mcg80 In traditional JHorror fashion not much in this movie is explained and you are left with many questions. As you get started in this movie it seems like you are watching a thriller in the vein of silence of the Lambs or Seven, it is only in the second half of the movie that the JHorror aspects really start shining through. Unlike many of the other reviews here I was not really creeped out or unnerved by this film. In fact because of the not so believable acting of characters I was sometimes snickering and laughing. But I do have to give the film creators credit for coming up with a story that was interesting to watch and even though they were not able to fully effectively create it, I was still drawn in. And that is all that really matters.

headtrauma420 This movie is SO MUCH FUN to watch! I think this movie is highly underrated. Although it is a little known picture here in our Hollywood (CRAP) dominated US of A, it is an excellent movie.The plot may seem a little confusing at first, but just wait, I promise it all comes together quite nicely in the end. Miho Kanno's performance as the tortured Yuka Irie is very good. She almost doesn't look like the same person as the film progresses (and not just because of different make up). This movie builds all the way to the end, and then when you think you're near the end...another twist. The story is original and unique. This is how suspense should be!HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended.

otis von zipper The Hypnotist begins with a series of strange, and rather cheesy, suicides. It then turns into a whodunit thriller involving cops, psychoanalysts, and a shady TV hypnotist. Plotwise, that's as far as I go. What amazed me was how engrossing the story became as it got closer to the end. Suddenly, the story became more mysterious, eerie, and tense.The acting is solid throughout, especially the older detective. The special effects are not the best, but on occasion quite effective.Best of all, the movie contains some truly creepy and gripping moments. A lone figure hanging on a neon sign, an interrogation that becomes rather sinister, a race against the clock to save a potential victim, and the actual villain at the end. I was really surprised how well the movie built to its conclusion, especially after its average beginning.

Homage Not many movies are as effectively scary as Saimin manages to be. While filmmakers in the West (and, often enough, the East) build the scares on a central premise that, once revealed, loses its mystique, Saimin just gets more frightening the deeper the viewer is led into the plot. This said, revelation of the twists of Saimin's narrative wouldn't be very nice. Suffice to say, then, that (warning: comparison laced with hyperbole approaching) like The Shining, all is never completely revealed; and that what does gradually become apparent is that the mind is a pretty scary place to be. But in a good way, not, like, a Primal Fear way or nothing.