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Dark Water
User Score
5.2 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 43
  3. Negative: 16 out of 43

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  1. Philip
    Jul 10, 2005
    9
    More of a supernatural drama than a horror. No gore or outright scary moments but some great suspense. In this age of video game pacing, Dark Water offers a refreshingly gradual build-up with emphasis on drama. Not a typical teen movie but probably more intriguing for adults I expect. Terrific cast; fascinating to watch.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. Tonydannie
    Jul 10, 2005
    7
    This Movie was not Bad and was not great. A bit slow at times but in the end, entertaining. Jennifer Connelly was good in this one. But John C. Reilly steals the show as a sleasy slum lord and Tim Roth was a nice Touch.. its been a while i have seen him in anything.... I still say out of all the japanesse "imports" The Ring is still the one that scared me good. But i also want to go on saying that they need to stop taking material from the same guy. I am getting tired of all this little dead boys and girls wanting something from beyond the grave. Still This better then the Grudge so check it out. Maybe you might like more then i did or hated.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. DianeM.
    Jul 9, 2005
    3
    I was the lucky (?) mom that took the preteen crowd to the latest Japanese horror remake. Like "The Ring" and "The Grudge", it had a story. Unlike those others, it was completely predictable, boring, and lacked any real screams. (The preteens WANT to scream!) Good acting, especially Roth, can't save the slow buildup that never delivers.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. Alan
    Apr 1, 2006
    3
    It never quite became anything. It was neither a horror or psychological film. Jennifer Connely was almost putting me to sleep, the constant rain kept me awake. Why did she stay there?, at the end who cares. It seems the director never made a horror film before.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. MarieH.
    Jul 6, 2005
    1
    I'd give it a -3 if I could. I thought it was awful. Thank God I did not have to pay to see it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. MrB.
    Jul 9, 2005
    3
    Lame story line where nothing happens. Not nearly as scary as it thinks it is. The only good thing it has going for it is a few interesting characters (a lawyer that works out of his car, a creepy russian super) but it ends up wasting them in the end. Big disappointment!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. SamV.
    Nov 27, 2005
    8
    The adapted screenplay of Suzuki's story by Hideo Nakata is pretty good, but there are a lot of cliches in that storythat even the interference of the great director Walter Salles was able to fix it. It is not a horror movie like "The Ring" or "The Grudge", but it's very interesting as a suspense movie, that is saved by the great actings, photography and the director's vision. Dark Water is a suspense movie without arrogation and far away from the overproduction status, but the aftermath is great!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. DawnP.
    Jul 11, 2005
    2
    Very disappointing. On one hand the acting was great and the cinematography was very well done, which added to the creepy feel and the build up... but then the build up releases into a poor rendition of the ring's mother-child theme from in the last 6 minutes of the movie, but totally cheeses out in a manner reminiscent of Demi Moore's Seventh Sign. Oy.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. RadioLady
    Jul 8, 2005
    8
    "Dark Water" is just what you've been waiting for…A Good Summer Scare! If this is your kind of flick…or even if it's not…"Dark Water" is a great movie escape from the sweltering summer heat, the drumbeat of war, plus terrorism and whatever else ails you. It will transport you to a dark and rainy place where ghosts dare to intrude. Academy award winner Jennifer Connelly stars as Dahlia, the recently divorced mother of six-year-old Cecilia, played by Ariel Gade. These two actors anchor this film and turn in excellent performances as mother and daughter nervously seeking a low-cost apartment close to New York City. They are nicely supported by John C. Riley as Mr. Murray (the building manager), Pete Postlethwaite as Veeck (the scruffy on-site superintendent), Tim Roth as Jeff Platzer (a lawyer with problems of his own), Dougray Scott as Kyle (the ex-husband) and Camryn Manheim as the teacher. Murray tries to put a good face on all of the "not-so-nice" aspects of the disgusting apartment in a dilapidated building on Roosevelt Island…a coat of paint, a little clean up and -- what a view! Of course, there's that ugly dark stain on the bedroom ceiling… and dripping and worse. There are mysterious sounds blamed on the bad boys who live downstairs. Things really get going when Ceci reveals a friendship with an invisible friend, Natasha, that she maintains is real. "Dark Water" offers a tight script and great acting that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Hold on for one of the best frights you can get. Watch out, here comes the "Dark Water"! Try to stop shaking and gagging…it's only a movie…right? Rated an 8 out of 10 for the Best Scare of the Summer (so far).… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. VictorB.
    Jul 8, 2005
    5
    This film will suffer from it's being horribly mismarketed as a horror film, which it is not. It is a drama about a woman learning to face the real-life horrors of her past, with supernatural overtones. The problem with this is that it's not scary enought to be a horror and not dramatic enough to be a drama. The only bright part about this film is Connelly's acting skill which is the only thing that saved this from being total trash. As it is it's a very slow unintriguing mystery film, where you stop caring about the outcome way before the end of the movie.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. GH
    Jul 8, 2005
    10
    Everything I expected and more. Great movie.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. Monty
    Jul 9, 2005
    10
    No jump-out-and-grab-you moments. Instead, a carefully calibrated, superbly acted and well crafted thriller-horror. Highly recommend!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. ChadS.
    Jul 9, 2005
    7
    In "The Piano", Jane Campion tried to redefine what's erotic when Harvey Keitel rubbed his finger across a centimeter of exposed flesh made available to him by a tear in Ada's stocking. That's what the ominous water stain in "Dark Water" reminded me of. Ordinary water from your tap, of course, is more scary than this ceiling topography of "terror", but nice try. At least it's more original than the imaginary friend, so overused, it automatically undermines the great performance by Connelly, in a film that establishes setting and character so well during its opening scenes, you'll wish it was a prelude to a film about anything, but a horror off-shoot of Shohei Imamura's "Warm Water Under a Red Bridge".… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. CraigB.
    Aug 23, 2005
    1
    To start with, the camera work was awful. Cuts were clearly visible and the 'purpose' cuts added no effect whatsoever. The acting from Jennifer Connelly was atrocious, such a poor performance from who I believed was a quality actor. With the director attempting to create a build up of tension and suspense by delaying a "jumpy" bit for a long while. This however backfires, with the audience I was with getting restless, waiting for something to happen. Where is the point in having a 'ghost' who does nothing but leave a few taps running? There is no fear generated by this mystery person. The plot itself is very poor. The 'little girl with imaginary friend' movie has been done so many times, so in order to be good, it must be very good. Im going to leave my rant here, but I recommend you do not see this movie.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. JimmyT.
    Jan 1, 2006
    5
    Pros: great acting, meaningful characters. Cons: too similar to the ring. Overview: if you have not the ring yet, then watch this film, as it will be fresh and original for you. but if u have, then it won't.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. Carchy
    Oct 29, 2005
    7
    Dark Water isn´t good horror, but it has a dark and icy atmosphere. Jennifer Connelly and Ariel Gad are very good.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. johnl.
    Jul 11, 2005
    1
    So boring it never goes anymore.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. JoshM.
    Jul 10, 2005
    3
    Wow, what a waste of $10 and Jennifer Connelly’s acting talent. What is it supposed to be? You would think it’s a horror movie, a ghost is a major part of the story after all. Besides a couple creepy parts it’s not scary at all. I kept think “Wow, there sure is a lot of exposition here… when do they get to the scares?” Turns out they don’t. So all you have left is a not-so-compelling plot, in which nothing particularly interesting happens for the entirety of the film. The ending is also incredibly lame. Boo!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. CordellB.
    Jul 13, 2005
    8
    It wasn't as scary as i thought it would be, but it's still really good in terms of suspence, and that tensious, supernatural feeling that is held very well throughout.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. Joe
    Jul 22, 2005
    10
    Great acitng. Great sets. Great suspense. For all the nay sayers who don't like a suspensful, well acted movie, I have five words for you. Friday the Thirteenth, Part Twenty! I'm sure you can't wait.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. Leslie
    Jul 9, 2005
    1
    Ho-hum, yawn. Next! Don't waste your time as it goes nowhere, nor do you care.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. GiovanniG.
    Aug 18, 2005
    8
    The problem is that most people are going to see this movie thinking it is a horror one.. And it's actually being sold as one.. But it is not. It's a suspence, a psychological thriller. And it works very well. Great acting by Connelly and Ariel Gade (the little girl). I'm still impressed with the quality of the building's dark ambience. A great movie.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  23. Lynn
    Jan 14, 2006
    4
    Probably had potential with this cast, but somebody let set production take over. Too "dark" and too much "water", with too little suspense and flow to the story line. Can we let the Japanese keep their scary movies, and write some good ones like we used to?
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  24. Jon
    Jul 11, 2005
    3
    All I know is, at the showing we went to, the ENTIRE audience was convulsed with laughter during the "horrifying" climax -- that, if nothing else, reveals what a let-down this shameless rip-off is. I mean, come on, this is by the same guy that made "Ringu"??? He should know better than to make a slow-paced movie that fails to deliver the necessary goods at the end. The reliably good acting by Connelly and Roth notwithstanding, this is a stinker.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  25. GrahamM.
    Jul 11, 2005
    7
    It is a shame that American audiences seem to want to see the cheap thrills of loud, jump in your face scenes where the audience screams rather than intelligent psychological horror. Shame on those audiences, for they portaray a dimwitted vibe. This movie isnt the best, but at least it is closer to being intelligent horror rather than thee dumb "teen movie" horror that unfortunately has been plaguing the theaters for a while now.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  26. KelR.
    Sep 25, 2005
    0
    I can't believe that anyone liked this movie. I wasn't sure if the movie was suppose to look like that or if the movie projector was broken. My girlfriend (who finds everything scary) was bored to tears. Looking at these scores makes me wonder if the movie company hired some people to give this movie good ratings, because anyone else will most likely hate it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  27. rotku
    Jul 10, 2011
    5
    I was hoping for better from this movie especially with the talents of both Connolly and Roth on board but I found the "twist" easy to spot from a mile away and within about fifteen minutes of the movie starting. It didn't ruin the movie but it did detract from the suspense and given that this is what the movie is built on there wasn't much else going on to keep my interest.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 35
  3. Negative: 5 out of 35
  1. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    In a movie with more subtext than "Rosemary's Baby," nearly everyone, including Tim Roth as Dahlia's lawyer, harbors secrets. Salles unleashes a torrent of suspense for one purpose: to plumb the violence of the mind.
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  2. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Nathan Rabin
    60
    Dark Water devolves into something resembling genre schlock, albeit the kind featuring zesty supporting performances from the classy, Oscar-nominated likes of John C. Reilly, Tim Roth, and Pete Postlethwaite.
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  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    67
    A shudder-by-numbers pseudo-J-horror gothic, full of supernatural stunts you feel as if you've seen before the movie even gets to them.
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