screenplay, but decided to join the project after meeting with the director. She felt a strong sense of trust in Kim’s ability to mix scary and funny elements effectively.
"When I first read the script, I wondered what kind of story this was because it was so original," Han said. "After talking with the director, I could clearly feel the message he wanted to send through this genre. I decided to join with a mindset of having fun together."
The film also features a strong supporting cast including Hong Ye-ji, Lee Yeo-reum and Lee Hwa-won. Hong plays Ji-soo, the leader of the dark magic club, while Lee Yeo-reum, a member of the K-pop girl group WJSN, makes her big screen debut as Saet-byeol. Lee Hwa-won joins the team as Min-ji, continuing her collaboration with the director from his 2024 movie “Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary.”
Lee Yeo-reum mentioned that she felt comfortable on set after hearing positive things about the director from her bandmate Eunseo, who starred in Kim's previous film.
"I heard from Eunseo that the atmosphere on the director's set was very welcoming," Lee said. "Because the environment was so supportive, I was able to film without feeling too much pressure."
The movie has been recognized for its fresh approach to genre films at various festivals. The director said he has already planned the series up to a fifth installment, hoping to create a long-running franchise.
"Teaching Practice: Idiot Girls and School Ghost" will hit theaters on May 13.