A mother and daughter, still wounded from a bitter custody dispute, hole up in a run-down apartment building, where they are targeted by the ghost of a former resident.A mother and daughter, still wounded from a bitter custody dispute, hole up in a run-down apartment building, where they are targeted by the ghost of a former resident.A mother and daughter, still wounded from a bitter custody dispute, hole up in a run-down apartment building, where they are targeted by the ghost of a former resident.
- Awards
- 6 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA color dye usually used in concentrated gels for soft drinks was added to the water to turn it to a dark color. Flat and expired soda pop was also used for dark and filthy water.
- Goofs(at around 1h 20 mins) A square hole is cut in the apartment ceiling to fix a pipe causing a leak. There is a shot from inside the ceiling, looking down to the floor past the pipe and through the square hole. Dahlia enters the room looking up at the newly repaired pipe. She is obviously barefoot. She hears a noise and we cut to a shot looking down a hallway where there are wet footprints and someone hurriedly clearing the hallway to turn right out of shot. Curious, Dahlia immediately follows the noise. She is now making shoe-noises as she walks and as she climbs some stairs we see she is now wearing laced-up running shoes when just a second before she was barefoot.
- Alternate versionsUnrated version adds one scene (dream sequence) but removes the dream/reality scene (where Dahlia dreams that her daughter returns from her father) and the scene where Ceci calls Dahlia. In the end the unrated version runs ca 1 minute shorter.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Late Show with David Letterman: Jennifer Connelly/Eels (2005)
- SoundtracksI Got Soul
Written by John Martinez and Josh Kessler
Performed by Scar featuring Filthy Rich
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/MasterSource
Featured review
Creepy and atmospheric
The Hollywood version of 'Dark Water' is based on a Japanese horror film, which I haven't seem, so I can't really compare the two. However, whether on not it surpasses its source material, I have to say it's a pretty creepy little number.
A woman (Jennifer Connelly) is going through a divorce and custody battle for her daughter (Ariel Gade) and moves to a run-down apartment in New York until the proceedings are over. It's hardly five-star housing and there are water leaks everywhere. And, if that wasn't bad enough to bring up a child, the family is haunted by the presence of another young girl.
Since the success of the English version of 'The Ring' the 2000s saw quite a few horror films where a woman slowly uncovers something supernatural until she has to confront it head on in the final act. 'Dark Water' certainly fits into that genre, but it's definitely a cut above the rest. For a start it has a stellar cast. I've already mentioned Connolly, but there are also excellent performances from Tim Roth as a supportive (but flawed!) lawyer, Pete Postlethwaite as a useless building supervisor and John C Reilly as the superbly-slimy estate agent. Dougray Scott is also good, but doesn't have quite as much to work with as the others and Ariel Gade is very good as the young girl, never really coming across as annoying as so many child actors in similar roles.
Another thing that works for the film is the atmosphere. You really get the sense of a dark, depressing world that's ripe for haunting by unrested spirits. It could be described as a bit of a 'slow burner' as the real 'meat' of the story doesn't really get going until the final act. Prior to that is mainly character building and setting up the horror that's finally waiting for our protagonists.
I won't say too much about the story, as you only really get one chance to watch it and not know where it's going. A couple of the plot points surprised me, so I won't spoil anything. It may not be a blood-bath and it's probably got a few too many 'jump scares' for some people's liking in the opening two acts, but, overall, it's a very atmospheric, creepy little number that horror fans who like a slow build of terror should enjoy.
A woman (Jennifer Connelly) is going through a divorce and custody battle for her daughter (Ariel Gade) and moves to a run-down apartment in New York until the proceedings are over. It's hardly five-star housing and there are water leaks everywhere. And, if that wasn't bad enough to bring up a child, the family is haunted by the presence of another young girl.
Since the success of the English version of 'The Ring' the 2000s saw quite a few horror films where a woman slowly uncovers something supernatural until she has to confront it head on in the final act. 'Dark Water' certainly fits into that genre, but it's definitely a cut above the rest. For a start it has a stellar cast. I've already mentioned Connolly, but there are also excellent performances from Tim Roth as a supportive (but flawed!) lawyer, Pete Postlethwaite as a useless building supervisor and John C Reilly as the superbly-slimy estate agent. Dougray Scott is also good, but doesn't have quite as much to work with as the others and Ariel Gade is very good as the young girl, never really coming across as annoying as so many child actors in similar roles.
Another thing that works for the film is the atmosphere. You really get the sense of a dark, depressing world that's ripe for haunting by unrested spirits. It could be described as a bit of a 'slow burner' as the real 'meat' of the story doesn't really get going until the final act. Prior to that is mainly character building and setting up the horror that's finally waiting for our protagonists.
I won't say too much about the story, as you only really get one chance to watch it and not know where it's going. A couple of the plot points surprised me, so I won't spoil anything. It may not be a blood-bath and it's probably got a few too many 'jump scares' for some people's liking in the opening two acts, but, overall, it's a very atmospheric, creepy little number that horror fans who like a slow build of terror should enjoy.
helpful•192
- bowmanblue
- Jul 27, 2020
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $25,473,352
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $9,939,251
- Jul 10, 2005
- Gross worldwide
- $68,357,079
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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