Dark Water (2005) Review

Written by: Moviemaven

I hate to say it, but I must. I was severely disappointed with this film. I love Japanese horror and was really looking forward to this film. But it was slow to start and once it got going it wasn't any better. Probably because it never really got going. As much as I enjoyed the great cast, it just wasn't enough to pull this one through.

Jennifer Connelly is Dahlia Williams and she has recently separated from her husband. Amidst an ugly custody battle for Cecily, she moves to Roosevelt Island with her young daughter. At first Ceci doesn't like the new apartment but soon decides she wants to stay. Right away they begin to notice strange dark spots on the ceiling that appear to be coming from the apartment upstairs but that apartment has not been inhabited for several weeks. The family has apparently moved away and left their belongings behind. Dahlia is convinced that her estranged husband is trying his best to drive her mad or at least make her look crazy. Sounds compelling, right? Wrong. Dahlia has had a difficult life and something bizarre happened between her and her mother but that story like so many others in this film is not made completely known to the audience. Instead we are forced to watch an hour and a half of not so suspenseful suspense.

Is this a horror film? No. There is no horror. Is this a thriller? No. There are no thrills. I had one thought throughout this film. "Am I watching The Ring only not as good?" And I wasn't crazy about The Ring. But that seems to be what was going on. This one didn't even capture the style of the Japanese horrors that are so creepy. And I hate to report that there was not even one scary moment. I loved The Grudge. That film scared the crap out of this seasoned veteran, but Dark Water is a miss all the way around. And it was the film that would not freaking end. I was sitting there for the last fifteen minutes or so getting more and more ticked off by one false ending after another. It somehow managed to be exhausting while being uneventful. Now that is a feat. I'm afraid I have not seen the original so I don't know how it compares but I will bet a dollar to a doughnut that it is better than this. The Japanese know horror. And this American version is not it.