diff --git a/autoload/syntastic.vim b/autoload/syntastic.vim
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2849417b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/autoload/syntastic.vim
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+if !has('balloon_eval')
+    finish
+endif
+
+function! syntastic#ErrorBalloonExpr()
+    if !exists('b:syntastic_balloons') | return '' | endif
+    return get(b:syntastic_balloons, v:beval_lnum, '')
+endfunction
+
+function! syntastic#HighlightErrors(errors, termfunc)
+    call clearmatches()
+    for item in a:errors
+        if item['col']
+            let lastcol = col([item['lnum'], '$'])
+            let lcol = min([lastcol, item['col']])
+            call matchadd('SpellBad', '\%'.item['lnum'].'l\%'.lcol.'c')
+        else
+            let group = item['type'] == 'E' ? 'SpellBad' : 'SpellCap'
+            let term = a:termfunc(item)
+            if len(term) > 0
+                call matchadd(group, '\%' . item['lnum'] . 'l' . term)
+            endif
+        endif
+    endfor
+endfunction
+
diff --git a/plugin/syntastic.vim b/plugin/syntastic.vim
index a620eb8c..f2508368 100644
--- a/plugin/syntastic.vim
+++ b/plugin/syntastic.vim
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ if !exists("g:syntastic_enable_signs") || !has('signs')
     let g:syntastic_enable_signs = 0
 endif
 
+if !exists("g:syntastic_enable_balloons") || !has('balloon_eval')
+    let g:syntastic_enable_balloons = 0
+endif
+
 if !exists("g:syntastic_auto_loc_list")
     let g:syntastic_auto_loc_list = 0
 endif
@@ -54,6 +58,14 @@ function! s:UpdateErrors()
     endif
     call s:CacheErrors()
 
+    if g:syntastic_enable_balloons
+        let b:syntastic_balloons = {}
+        for i in b:syntastic_loclist
+            let b:syntastic_balloons[i['lnum']] = i['text']
+        endfor
+        set beval bexpr=syntastic#ErrorBalloonExpr()
+    endif
+
     if g:syntastic_enable_signs
         call s:RefreshSigns()
     endif
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/html.vim b/syntax_checkers/html.vim
index 0f26493e..550c786b 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/html.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/html.vim
@@ -19,11 +19,30 @@ if !executable("tidy") || !executable("grep")
     finish
 endif
 
+" TODO: join this with xhtml.vim for DRY's sake?
+function! s:TidyEncOptByFenc()
+    let tidy_opts = {
+                \'utf-8'       : '-utf8',
+                \'ascii'       : '-ascii',
+                \'latin1'      : '-latin1',
+                \'iso-2022-jp' : '-iso-2022',
+                \'cp1252'      : '-win1252',
+                \'macroman'    : '-mac',
+                \'utf-16le'    : '-utf16le',
+                \'utf-16'      : '-utf16',
+                \'big5'        : '-big5',
+                \'sjis'        : '-shiftjis',
+                \'cp850'       : '-ibm858',
+                \}
+    return get(tidy_opts, &fileencoding, '-utf8')
+endfunction
+
 function! SyntaxCheckers_html_GetLocList()
 
     "grep out the '<table> lacks "summary" attribute' since it is almost
     "always present and almost always useless
-    let makeprg="tidy --new-blocklevel-tags 'section, article, aside, hgroup, header, footer, nav, figure, figcaption' --new-inline-tags 'video, audio, embed, mark, progress, meter, time, ruby, rt, rp, canvas, command, details, datalist' --new-empty-tags 'wbr, keygen' -e ".shellescape(expand('%'))." 2>&1 \\| grep -v '\<table\> lacks \"summary\" attribute' \\| grep -v 'not approved by W3C'"
+    let encopt = s:TidyEncOptByFenc()
+    let makeprg="tidy ".encopt." --new-blocklevel-tags 'section, article, aside, hgroup, header, footer, nav, figure, figcaption' --new-inline-tags 'video, audio, embed, mark, progress, meter, time, ruby, rt, rp, canvas, command, details, datalist' --new-empty-tags 'wbr, keygen' -e ".shellescape(expand('%'))." 2>&1 \\| grep -v '\<table\> lacks \"summary\" attribute' \\| grep -v 'not approved by W3C'"
     let errorformat='%Wline %l column %c - Warning: %m,%Eline %l column %c - Error: %m,%-G%.%#,%-G%.%#'
     let loclist = SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })
 
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/lua.vim b/syntax_checkers/lua.vim
index 63c724ac..426db88c 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/lua.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/lua.vim
@@ -20,18 +20,43 @@ if !executable('luac')
     finish
 endif
 
+function! SyntaxCheckers_lua_Term(pos)
+    let near = matchstr(a:pos['text'], "near '[^']\\+'")
+    let result = ''
+    if len(near) > 0
+        let near = split(near, "'")[1]
+        if near == '<eof>'
+            let p = getpos('$')
+            let a:pos['lnum'] = p[1]
+            let a:pos['col'] = p[2]
+            let result = '\%'.p[2].'c'
+        else
+            let result = '\V'.near
+        endif
+        let open = matchstr(a:pos['text'], "(to close '[^']\\+' at line [0-9]\\+)")
+        if len(open) > 0
+            let oline = split(open, "'")[1:2]
+            let line = 0+strpart(oline[1], 9)
+            call matchadd('SpellCap', '\%'.line.'l\V'.oline[0])
+        endif
+    endif
+    return result
+endfunction
+
 function! SyntaxCheckers_lua_GetLocList()
     let makeprg = 'luac -p ' . shellescape(expand('%'))
     let errorformat =  'luac: %#%f:%l: %m'
 
     let loclist = SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })
 
-    let bn = bufnr('')
-    for loc in loclist
-        let loc['bufnr'] = bn
-        let loc['type'] = 'E'
+    let bufn = bufnr('')
+    for pos in loclist
+        let pos['bufnr'] = bufn
+        let pos['type'] = 'E'
     endfor
 
+    call syntastic#HighlightErrors(loclist, function("SyntaxCheckers_lua_Term"))
+
     return loclist
 endfunction
 
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/php.vim b/syntax_checkers/php.vim
index 33a339cd..1092b752 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/php.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/php.vim
@@ -19,8 +19,18 @@ if !executable("php")
     finish
 endif
 
+function! SyntaxCheckers_php_Term(item)
+    let unexpected = matchstr(a:item['text'], "unexpected '[^']\\+'")
+    if len(unexpected) < 1 | return '' | end
+    return '\V'.split(unexpected, "'")[1]
+endfunction
+
 function! SyntaxCheckers_php_GetLocList()
     let makeprg = "php -l ".shellescape(expand('%'))
     let errorformat='%-GNo syntax errors detected in%.%#,PHP Parse error: %#syntax %trror\, %m in %f on line %l,PHP Fatal %trror: %m in %f on line %l,%-GErrors parsing %.%#,%-G\s%#,Parse error: %#syntax %trror\, %m in %f on line %l,Fatal %trror: %m in %f on line %l'
-    return SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })
+    let errors = SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })
+
+    call syntastic#HighlightErrors(errors, function('SyntaxCheckers_php_Term'))
+
+    return errors
 endfunction
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/python.vim b/syntax_checkers/python.vim
index 10abe7f1..5622f34a 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/python.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/python.vim
@@ -8,17 +8,28 @@ if !executable("pyflakes")
     finish
 endif
 
+function! SyntaxCheckers_python_Term(i)
+    if a:i['type'] ==# 'E'
+        let a:i['text'] = "Syntax error"
+    endif
+    if match(a:i['text'], 'is assigned to but never used') > -1
+                \ || match(a:i['text'], 'imported but unused') > -1
+                \ || match(a:i['text'], 'undefined name') > -1
+                \ || match(a:i['text'], 'redefinition of unused') > -1
+
+        let term = split(a:i['text'], "'", 1)[1]
+        return '\V'.term
+    endif
+    return ''
+endfunction
+
 function! SyntaxCheckers_python_GetLocList()
     let makeprg = 'pyflakes '.shellescape(expand('%'))
     let errorformat = '%E%f:%l: could not compile,%-Z%p^,%W%f:%l: %m,%-G%.%#'
 
     let errors = SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })
 
-    for i in errors
-        if i['type'] ==# 'E'
-            let i['text'] = "Syntax error"
-        endif
-    endfor
+    call syntastic#HighlightErrors(errors, function('SyntaxCheckers_python_Term'))
 
     return errors
 endfunction
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/xhtml.vim b/syntax_checkers/xhtml.vim
index 399e035c..409347f9 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/xhtml.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/xhtml.vim
@@ -19,9 +19,28 @@ if !executable("tidy")
     finish
 endif
 
+" TODO: join this with html.vim DRY's sake?
+function! s:TidyEncOptByFenc()
+    let tidy_opts = {
+                \'utf-8'       : '-utf8',
+                \'ascii'       : '-ascii',
+                \'latin1'      : '-latin1',
+                \'iso-2022-jp' : '-iso-2022',
+                \'cp1252'      : '-win1252',
+                \'macroman'    : '-mac',
+                \'utf-16le'    : '-utf16le',
+                \'utf-16'      : '-utf16',
+                \'big5'        : '-big5',
+                \'sjis'        : '-shiftjis',
+                \'cp850'       : '-ibm858',
+                \}
+    return get(tidy_opts, &fileencoding, '-utf8')
+endfunction
+
 function! SyntaxCheckers_xhtml_GetLocList()
 
-    let makeprg="tidy -xml -e ".shellescape(expand('%'))
+    let encopt = s:TidyEncOptByFenc()
+    let makeprg="tidy ".encopt." -xml -e ".shellescape(expand('%'))
     let errorformat='%Wline %l column %c - Warning: %m,%Eline %l column %c - Error: %m,%-G%.%#,%-G%.%#'
     let loclist = SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })