HAUNTERS is vaguely reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan's UNBREAKABLE insofar as we have an unlikely blue-collar superhero fighting a sociopathic arch-nemesis. After that the comparisons begin to break down. But like me, there may be some who will find themselves constantly reminded of UNBREAKABLE as they watch this excellent South Korean film. Cho-in (Dong-won Kang) is a reclusive man born with a powerful telepathy that allows him to control the actions of anyone within his field of vision. Parental rejection and a lonely life of petty theft has left him sociopathic. This is bad news for the one man who can stop him. Following a serious accident, Gyoo-nam (Ko Soo) discovers he has regenerative powers and soon thereafter learns that he is the only person not susceptible to Cho-in's dark telepathy. The game of cat-and-mouse that ensues results in a macabre body count of innocent bystanders possibly unlike any superhero film you've yet seen. South Korean films often contain an inherently maudlin quality (referred to as "han") that Western audiences sometimes find icy and distancing, but it reflects the sensibilities of a country whose national identity is one of constant heart-ache and profound loss. This is certainly true of HAUNTERS as Ko Soo's character, Gyoo-nam finds somewhere within himself the strength and will to get up and keep going after being traumatised and knocked down time and again. Watch this with an open mind and it will stay with you long after the end credits have rolled.
