Walter Salles 2005 film ‘Dark Water’ is dark and mysterious, a truly chilling remake of Hideo Nakata’s Japanese horror film which was originally released in 2002. It’s an interesting concept that Walter Salles should take on a film of this sort, he’d previously had success with the film ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ but ‘Dark Water’ is really something far different than this. What’s more is that this is a major American remake and yet Walter Salles himself is Brazilian. Although this was not a predictable film for Walter Salles to have taken on, what I will say is that he has done an excellent job here and successfully directed a brilliant horror film.
In the 2000s there has been quite a trend for remaking popular Japanese horror films. ‘The Ring’ films were remade, as too was the ‘Ju-on’ series, it’s only right then that ‘Dark Water’ also was given a remake in the English language. I personally don’t see either of the aforementioned films as particularly successful remakes, my favourite thing about ‘The Ring’ for example was the way in which a horse met it’s end, and as for ‘The Ring 2’ quite frankly it was rubbish. ‘The Grudge’ was similarly disappointing I felt, but then again I didn’t particularly like the Japanese ‘Ju-on’ film either. I didn’t even bother with the second ‘Grudge’ film, Walter Salles ‘Dark Water’ however is terrifically terrifying and in my opinion has here been remade incredibly well. That said, I’ve not seen the original so have nothing to compare it to; in it’s own right though this Walter Salles remake is excellent.
Dahlia has just got divorced from her husband and is now entangled in a bitter custody battle for daughter Cecilia. She must show that she can provide for her daughter and therefore must find a home, her budget is low and before long she therefore finds that she must move in to a small run down apartment as this is the only place she can find in New York City that suits her budget. In Cecilia’s bedroom there is a damp stain on the ceiling, disgusting dark water persistently leaks through the house, and strange goings on in the apartment mean that Dahlia’s mind starts to play tricks on her. It’s all too much for her and she feels as though she is going to crack, Cecilia is having problems also which really don’t help her cause. She realises all is not well and desperately seeks to find out what is going on in this strange apartment, Dahlia is adamant that she will get to the bottom of this and as the film unfolds she starts to ask questions and delves further into the history of this apartment and the previous inhabitants of the flat above which persistently leaks dark and dirty water.
If you’re expecting a conventional all visual horror film then ‘Dark Water’ will come as a great disappointment to you. This film works on a deeply psychological level, and working on the basis that it does is greatly effective. ‘Dark Water’ gave me goosebumps, I found this film genuinely frightening, and although I saw the ultimate outcome emerging from a long way off; this is perhaps the result of my watching far too many horror films for my own good over the years. The final scene of the film is quite odd and does in fact spoil it all a little, on the whole however this is an excellent remake of an extremely well received and highly popular Japanese horror. The majority of my favourite horror films work on a psychological basis, I gain far more enjoyment from seeing a horror film of this sort and do in fact find them ultimately a lot more scary than films that merely forefronts blood and guts. With psychological films you find that long after you have finished viewing the film, still it continues to effect you. ‘Dark Water’ makes you think for long after the film has finished, you’re on edge and extremely wired as you walk away from watching this. So frightening is this film that at times I really had to look away, this didn’t help my cause however as the chilling musical score continued to ring through my ears and always it was scaring me.
Music plays a large role in films of this sort, there is a spooky soundtrack here that provides for many of the films scares. The film is much more psychological than it is visual, and sound therefore has to play a large part in the horrific nature of ‘Dark Water’. All sorts of sounds are utilised here in order to make the film as effective as possible. Look away and your fear will not cease, plug your ears and merely watch the film though and you’ll not find it scary at all. There is some visual impact here, but bear in mind that this is not where the strength of this film lies. If you’re expecting the wrong sort of film then it would be easy to be left disappointed by ‘Dark Water’, slasher fans for instance may not fully appreciate the excellence of this film but I personally am a huge fan of all things horror and when watching any given film from the genre always I remain open minded.
In terms of performances, Jennifer Connelly as Dahlia is key here and certainly doesn’t disappoint in her role. She’s extremely convincing, you feel her pain and she really helps to make this film a success. Jennifer Connelly truly is a phenomenal actress, she is the central focus here and had she not been up to the job of carrying this film then ‘Dark Water’ would have failed. Young actress Ariel Gade also impresses here, she was only eight years old when this film was made and already she were exceptionally talented. There’s so much depth to this young character, she is not at all phased by it all and takes everything well and truly in her stride. I always wonder how people so young can appear in films such as this, surely they must on some level recognise how frightening the films are that they appear in and I can only imagine that it effects them in quite a way. As a twenty something year old male I am petrified in watching ‘Dark Water’ and yet one of the main people within the film that provides for the creepy nature of it all is a third of my age. It seems a little odd when you think about it like this, as I say though; the performances here are brilliant and everyone is hugely impressive in their parts.
The deteriorating state of mind of Dahlia is what makes this film so creepy. As the film progresses, for much of it all we are kept in the dark as to whether this is all going on in her head or whether it is truly happening. The boundaries between fantasy and reality are blurred, the content of the film in itself is not particular frightening, but the effect that the film has on you I feel is chilling. Some may not see this film as scary, I did though as a result of the subject matter and the way in which it all comes together. It’s psychologically scarring I feel, the film is given only a 15 certificate and yet for me this is a lot more effective and frightening than a lot of films that are given the 18 rating. A connection with the spirit world is here explored to great effect, it’s believable and for this extremely frightening.
Not everyone will be impressed with ‘Dark Water’, for some it shan’t seem scary and given it’s label as a ‘horror’ film some may feel a little cheated by the content of this film. This is a greatly effective psychological horror, an excellent film of its sort and one that I personally can’t recommend highly enough. Walter Salles has here put forth a film that scares greatly, psychologically it cuts deep and for me ‘Dark Water’ is hugely frightening and continued to terrify me for hours after I had finished watching it. ‘Dark Water’ is definitely a film that I would recommend, it loses impact a little through trying to introduce too many characters but all in all this is a brilliant film that I personally found to be hugely effective.
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UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
