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Dark Water Director: Hideo Nakata Number of Items: 1 Format: Color, Dolby Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 100 minutes Studio: A.D. Vision Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-06-21 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.0 "Scariest movie I've seen" i bought this dvd as an import, before it's released in the US. This movie creeped me out from start to finish. No gore, just the best told ghost story I've seen in years. It's made by the same director that did the ring, but with a much more linear plot, much easier to follow. The little girl who plays the daughter will steal your heart away. If you like to be scared by film, BUY THIS MOVIE. "CaN'T WAIT" If Dark Water is as scary as you all say it is, can't wait till I take my date there! Shell be so scared that she'll be all over me! Hehehe. "Here We Go Again......" * I can't believe they are going to take the chance of letting you see the original version of this film before the screening of the over-the-top U.S. ''remake'' due out two to three weeks after this DVD release -- unlike with Nakata-san's other J-Horror standard, ''RING,'' where they forced you to swallow Gore Verbinski's so-called ''remake'' long before they allowed a Region-1 release of the original. (I'm guessing they're betting that American audiences-- always desirous to avoid reading subtitles and anxious to descend into the next F/X induced drunken stupor --will see their overblown remake 'first' and THEN, thinking that they just saw something spectacular, will insist on viewing the original only to come away with the opinion that the remake was the superior film.) The thing that makes the current wave of Japanese Horror so effective and so memorable is its SUBTILTY! -- something our own cookie-cutter remake masters have extreme difficulty understanding. But 'subtilty' doesn't make mountains of money for U.S. film makers (and, apparently, neither does ''originality''), so DVD marketers don't bother to offer us a chance to see original Asian movie productions such as this UNLESS some Hollywood Hack decides to jump on the film's ASIAN popularity and ''translate'' it for our own restless audiences! It's enough to make many of us who are fans of these original films very angry! So now ''HONOGURAI MIZU NO SOKO KARA'' (''From the Depths of Murky Water'')-- Nakata Hideo's follow-up to ''RING'' --will be getting a wider American audience under the marketed title, ''DARK WATER.'' And, as always, my suggestion is to SEE THE ORIGINAL FIRST before shelling out hard-earned bucks for a multiplex showing of the overdone remake, so that you can fully enjoy the creepy 'subtilties' of this film; if you do it the other way around your perspective will very likely be corrupted and you'll lose the appreciation for this film that it truly deserves. "Is "creepyfacious" enough to sum this up?" This DVD has been available in Europe since last year, but since Hollywood was making their borrowed version, we dont really get to see this Japanese masterpiece sooner. Here in this movie, Yoshimi is a divorced mother trying to make ends meet. Nothing special about her, she wears ordinary clothes, has ordinary furniture (a total alien concept for Hollywood flicks), she only has proof reading in her resume. The only thing that shines in this simple frau is her outstanding motherhood. Really, Im envious, I wish I had a mum like that. She and her daughter, Ikuko, moves into this old apartment. Ikuko goes to kindergarten, amd mommy just got a job. The problem is, this mother-and-daughter is being haunted by a disquiet spirit of a girl. This girl used to live in the apartment right above where Yoshimi lives. Also, she went to the same kindergarten where Ikuko goes. This girl went missing, last seen wearing a yellow raincoat. Apparently, flashbacks tell us that this poor missing girl's mother was a neglectful one, often leaving the girl last to be picked up from school. It was then she went missing (and died) when she decides to walk home by herself. Basically, this ghost wants a mother. And who can possibly be the best candidate, she's the paragon of motherhood! And that means, Ikuko has to be out of the picture. So the spirit lures the girl in so many ways than one. Not remotely close to being far fatched as the Ringu, this movie is really creepy, the final scenes were frighteningly awesome. Overall, a splendid movie. Surely, Hollywood jests in thinking they can copy this movie. There is nothing I can think of that can resemble and capture the simplicity of this nuclear family, nor the lower middle class city where this movie takes place. Im also sure that Jennifer Connely will be wearing designer clothes. OK, maybe she won't be wearing Armani, Id put my bets on Banana Republic. Ugh. Words cant say enough how much this movie is excellent, no special effects can replace the mood this movie has. "The hair on the back of your neck will stand on end. . . " I saw this movie three years ago at a midnight showing during the film festival. I've never before seen a horror film where the entire theater collectively jumped and screamed at each and every scare. Forget Ringu, Pulse or Ju-On. This, by far, is the creepiest and scariest Japanese horror film I've ever seen. It's a little bit like The Shining as the characters live in a huge, dark, seemingly deserted apartment building with endless halls and a creepy elevator. Ghosts appear when you least expect it and the thrills are achieved through a slowburn effect building to the scary if not slightly confusing climax (although what Japanese horror flick isn't a bit confusing?). If you're a fan of the genre and haven't seen this yet be prepared for a chilling treat! As always, Hollywood is remaking this film to be released this year starring Jennifer Connelly. After the slight disappointment with the Grudge remake, I only hope that they do this amazing film justice.