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I’m no expert on Japanese horror movies, but I’ve watched my fair share of them, more than enough to know that the Japanese film industry is no more restrained than Hollywood when it comes to cashing in on the latest popular trend. If you’re skeptical, just consider how many J-horror entries of late have featured RINGU-inspired long-haired, sinister women flashing the evil eye from beneath their silky locks as they work their supernatural mojo.

Though a touch of that particular image appears in THE HYPNOTIST (SAIMIN, 1999), my first thought as I scanned the DVD case was that this one would be riding on the coattails of another recent J-horror hit, ICHI THE KILLER. The power of hypnotism and post-hypnotic suggestion was a central theme in that movie from Japan’s reigning master of transgressive cinema, Takashi Miike, just as it is in THE HYPNOTIST. (ICHI, by the way, is a brutally brilliant movie that blew me away, but which under no circumstances do I recommend to anyone; if you want to inflict that particular damage on yourself, you’ll do it without me to blame, thank you.)

THE HYPNOTIST, however, forges off in a very different and very entertaining direction.

When three bizarre, gruesome, and apparently unrelated suicides occur on the same night, the police are prepared to chalk it off to coincidence until a common thread emerges—each of the victims mentioned something to do with the mysterious "Green Monkey." Going against orders, one cop follows the lead with the assistance of a psychologist who has an expertise in hypnotism. The epidemic of strange suicides continues as the two men unravel layer after layer in the sick conspiracy from which no one is safe and the roles of victim and killer never become quite clear. Paradoxically the deeper they delve into the mystery, the more confusing and more dangerous it becomes, until their investigation builds toward a series of startling, fatalistic outcomes.

THE HYPNOTIST is a remarkable hybrid of contemporary horror/thriller and old school conventions. The villain’s plot is reminiscent of the kind of mad scheme hatched by the power drunk antagonists of classic pulp fiction, and at times both the good guys and the bad guys deliver their best comic-book style touches. The top suspect, a professional hypnotist, even throws his head back and laughs maniacally at one point after saying something, well, villainous, and the detective on the case growls his way through more than one scene.

The variety and staging of suicides drums up the ghost Vincent Price movies like THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES and THEATER OF BLOOD, though absent their sense of camp. THE HYPNOTIST, however, brings its own unique twists to the old formulas and despite its somewhat tepid pacing does a nice job of building and maintaining suspense. Visually the film is realistic with some occasional diversions into more stylized settings and cinematography, but for the most part they work to enhance the story rather than distract. Some of the brief hypnotic sequences evoke the creative camera tricks that have long since been replaced by CGI effects.

The one great flaw here might be the film’s depiction of hypnotism. My understanding is that a person can’t be hypnotized against their will, can’t be hypnotized and made to do something against their morals or something blatantly harmful to themselves or others if they wouldn’t normally do so. Hypnotism does not equal mind control. But then in hypnotism, like J-horror, I’m no expert. So if you can buy into the sort of supercharged mesmerism that drives the plot, then you’ll have no trouble riding along with the story. (I suspended my disbelief early on, sat back, and enjoyed.)

In short, while THE HYPNOTIST is not a great film, it is a cut above most thrillers and dishes up some fun and quirky twists. The end sputters just a bit, playing out as though the filmmakers weren’t quite sure how best to draw things to a conclusion, but it doesn’t take much away from the rest of the show. ADV’s DVD presentation includes the American trailer, scene selections, and English subtitles.

– James Chambers

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