Dark Waters (1993)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Mariano Baino

Writers:

Mariano Baino (writer)
Andy Bark (writer)

Release Date:

1993 (Russia)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Sometimes, evil lurks where you least expect it.

Plot:

A girl travels to an island, after the death of her father, to find out why the father funded a monestary on the island.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Nun | Gothic | Murder | Evil Nun

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Louise Salter	...	Elizabeth
Venera Simmons	...	Sarah
Mariya Kapnist	...	Mother Superior (as Maria Kapnist)
Lubov Snegur	...	Mother Superior's Assistant
Alvina Skarga	...	Old Blind Woman
Valeri Bassel	...	Fisherman (as Valeriy Bassel)
Pavel Sokolov	...	Boat Owner
Anna Rose Phipps	...	Theresa
Tanya Dobrovolskaya	...	Elizabeth as a Child
Valeriy Kopaev	...	Priest
Ludmila Marufova	...	Nun
Kristina Spivak	...	Sarah as a Child
Nadezhda Trimasova	...	Crucified Nun
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georgi Drozd
Sergey Rugens

Also Known As:

Dead Waters (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

USA:94 min | USA:89 min (director's cut)

Country:

Russia | Italy | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Not Rated (DVD rating) | USA:R | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Crimea, Ukraine

Movie Connections:

Referenced in In the Belly of the Beast (2001)

Excellent "nuns from hell" flick with superb atmospherics

(aka: DEAD WATERS)

Elizabeth travels from London to the Crimea looking for a missing friend as well inquiring as to why her father still sends money to the convent that's located on an island in the Black Sea. There, she finds out that her friend was killed by the nuns for spying on a ceremony that takes place in an underground cavern. They then hold Elizabeth prisoner.

It also helps that most of the film takes place in these candle-lit caverns because it adds a lot to an otherwise spooky atmosphere.

There is also the blind grandmother of Elizabeth who gets burned to death in a particular grisly scene by the seashore, and a nun who gets her guts ripped out by the fantastic devil creature that inhabits one of the underground caverns. You don't get a full picture of the creature until the end, but let's just say it has multiple sagging tits, slimy skin and horns that come out the top of it's head. It's looks pretty cool. We also get to meet Elizabeth's sister Sarah who in more ways than one, shows off her severely scarred body to Elizabeth. Not a bad makeup job.

All in all, I *really* liked this one, but avoid the York DVD and watch the VHS instead because the picture is actually cropped off at the sides on the DVD. You only get to see the top of someone's head, or part of the front of someone's face for the close-in shots. This is due to the severe full screen matting the DVD uses. In fact, it's one of the worst DVD transfers I've ever seen, and the film is only about ten years old. There are no extras, not even a menu to start from.

This flick really deserves a better media presentation and I'm hoping Anchor Bay or Media Blasters will get a hold of the master print, someday. I'd be well worth the wait because if your a fan of atmospheric Italo horror, then I think you might like this one. In fact, I enjoyed this one a hell of a lot more than ALUCARDA.

An Italian/Russian/UK co-production

Recommended.

8 out of 10