Monsterz

A man with the power to bend others to his will through a single look chooses to live apart from society rather than dominate it. He uses his ability sparingly and makes sure that those he controls retain no memory of what happened. His quiet, joyless existence changes when he meets Shuichi Tanaka, the only person who appears able to resist him. Disturbed and angered by this exception, the man decides to eliminate him, setting up a confrontation between two people whose abilities place them on a collision course.

Monsterz is a 2014 Japanese science fiction thriller directed by Hideo Nakata, working from a screenplay by Kim Min-suk. It was Nakata's tenth film as director, following The Complex in 2013, and it adapts the premise of the South Korean film Haunters. Tatsuya Fujiwara plays the man with the controlling gaze, Takayuki Yamada plays Shuichi Tanaka, and Satomi Ishihara, Tomorowo Taguchi, Motoki Ochiai and Taiga Nakano appear alongside them. The production was backed by Nippon Television Network, Warner Bros. Japan and other partners.

Reception has been modest. On IMDb the film holds 5.5 out of 10 from around 560 votes, and on TMDB it stands at 5.6 out of 10 from roughly two dozen ratings. The two audiences agree closely, placing the film in middling territory for viewers rather than either strong praise or dismissal. It runs 90 minutes.