THE GREAT HYPNOTIST

‘I See Dead People’ Asian style, could be the tagline for his slick and stylish ghost flick. Doctor Xu, a renowned psychoanalyst and a big fan of hypnotherapy, meets his biggest professional challenge yet. His new patient is the stunningly beautiful, but incurably ill Ren, a woman who has spent more time on a therapist’s couch than in her own bed. His hypnotherapy sessions turn into otherworldly experiences, where seeing the death becomes as usual as breathing. Things take a bizarre turn when the doctor finds out he also has ghosts hovering around him.

Leste Chen is known for the box office hit Say Yes, a fine and delicate comedy. But his latest feature marks a return to his first love: directing blood curdling horror films like The Heirloom (2005). The Great Hypnotist is an intriguing ghostly whodunit, benefiting from a strong script and fine performances by leading lady Karen Mok (Shaolin Soccer, Man of Tai Chi) as Ren and Zheng Xu (No Man’s Land, Lost in Thailand) as Doctor Xu.