As a drama about a single mother terrified of turning into her own mentally ill mother as she struggles to raise and house her young daughter, Dark Water works and works very well. When it tries to function as a horror film, it fails and delivers some of the most pedestrian attempts as tension and scares I've ever seen. It all seems borrowed from the Asian ghost movie cannon - strange stains, long haired ghost girls, and, of course, icky water are all used as instruments of fear, but they've been done better in the past and they feel stale and uninspired here. If you go in for the moody cinematography, great performances, and moving drama, I can't see how you'd be disappointed, but if you go in expecting a scare-a-minute fright fest, you'll have to resist the urge to break your TV.
Review of Dark Water
