Dark Water (2002)

Anyone who has followed my reviews for any amount of time knows that I'm a big J-horror mark.  It was the first subgenre that I actively sought out once slasher movies started to wear a little thin, and the VAST (and that word is capitalized for a reason - it can't be overstated enough) difference in setup, pacing and character development from what I was used to popped and resonated with me in a big way. 

Going through some of my archives, I can't believe that I haven't reviewed Dark Water yet.  It was directed by Hideo Nakata, a guy that is held in a pretty high regard in Lick Ness Monster land, considering that he is also the guy behind the certified modern classics Ringu (for my money, one of the ten best horror movies of all time) and Kaidan, as well as the unintentionally hilarious Ring Two here in the States.  Gotta love that deer attack.  In this flick, he's fully in his element, slathering on the foreboding atmosphere like some sort of Little Dooey's style baste.  Award for worst metaphor ever accepted.

One more thing - do not confuse this with the Jennifer Connelly remake.  Not that it's terrible or anything, but it's forgettable as all get out.

2002
Director: Hideo Nakata
Starring Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi and Fumiyo Kohinata.

PLOT: Let's see if you've heard this one before - a recently divorced mother and her six-year-old daughter move into a new apartment.  Said apartment has slightly creepy but definitely very annoying problem in that it keeps randomly filling with water from the dripping ceiling.  In a surprise that does not come as much of a surprise to the audience, this is connected to some sort of ghostly shenanigans connected to the apartment building.  In other words, you won't remember Dark Water for its minty freshness if you have seen any other number of J-horror epics.  While it has a lot of familiar tropes, however, the specifics make for some great story, as the subplot that runs throughout the entire movie involving motherless daughters elicits a ton of emotional investment.  Oh, and water girl makes one badass villain.
PLOT RATING: *** 1/2 out of ****

CHARACTERS AND ACTING: This is the movie's true ace in the hole, but then again, that's the way it goes for many Japanese horror films.  The vast majority of American horror films I've seen in the 21st century feature a main stable of either hopelessly bland or dislikable characters.  Not so here.  The main characters Yoshimi and Ikuko Matsubara, the AFOREMENTIONED mother and daughter combination finding themselves occupying living space with a vengeful spirit.  Hitomi Kuroki plays the former, and while she is not quite as engaging as Nanako Matsushima in Ringu, she does a fantastic job as someone who is truly desperate on several fronts.  Rio Kanno is Ikuko, turning in one of the better child performances in any horror movie I've seen.  Right up there with the kid from House by the Cemetery, even.  I kid, I kid.  She's way less shrill than that. 
CHARACTERS AND ACTORS: **** out of ****.  Great stuff here.

COOL FACTOR: Much like the slasher subgenre, there is definitely no shortage of cool villains in the J-horror ghost pantheon.  My personal favorite horror villain of all time fits this mold - Kayako Saeki of Ju-On/Grudge fame, the modern day equivalent of the traditional Onryo folktale.  Hideo Nakata operates on an entirely different level from Takashi Shimizu - his horror is in what you DON'T see.  Few guys on the planet are better at keeping a massive slow burn going leading up to a big reveal, and that aspect of Dark Water does not disappoint.  For the vast majority of Stateside viewers, this movie might come off as a little slow, and you won't get much (as in, any) in the way of cool, imaginative Kayako-style deaths.  I will say, however, that this movie has one of the best sustained, gut-wrenching sequences of silence in cinematic history during its finale, and that there are a LOT of directors obsessed with "LOUD NOISES" scares who could learn a thing or two from this scene.
COOL FACTOR: ** 1/2 out of ****.

SUMMARY: If you're a fan of J-horror, it's hard to go wrong with anything Hideo Nakata.  One of this guy's better-known quotes is that a good director can make nothing other than a ghost standing near someone and looking at them scary.  Nakata can accomplish this in his sleep.  Even if you're not a J-horror freak like myself, you can find much to like in Dark Water, as it has an engaging story, a very leisurely pace, likable characters and a truly awesome final five minutes or so consisting of soul-splitting tension without a single drop of blood being spilled.

OVERALL RATING: *** 1/2 out of ****.  Check it out.