History Film / Cure

* SerialKiller: Kunihiko Mamiya, although he doesn't actually commit the crimes. Instead, he hypnotizes other people into doing so.

-->"All the things that used to be inside of me... now they're outside. But the inside of me is empty."

-->"I used to exist inside myself, but now I’m only on the outside. That’s why I can see what’s inside of you."

* LeanAndMean: Mamiya is a thin, willowy man dressed in baggy clothes. Him not bein physically imposing adds to his menace, in a way.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's said that Mamiya learned hypnosis during his studies as a psychology student. Yet the pull he has over people (as well as his ability to get a read on their inner thoughts within minutes of meeting them) almost goes beyond anything that can be explained scientifically, and can seem otherworldly at times.
** [[spoiler: He somehow transfers his powers to Takabe with the aid of a strange wax cylinder recording (which may or may not feature the voice of the hypnotist seen in the VHS tape). The ritualistic nature of the killings, as well as Sakuma describing Mamiya's murders as a "propagation of the ceremony" seen in said tape, could point to something supernatural being at work. The film leaves it open-ended what the case may be.]]

* LeanAndMean: Mamiya is a thin, willowy man dressed in baggy clothes.

[[caption-width-right:300:"Now tell me about yourself."]]

->''"Madness. Terror. Murder."''

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's said that Mamiya learned hypnosis during his studies as a psychology student. Yet the pull he has over people (as well as his ability to get a read on their inner thoughts within minutes of meeting them) almost goes beyond anything that can be explained scientifically, and can seem otherwordly at times. [[spoiler: He somehow transfers his powers to Takabe at the end with the aid of a strange wax cylinder recording (which may or may not feature the voice of the hypnotist seen in the VHS tape). The ritualistic nature of the killings, as well as Sakuma describing Mamiya's murders as a "propagation of the ceremony" seen in said tape, could point to something supernatural being at work. The film leaves it open-ended what the case may be.]]

* BiggerBad: [[spoiler: The hypnotist seen in the old film recording is responsible for setting the events of the plot in motion, as Mamiya watching it was [[StartOfDarkness his introduction to mesmerism.]]]]

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's said that Mamiya learned hypnosis during his studies as a psychology student. Yet the pull he has over people (as well as his ability to get a read on their inner thoughts within minutes of meeting them) almost goes beyond anything that can be explained scientifically, and can seem otherwordly at times. [[spoiler: He somehow transfers his powers to Takabe at the end with the aid of a strange wax cylinder recording (which may or may not feature the voice of the hypnotist seen in the VHS tape). The occultic/ritualistic nature of the killings, as well as Sakuma describing Mamiya's murders as a "propagation of the ceremony" seen in said tape, could point to something supernatural being at work. The film leaves it open-ended what the case may be.]]

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's said that Mamiya learned hypnosis during his studies as a psychology student. Yet the pull he has over people (as well as his ability to get a read on their inner thoughts within minutes of meeting them) almost goes beyond anything that can be explained scientifically. [[spoiler: He somehow transfers his powers to Takabe at the end with the aid of a strange wax cylinder recording (which may or may not feature the voice of the hypnotist seen in the VHS tape). The occultic/ritualistic nature of the killings, as well as Sakuma describing Mamiya's murders as a "propagation of the ceremony" seen in said tape, could point to something supernatural being at work. The film leaves it open-ended what the case may be.]]

* LeanAndMean: Mamiya is a thin, willowy man whose clothes look baggy on him.

* ObfuscatingInsanity: Mamiya is (seemingly) in some sort of fugue state, as he's wandering around Tokyo in a daze and can't remember who he is when asked. It turns out this is a calculated ruse to wear down people's defenses so he can mesmerize them.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b5_cure_xl.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:514:"Now tell me about yourself."]]

[[quoteright:182:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cure_8.jpg]]

A series of brutal murders start happening all over the Tokyo area. All are committed by different, unrelated people, but there are two connections: All the victims have an x-shaped wound on their throats, and none of the killers can remember committing the crime. A detective investigating the case comes across a mysterious amnesiac who seems to be near every crime...

-->''"Madness. Terror. Murder."''

* AmbiguousEnding: The film ends with Takabe seemingly [[spoiler:inciting a waitress to commit murder, suggesting that he has been hypnotized by Mamiya into continuing his work.]] However, it is unclear whether this is in fact the case.

* {{Brainwashed}}: Mamiya exposes other people to repetitive sounds to hypnotize them, implanting the suggestion to commit murders.

* TheImmune: Takabe is immune to Mamiya's hypnosis (and the hypnosis "virus" in general), which is why Mamiya finds him so fascinating. [[spoiler:In the end, however, he does end up submitting.]]
* TheLoad: Takabe admits he views Fumie as this, and resents having to take care of her for her entire life even while fearing her death.
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Mamiya "caught" the power of hypnosis from a century-old video at his university that shows an unseen hypnotist making an "X" over a patient, who later went on to kill her son in the exact manner the modern-day victims are killed.]]
* MoreThanMindControl: It's claimed that hypnosis can't make you do anything you don't already want to do, implying that Mamiya's powers (and the dormant hypnosis cult in general) are most effective when dealing with people who are dealing with repressed emotions, such as the policeman killing a colleague because he's resentful he did not get promoted.

* SlashedThroat: One of the only things tying the murders together is the "X" slashed across the throats of the victims.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Mamiya manages to completely break Takabe. This leads to the former's death, but the latter takes up his crimes.]]

* {{Brainwashing}}: Mamiya exposes other people to repetitive sounds to hypnotize them, implanting the suggestion to commit murders.

* [[spoiler:BigBad: Kunihiko Mamiya is responsible for all the murders.]]

* [[spoiler:DownerEnding: Mamiya manages to completely break Takabe. This leads to the former's death, but the latter takes up his crimes.]]

''Cure'' is a 1997 {{Japanese|Films}} {{horror film|s}}.

'''''Cure''''' is a 1997 {{Japanese|Films}} {{horror film|s}}.

* BigBad: Kunihiko Mamiya is responsible for all the murders.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Mamiya manages to completely break Takabe. This leads to the former's death, but the latter takes up his crimes.]]