Dark Water - Exclusive Magazine

• Media Source:Exclusive Magazine
• Reviewed By:Russ Trunk
• Review Date:08/10/05
• Read the original review click here

"...you WILL be scared ... trust me!"

"...I was a little speechless by how good it was!"

Now that the English version of the movie starring Jennifer Connelly is running in the theatres, I thought I would first see the original Japanese version before seeing the new one. After watching Hideo Nakata's 'Dark Water,' I was a little speechless by how good it was! Yoshimi Matsubara (Hitomi Kuroki) has just moved into a new apartment with her daughter, six year old Ikuko (Rio Kanno). Yoshimi is just getting out a marriage and in constant fear of losing Ikuko to her husband. The apartment is close to Ikuko's school, the rent is low and they both like seem to like it. So they decide to take it. In the beginning everything seems ok. But strange things start happening in the building that Yoshimi cannot account for, such as: her daughter disappearing half the time, a pink handbag suddenly reappearing out of no where, the buttons in the elevator being burnt out, and most importantly, the constant leak that appears on their ceiling. Will Yoshimi be able to figure out what is going on in time to stop it or run away from it? This movie proves that you do not need to have a lot of gore, or zombie faces, or sudden noises to get scared when watching a horror movie. There is an eerie atmosphere in just the constant dripping of water in this film! Hideo Nakata did a great job in directing his movie as he did for 'Ringu.' Hitomi Kuroki did an average job in acting as Yoshimi, probably because she overacted too much. Her character became a little annoying, mainly because she overacted in most of the scenes. The kids did their job well though. The subtitles provide a good translation for this movie and overall you WILL be scared ... trust me!

Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 (Archive on Saturday, September 10, 2005)