Overview
A chilling tale of a mother and daughter facing the supernatural amidst personal turmoil.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- melancholic
- claustrophobic
- late night horror
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film's eerie, water-soaked atmosphere and emotionally affecting maternal horror, despite some reservations about its story resolution and characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The apartment's persistent water leaks and murky interiors turn ordinary domestic decay into the film's central visual and atmospheric motif.
Yoshimi's custody battle and precarious relationship with her daughter mirror the haunting of a neglected child.
The new apartment's mundane corridors, plumbing, and domestic rooms become the site of escalating occult danger.
The apparition of Mitsuko and Yoshimi's parental distress create a sad, intimate atmosphere rather than relying only on shocks.
Films like Dark Water, and why
Ringu
Japanese ghost story built around domestic anxiety, maternal grief, and oppressive supernatural atmosphere
The Grudge
Moisture-soaked psychological horror using a haunted domestic space and unresolved emotional trauma
The Others
Melancholic supernatural drama where family relationships and loneliness intensify the haunting
Movie Details
- Director
- Hideo Nakata
- Release Date
- 2002-01-19
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (761)
Cast
- Hitomi Kuroki
- Rio Kanno
- Mirei Oguchi
- Asami Mizukawa
- Fumiyo Kohinata
- Yuu Tokui
- Isao Yatsu
- Shigemitsu Ogi
- Maiko Asano
- Yukiko Ikari
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Night Flight Plus, BFI Player Amazon Channel, ARROW
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dark Water about?
- A divorcing mother confronts a waterlogged apartment's ghost while fighting to keep her daughter safe and close.
- What is Dark Water like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dark Water as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Dark Water violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Dark Water as mild.
- What did critics think of Dark Water?
- Critics broadly praise the film's eerie, water-soaked atmosphere and emotionally affecting maternal horror, despite some reservations about its story resolution and characterization.
- Which films are like Dark Water?
- Films with a similar feel include Ringu, The Grudge, and The Others.
- How long is Dark Water?
- Dark Water runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dark Water?
- In United States, Dark Water streams on Night Flight Plus, BFI Player Amazon Channel, ARROW.
