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Dark Water
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Stars: Hitoki Kuroki, Rio Kanno
Who would have thought that a yellow raincoat and a red handbag could be so terrifying?
One of the best Asian horror films I've seen, Dark Water is the frightening tale a of a woman going through a divorce who moves into an old apartment with her young daughter Ikuko. From the beginning she is troubled by her surroundings: inside the apartment by a dark, dripping water stain on the ceiling of her bedroom, and outside by visions of a girl in a yellow raincoat, and a girl's red plastic handbag that keeps reappearing no matter how often she tries to get rid of it. The sense of menace and danger to her daughter gradually increases until the film's terrifying climax.
Throughout the film, director Hideo Nakata creates an atmosphere of fear, dread and infinite sadness. The colors are washed out almost to the point of the film being monochromatic, and Nakata uses sound to great effect; some of the sound effects turn the most ordinary scene into one filled with menace and dread. Water is a feature of nearly every scene, whether it's the seemingly incessant rain, the water dripping from the bedroom ceiling, or the puddles in the building elevator and hallways, and soon it seems that every drop of water holds unspoken danger.
The performances are all strong, especially by Hitoki Kuroki and Rio Kanno as the mother and daughter at the center of the story. But it is the set design and Hideo Nakata's direction that makes this film work. It's not the scariest movie I've ever seen, but it does have a compelling story, and for a case of the shivers and some decent scares, you could do far worse.
Dark Water
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Stars: Hitoki Kuroki, Rio Kanno
Who would have thought that a yellow raincoat and a red handbag could be so terrifying?
One of the best Asian horror films I've seen, Dark Water is the frightening tale a of a woman going through a divorce who moves into an old apartment with her young daughter Ikuko. From the beginning she is troubled by her surroundings: inside the apartment by a dark, dripping water stain on the ceiling of her bedroom, and outside by visions of a girl in a yellow raincoat, and a girl's red plastic handbag that keeps reappearing no matter how often she tries to get rid of it. The sense of menace and danger to her daughter gradually increases until the film's terrifying climax.
Throughout the film, director Hideo Nakata creates an atmosphere of fear, dread and infinite sadness. The colors are washed out almost to the point of the film being monochromatic, and Nakata uses sound to great effect; some of the sound effects turn the most ordinary scene into one filled with menace and dread. Water is a feature of nearly every scene, whether it's the seemingly incessant rain, the water dripping from the bedroom ceiling, or the puddles in the building elevator and hallways, and soon it seems that every drop of water holds unspoken danger.
The performances are all strong, especially by Hitoki Kuroki and Rio Kanno as the mother and daughter at the center of the story. But it is the set design and Hideo Nakata's direction that makes this film work. It's not the scariest movie I've ever seen, but it does have a compelling story, and for a case of the shivers and some decent scares, you could do far worse.