Hideo Nakata weaves yet another creepy (and this time very soggy) tale. It's full of chills, and if you pardon the pun, spills and plot twists. A fine example of why Hideo Nakata is at the top of his game in Spine Chilling movie making.
i enjoyed it simply because its a bitdifferent from your standard asian ghost fare..and the ending is definitely touching...not as opaque as other ghost stories...so its nice at film's end to actually have a prety good grasp of what you just watched..good atmosphere and visuals
i thought it was a good movie but i think i would of liked the ending better if the mother could of stayed alive and mothered her daughter and the ghost doughter
Spooky, wasn't too sure about this one but ended up liking it, this movie sets the whole mood for you, the set very dreary and colorless, the acting and overall story is worth watching...I didn't expect the ending
gripping japanese horror scary movie
dark eerie effects make this a must see
movie in the dark haha
touching storyline with a solid cast.
quite superb film in my opinion.
Não é normal acontecer mas neste caso é verdade: gostei mais do remake com a Jennifer Connely do que este que é o original. Pareceu-me tudo muito previsivel e pouco elaborado, no entanto, recomendado para os fãs do cinema de horror.
This is such a highly respected film that I seriously feel like I missed something when watching this. I went in to it with the attitude that it was going to be great and I do like Asian horror so I thought this would have been a winner. Instead I was bored to tears waiting for anything to happen. Compared to the remake this is the better choice, but for me the best choice is neither. At least this one does have a bit more atmosphere and it seems a bit stranger, but that could just be because of cultural differences, I'm not sure.
A young mother is in the middle of a custody battle over her daughter so they move into this apartment and the ceiling leaks. The landlord doesn't seem to fix the problem and it gets worse. There is also a child's bag that keeps showing up no matter how it's disposed of. Eventually we get the ghost of a dark haired child haunting the scene but I mean very infrequently and only towards the end of the film.
Also this child doesn't seem all that scary and when the situation is explained it feels like a "so what" sort of situation. I do see the ties to "The Ring", but the idea was so dramatically improved upon for that film that I have a hard time understanding what anyone sees in this one. This is far from scary, far from bloody and far from interesting, but if you like extremely slow paced dramas this may suit you. Still you may want to entirely disregard me as I seem to be in the minority with my opinion that this is one of the most boring horror films to have ever been made.
i don't believe that this is as good as Nakata's other work- sure it has all the thrills but it was lacking in suspense and true horror- i was a little dissapointed!!
ah, the ending. very oh-my-god-ish. cute kid. i love the bag (i wanna have it!). iconic raincoatgirl. cool psychological situations. poor mommy, good acting mommy. i like it.
A melancholy, waterlogged, immensely sad "horror" movie. A lot of the real horror, though much more covert than the supernatural elements, comes from the themes of abandonment and regret, which come across surprisingly effectively. Hitomi Kuroki gives a smash performance as a mentally worn mother embroiled in a bitter custody battle, adding a lot of poignancy to the role.
The ending is extremely mysterious and vaguely sad at the same time.
EDIT: Saw the remake, made me realize that this film wasn't THAT great, dropped the rating accordingly. It's still worth watching, though.
The editing was very effective since I had goosebumps quite a few times. There are not many scary scenes but the whole atmosphere is dark and creepy. The Japaneses does know how to handle horror movies and Hideo Nakata proves it once again. It's also a touching story if you pay more attention to the storyline instead of the ghost.
This drama is about a mother and daughter who are targeted by the ghost of former resident of a run down apartment building they have recently moved to. A movie with water problems!
The original Dark Water is a little above average. It featured some really creepy scenes. But it got pretty boring in the middle when nothing happened. And plus, the ending didn't make much sense for me.
Once again, bad idea watching a movie like this alone at midnight. I didn't expect this to be half as creepy as it turned out to be. Much better than most movies of it's kind thanks to stronger characters and some truly terrifying set-pieces. I love how (most) Asian horror films actually take the time to develop their characters and build the tension slowly....something that's near extinct in American horror films. Dark Water follows most of the same paths as other popular Asian ghost flicks, but once again, it's not how original the material is, it's how you present it. And director Hideo Nakata is simply a master at atmosphere and suspense. I actually caught myself turning the volume down a few times. Definitely one of the most memorable, and terrifying, ghost stories I've seen in a while.
Like Ringu, Dark Water is an interesting film that combines psychological fears, supernatural horror, and exceptional storytelling to deliver a both memorable and chilling cinematic experience. Dark Water may be seemingly predictable to the attentive viewer, but it still manages to deliver one of Nakata's trademark shocking endings.
This should have been 5/5 but the epilouge dampened the mood a bit, if you'll excuse the pun. This is one of the most emotion filled movies I've ever seen. The tone, the atmosphere, and the yearning of all the characters infuses everything. The real character development in here reminds me why I tend to enjoy horror movies from Japan much more than any other country.
Like other horror movies, it's best to watch this at night in the dark. Just don't watch by yourself!! Anyway, the movie has a sad story to it(sad as in dramatic, not disapointing). Not many scary scenes, but it eventually will spook you. The actors are great, and the story is great. Definately watch it!!
Slow and depressing, at times creepy, ghost story. Reminiscent of early Polanski, but both Ju-on The Grudge and Ringu are better examples of this overrated cycle.
This is the first Japanese movie I've seen and I loved it. The scenes with the elevator and the water dripping from the ceiling were really creepy, and that red bag was freaking me out! The atmosphere is scary, not like other horror films where they scare you with the sound. The actress was very nice, and the little girl was really cute. The ending is excellant and really makes you think.
MCT:July 6, 2008
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