Dark Water DVD Review

"DARK WATER" reviews

DVD

DARK WATER

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-11-25 16:33:14

Provider

MRIB

DVD Review

The line-up of talent involved in this US remake of a Japanese horror film is irresistible. Brazilian director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly and, indirectly, Ringu master Hideo Nakata, whose original film provided the source, are names to persuade many discerning film fans to part with hard earned cash.

And it's worth it. What you get is a refreshingly singular, largely cliche-free approach to the horror genre as a dank apartment building makes for an atmospheric setting, the film's mournful making for a very different kind of intensity from those concerned more with shock.

Dark Water opens with Connelly's character Dahlia going through a bitter divorce. Forced to find cheap accommodation near a school, she and her daughter Ceci end up in an extremely grim New York apartment with an incredibly creepy maintenance man (Pete Postlethwaite) and a suspiciously cheery manager (expertly played by John C. Reilly).

Although the apartment upstairs is supposed to be empty, footsteps can be heard in the middle of the night. Amid the imposing, constant darkness, Ceci plays with a new imaginary friend. With the sense of anticipation steadily rising Dahlia begins to wonder if there is an invisible presence in their dwelling. It's very simple, but clever and gripping.

The extras are: deleted scenes an extended scene, making of, The Sound Of Terror and Extraordinary Ensemble featurettes plus Analysis of Dark Water sequences and interactive bathroom scene.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.