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Dark Water [2003]
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The conventional narrative follows Yoshimi's increasingly desperate attempts to discover who or what force is haunting her daughter, but the story's execution is far from predictable. Nakata is the master of understated suspense: there's always a feeling of motiveless malignancy that runs like an undercurrent through his films--far more frightening than out and out shocks--and here he also practically drowns his audience in water imagery. The film is saturated; the relentless dripping in the apartment, the constant rain outside and the deliberately washed-out photography make any colour, such as the yellow coat, seem incongruous and unsettling. Nakata also clears the film of unnecessary characters--this is an almost deserted Tokyo--preferring to concentrate the action on Yoshimi's rising hysteria as she struggles to understand what is happening and how to save her daughter. Granted, the special effects are somewhat unconvincing and the ending confused, but even so the result is a stylish and disquieting chiller that will do for bathtubs what Ring did for video recorders. --Kristen Bowditch
RRP: £14.99
Our Price: £4.31 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Dark Water is Japanese horror auteur Hideo Nakata's return to the genre after his Ring cycle made you too scared to watch television ever again. Where Ring dealt with a supernatural force wreaking revenge via technology, Dark Water is a much more traditional ghost story. After winning a custody battle for her daughter, single mother Yoshimi moves into what she thinks is the perfect apartment with her daughter Hitomi. No sooner have they unpacked than strange things begin to disturb their new life. A water leak from the supposedly abandoned apartment above gets bigger and bigger, a child's satchel reappears even though Yoshimi throws it away several times, and she is haunted by the image of a child wearing a yellow mackintosh who bears a striking resemblance to a young girl who disappeared several years before.
Editorial
Synopsis
From the director of the Japanese horror classic RING (remade successfully by Hollywood as THE RING) comes this equally sinister and edgy ghost story about a mother and daughter whose run down apartment has unexplained damp patches on the walls and ghostly apparitions from a young girl.
Quite disappointing...
Review date: 2008-06-27 Rating: 4 out of 10
With all the great films being released at the moment from these guys, i was expecting something fantastic. Its definitely not intended to be a horror. Its more of a... Um... Actually, i'm not sure what it is! Its quite slow paced, but everytime your gaze starts wandering off the tv screen, something will happen to bring your attention back for another 10 minutes. You may find yourself shouting (at the tv screen) at the female lead character in this film... She does some pretty stupid things! For example, with everything thats been happening, she still leaves the child alone in the house... And why didnt she use the stairs rather than the lift...?
As for the ending? What was that all about?!?
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Reviews
Never really gets going...
Review date: 2008-06-19 Rating: 4 out of 10
"Ringu" scared the pants off me and my older cousin (and we're both grown men!) and I was hoping this would do the same. No such luck. This is more of a ghost story, and not a very good ghost story at that. To be fair, the potential is definitely there but it just never comes to anything, which is very frustrating. Then there's a pointless "epilogue" at the end that neither adds nor explains anything. Great. 90 minutes of my life I'm never getting back!!
Rent "Ringu" if you haven't already, I wouldn't bother with this one.
Dull, Drab. Diabolical
Review date: 2008-04-21 Rating: 2 out of 10
I think that just sums it up. Generally Asian horror is better than hollywood's attempts, hence why Hollywood keeps remaking Asian horror.
But this was utterly boring and predictable. A complete dissapointment.
Avoid at all costs.
If you want to see a truly scary asian horror then I recommend Shutter.
That was a terrifying well crafted masterpeice. Watch that before hollywood gets their grubby, greedy little hands on it.
A chilling tale of loss
Review date: 2008-02-25 Rating: 8 out of 10
I found this film very engaging. The director very cleverly uses water and the surrounding emptiness to good effect, giving the film a lonely and rather creepy feel. Needless to say a very wet feel also. I will definately be going back to this one, curious to work out how the director creates such a feeling with so little. I would definately recommend it and although the ending is strange i would not say it was a bad ending. I thought it was fine considering.
Very effective.
Review date: 2008-01-23 Rating: 10 out of 10
Much better than the hollywood remake. This is another atmospheric and deeply satisfying Japanese horror. A great follow up to the Ringu series.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Hitomi Kuroki
Fumiyo Kohinata
Mirei Oguchi
Asami Mizukawa
Rio Kanno
Creators:
Hitomi Kuroki (Primary Contributor)
Rio Kanno (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Tartan Video
Manufacturer: Tartan Video
EAN: 5023965343628
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-11-24
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Running time: 98 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2005-06-05
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Japanese (Original Language)