A recently divorced mother and her daughter move into a new apartment. The apartment is old, and water is leaking from the ceiling. The mother is searching for a new job while also facing a legal battle for custody of her daughter. Gradually, the leak in the ceiling becomes much worse, and mysterious things begin to happen in the new apartment.
The Japanese director Hideo Nakata is the man behind the film, and he is also the creator of the cult horror film Ringu. It is therefore natural to compare Dark Water with Ringu, but unfortunately, I do not think this one is as good as Ring, although that is a tall order. This film is much darker and perhaps just as suspenseful, but simply not as great.
There is a lot of story in the film, despite not much actually happening. It may sound like a paradox, but my point is that Nakata stirs a lot around the pot, and it is not until the last twenty minutes that it really starts to get scary. The first 70 minutes could almost just as well have been a drama film. But the film is not slow because of this; it is so masterfully directed that it keeps your interest throughout. Unfortunately, I feel the film lacks some answers—perhaps it is up to the viewer to find their own conclusion, but I still think this is a bit too vague.
What makes the film good are the individual scenes. Nakata knows how to create an eerie, intense, and almost surreal atmosphere. There are some scenes here that truly send chills down my spine, and very few can do that as well as Nakata. A film I would recommend to those who liked Ring and to those who appreciate darker horror films that are not so straightforward.
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