Dark Water (2005)

A mother and daughter, still wounded from a bitter custody dispute, hole up in a run-down apartment building. Adding further drama to their plight, they are targeted by the ghost of former resident.

Director:

Walter Salles

Writers:

Kôji Suzuki (novel), Hideo Nakata (film Honogurai mizu no soko kara)

Stars:

Jennifer Connelly, Ariel Gade, John C. Reilly

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Connelly	...	Dahlia
John C. Reilly	...	Mr. Murray
Tim Roth	...	Jeff Platzer
Dougray Scott	...	Kyle
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Veeck
Camryn Manheim	...	Teacher
Ariel Gade	...	Ceci
Perla Haney-Jardine	...	Natasha / Young Dahlia
Debra Monk	...	Young Dahlia's Teacher
Linda Emond	...	Mediator
Bill Buell	...	Mediator
J.R. Horne	...	Man in Train
Elina Löwensohn	...	Dahlia's Mother
Warren Belle	...	UPS Man
Alison Sealy-Smith	...	Supervisor

Storyline

Dahlia Williams and her daughter Cecelia move into a rundown apartment on New York's Roosevelt Island. She is currently in the midst of divorce proceedings and the apartment, though near an excellent school for her daughter, is all she can afford. From the time she arrives, there are mysterious occurrences and there is a constant drip from the ceiling in the only bedroom. There are also noises coming from the apartment directly above hers, though it would appear to be vacant. Is the apartment haunted or is there a simpler explanation?

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Plot Keywords:

cult film | supernatural horror | apartment | water | school | 

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Taglines:

Dark water conceals darker secrets.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, frightening sequences, disturbing images and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Touchstone Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agua turbia

Filming Locations:

Chandler Valley Center Studios - 13927 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,939,251, 10 July 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$25,473,352

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$49,483,352

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Pandemonium Productions, Vertigo Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 103 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John C. Reilly took inspiration for his performance as a property manager from Elisha Cook Jr. and his performance in Rosemary's Baby (1968).

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Goofs

(at around 1h 6 mins) When Ceci runs into the lobby after being dropped off by her father, there is a Barbie doll in her right hand which is stretched out towards her mother. In the next shot, the Barbie doll has switched to her left hand.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Ceci: OK, Daddy - let's go.

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Alternate Versions

Unrated version adds one scene (dream sequence) but removes the dream/reality scene (where Dahlia dreams that her daughter returns from her father) and the scene where Ceci calls Dahlia. In the end the unrated version runs ca 1 minute shorter.

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Connections

Featured in Eli Roth's History of Horror: Ghost Stories (2018)

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Soundtracks

I Got Soul
Written by John Martinez and Josh Kessler
Performed by Scar featuring Filthy Rich
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/MasterSource

User Reviews

I'm not a plumber

Greetings again from the darkness. Nothing leaves a film-goer feeling less satisfied than a non-thrilling thriller. Based on a novel by Koji Suzuki ("The Ring"), director Walter Salles ("High Art") hands us a flat, uninspired, at times boring rendition of the traditional Hollywood genre.

Despite a nice cast and excellent performances by Jennifer Connelly (looking unhealthily thin), John C. Riley, Tim Roth and especially Pete Postlehwaite, this movie provides only a couple of decent moments. The "good" moments are furnished by Perla Haney-Jardine ("Kill Bill" fans will recognize her as B.B. Kiddo) but there are not enough to save the film. The dark water is of course a major player and the convoluted attempts to mislead the viewer are weak and ineffective.

This is just not a very good film and certainly not much of a thriller.