CONNECT on Hulu is a new South Korean sci-fi horror series by Takashi Miike. It’s about a serial killer, based on a webtoon and with a supernatural twist. Watch on Disney+ outside the US. Read our Connect Season 1 review here!
CONNECT is a new Hulu series (on Disney+ internationally) from South Korea. It’s adapted from the webtoon “Connect” by Shin Dae Sung and directed by Japanese horror director Takashi Miike. More on him later.
It’s a series that blends genres wonderfully – including a supernatural element. And yes, that also means that the CGI might not be for everyone. However, I see the style of CGI as a stylistic choice and, for me, it works quite well. Still, I prefer the more realistic approach of the murder victims.
Continue reading our Connect Season 1 review below. All six episodes are on Hulu in the US / Disney+ internationally from December 7, 2022.
A rather genius premise
When a young man is kidnapped by a gang of organ hunters, one of his eyes ends up transplanted into the body of a serial killer. The unwilling eye donor is now plagued by terrible visions as he sees the crimes committed against the residents of Seoul.
Admittedly, the premise might not be the most innovative, but it still feels fresh. Especially due to the supernatural element of the man, who is not missing an eye. The “eye-patch man” is the unwilling hero of this story.
Also, the execution is very elegant. Sure, there are many elements and side stories along the way, but it never gets too crazy. It’s character-driven (as most South Korean genre productions are) and this is what makes it all come together for me.
So many fascinating characters
In Connect, we also get to know the identity of the serial killer pretty fast, so we follow him as well. Now, he is scary – if you’ve watched the Netflix series Somebody, you’ll recognize the kind of character. Quiet and calculating, in an annoyingly intelligent and detailed way.
Fortunately, this is also to a fault. This means the police detectives – who are surprisingly good and reliable, for the most part – catch on to his weird ways and investigate him further.
Since our main protagonist, The Eye-patch Man, is constantly seen near the crime scenes, he also becomes a suspect. He is trying to catch (and reveal) the identity of the serial killer, but only gets glimpses here and there. It turns out, he can only see through his “donated” eye at certain times.
The connection between the two only happens when a song is played. And that’s all I’ll say about that here.
No, actually, I also want to say that I’ve become quite fond of that song. It’s haunting in a beautiful way. Just like the Eye-Patch man himself, Ha Dong-soo, who is portrayed wonderfully by Jung Hae-in.
The serial killer is played by Go Kyung-Pyo who also does an awesome job. He is very creepy to me! Also, there’s a young woman, Lee Yi-rang (Kim Hye-jun), helping our hero because she actually knows what he is. There’s an urban legend about a “Connect” which is exactly what he is.
Watch Connect season 1 on Hulu / Disney+ now!
As mentioned initially, this new South Korean Hulu / Disney+ series is based on a webtoon. The adaption, however, is very much Takashi Miike. The Japanese director has made some very iconic horror movies over the years.
The first two movies that always come to mind, when I hear the name Takashi Miike are the 1999 movie Audition (org. title: Ôdishon) and the 2001 serial killer movie Ichi the Killer (org. title: Koroshiya 1).
His movies are famed (or infamous) for having wild audience reactions such as passing out or vomiting. Okay, that goes especially for Audition. That one is not for everyone!
For Connect, you don’t have to worry about being subjected to things that are as wild as that. Maybe that’s why this has been released almost “under the radar” and without too much fanfare (or PR, for that matter).
Connect has just six episodes and all are under one hour, so this is a very binge-worthy series. Also, each episode leads directly into the next, so it’s easy to get sucked into this genre-blending story and just stay there.
Season 1 of Connect is on Hulu in the US from December 7, 2022. And on Disney+ internationally from this same date.
Details
Director: Takashi Miike
Writers: Nakamura Masaru, Heo Dam
Cast: Jung Hae-in, Go Kyung-pyo, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Roi-ha, Han Tae-hee
Plot
Dongsoo leads a solitary life, hiding his identity from the world. His only joy and sole connection with the world is his music, which he uploads on the internet. His dream of living an ordinary life is upended when an organ hunter kidnaps him and takes his eye. Dongsoo discovers that he can connect to the vision of the person who got his eye. Through the connected vision, he learns that the taker is a notorious serial killer. Dongsoo now pursues the murderer to get his eye back.
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