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Another English adaptation of a Japanese horror movie, and strangely enough, yet another successful attempt at a remake.
Just not for the reasons most horror buffs are looking for. Dark Water is brooding, atmospheric, and refreshingly populated
with rather competent characters far more fleshed out than the average two dimensional horror cannon fodder. Surprisingly,
though, the movie is rather short on the scary stuff. The heart of the movie is the story about the brutal battle between
the two divorced main characters for parenting rights over their daughter. Messages about parental abuse abound and
there's also a resulting mirror story in the spirit world. Sadly, with all this heavy emotional backstory, the movie
really didn't have much time to take much of anything to any really satisfying conclusion, but you can't fault the creators
for trying. The dark and scary elements come not from the ghost, but in the form of water. And lots of the stuff.
Dark, sludgy, almost oppressive water that comes out of everywhere and creeps into the most unusual places. Even doing
the laundry is dangerous. Strangely enough, this seemingly harmless element works, as the movie possesses a rather heavy
atmosphere. Even the rain seems evil. Too bad you won't find yourself doing much jumping, so if you're a hard
core fan of the school of blood and guts, find another movie. However, you can't say that this movie didn't get a reaction
out of me. Grade: B
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