Dark Waters

Starring:Merle Oberon, Franchot Tone, Thomas Mitchell, Fay Bainter, Elisha Cook Jr., John Qualen, Rex Ingram, Nina Mae McKinney, Odette Myrtil, Eugene Borden, Peter Miles, Eileen Coghlan, Rita Beery, Gigi Perreau, Alan Napier
Director: André De Toth
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Love film noir? Here's an exotic variant--call it "bayou noir." Leslie Calvin (Merle Oberon), an oil heiress, is in shock several times over, having been run out of her East Indies home by Japanese troops and then losing her parents during a disaster at sea. Seeking safe haven, she looks up her only known relatives--whom she's never seen--an aunt (Fay Bainter) and uncle (John Qualen) who have just taken up residence at Rossignol, an unused sugar plantation in a remote Louisiana bayou. They seem harmless enough, albeit aggressively eccentric. But what to make of the eternally smiling, white-suited houseguest, Mr. Sydney (Thomas Mitchell), or the creepy Cleeve (Elisha Cook Jr.), a caretaker with nothing to take care of? Soon Leslie is hearing voices in the night, plus sinister stories from a former servant (Rex Ingram) who keeps popping out of the underbrush. Far from recuperating in peace, she fears she's sinking into madness, from which not even the kindly young local doctor (Franchot Tone) can rescue her....

Amazon.com

The most phenomenal recording in rock & roll history is thoroughly examined in Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon. The Floyd's 1973 masterpiece remained on bestseller charts for nearly 14 years, and its enduring importance is honored here by all four members of Pink Floyd and key personnel (engineer Alan Parsons, mixing supervisor Chris Thomas, sleeve designer Storm Thorgerson, and others) who played essential roles in the landmark album's creation. Produced for the Classic Albums series that originally aired on VH-1, this thorough and thought-provoking study highlights a track-by-track dissection of the LP's master tapes (including the spoken-word passages that bookend the album), superbly interlaced with archival footage, early demo tapes, concert animations, and latter-day acoustic performances by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright to demonstrate each track's contribution to the final mix--a sonic exploration that extends to the illuminating bonus features. Informative interviews abound (including Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke), and much-deserved credit is given to saxophonist Dick Parry, solo vocalist Clare Torry, and former Capitol Records chairman Bhaskar Menon, who fostered the album's U.S. commercial success. For Floyd fans, musicians, and studio technicians alike, this is a must-have addition to any DVD library. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" Classic Album is the creative story behind the masterpiece: "Dark Side Of The Moon". "Dark Side Of The Moon" transformed Pink Floyd from art house favorites to global, stadium superstars. Prior to 1973, Pink Floyd maintained a relentless gigging schedule and by the time they came to record "Dark Side Of The Moon" had already created many of the basic tracks. "Dark Side Of The Moon" would be the first Pink Floyd (post Syd Barrett) album where Roger Waters would supply all the lyrics around a concept: The Circle of Life. With the timeless qualities of its production and musicality, allied to the hypnotic evocation of its central themes - alienation, paranoia, madness, war and death, "Dark Side Of The Moon" would become the album that would dominate the 70's and 80's (with a record number of 741 consecutive weeks in the Billboard 200). This program takes an in depth look at the making of the 1973 album. All four members of the band Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright are featured in exclusive interviews. Roger, David and Richard play songs and demonstrate themes from the album. Alan Parsons (the original engineer) takes you through the multi track tapes giving a unique insight into the musical fabric of the record and the program is illustrated throughout with archive footage. "Dark Side Of The Moon" with its combination of great songs, inventive effects and one of the best known sleeves ever, tapped into the world's collective subconscious and became a landmark in Rock history and a truly Classic Album. Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" Classic Album is the creative story behind the masterpiece: "Dark Side Of ThThanks for all your help.e Moon". "Dark Side Of The Moon" transformed Pink Floyd from art house

Customer Reviews:

AWESOME EDITING.......2007-06-17

I gave this as a gift. We watched it then I took it back for MY collection. I'm no friend when it comes to Floyd. This DVD exposes some amazing tracks and never before seen (and heard) stuff that blew my mind. Alan Parsons sits at a mixing board and plays with the MASTER TAPES right before your eyes like it was nothing at all. Sheesh.

Again, this blew my mind. What a great DVD. A MUST for Floyd fans!

Insightful glimpse into a brilliant album........2007-06-01

First I want to say that the Eagle Rock series Classic Albums is sheer quality. I have several of these DVDs and I have not been disappointed. I think this one is the best one so far (probably because Dark Side is my favorite album). Anyway, this DVD gives great insight into the writing, recording, and producing of Darkside. It has interviews with all the members of the band and Alan Parsons. There is a crap load of bonus material. If you love Dark Side and you are even remotely interested in what is involved in the creation of a brilliant album than this DVD is an absolute must. I have watched this one more than once simply because there is so much information to absorb and it is extremely interesting. Oh by the way avoid the hacky Wish You Were Here documentary, it is not part of the Classic Albums series and it is not from Eagle Rock.

Best Historical Rock and Roll Documentary Ever Produced.......2007-05-12

I've never seen a historical rock documentary go into as much fascinating detail as this one does.

I was most impressed by the fact that the producers were able to get the original recording enginner, Alan Parsons, in the studio with the original master tapes and walk through the recordings track by track giving you a glimpse of the small pieces that make up the whole of this great recording.

If the other artists and albums in this "Classic Albums" series didn't suck so hard, I'd buy every single one of them. Unfortunately, out of the whole work of these documentaries, there are only 2 or 3 projects that interest me in the slightest. I do, however, plan on investing in other DVD's from this series that feature artists that I like.

For any Floyd fan, this is a must-own.

Amazing!!!!!!!!!1.......2007-05-12

As a big Pink Flody fan, this movie could have been a still cam on the recording of "On the Run" and I still would have given it 5 stars! HOwever, to anyone that is even slightly familiar with The Dark Side of the Moon, this is a must watch DVD!

Superb DVD.......2007-03-26

I am a big fan of David Gilmour and Pink Floyd. This DVD gives you an inside look at what smarts these guys had in creating this album. Very innovative and definitely ahead of their time. I love the acoustic moments in the DVD. A must have for any Pink Floyd fan especially at this price!

Average customer rating:

A Fine Swamp Noir, With A Gloomy Mansion, Quicksand, Dark Intentions And, Perhaps, Madness
Good Gothic Drama
One of the best classics
An excellent noirish thriller with an all-star cast!
Dark Waters

Dark Waters
Starring: Merle Oberon , Franchot Tone , Thomas Mitchell , Fay Bainter , and Elisha Cook Jr.
Director: André De Toth
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000ILEL
Release Date: 1999-06-01

Amazon.com

Love film noir? Here's an exotic variant--call it "bayou noir." Leslie Calvin (Merle Oberon), an oil heiress, is in shock several times over, having been run out of her East Indies home by Japanese troops and then losing her parents during a disaster at sea. Seeking safe haven, she looks up her only known relatives--whom she's never seen--an aunt (Fay Bainter) and uncle (John Qualen) who have just taken up residence at Rossignol, an unused sugar plantation in a remote Louisiana bayou. They seem harmless enough, albeit aggressively eccentric. But what to make of the eternally smiling, white-suited houseguest, Mr. Sydney (Thomas Mitchell), or the creepy Cleeve (Elisha Cook Jr.), a caretaker with nothing to take care of? Soon Leslie is hearing voices in the night, plus sinister stories from a former servant (Rex Ingram) who keeps popping out of the underbrush. Far from recuperating in peace, she fears she's sinking into madness, from which not even the kindly young local doctor (Franchot Tone) can rescue her....

Sounds like a backwater Gaslight, or a swampland Manderley without a Rebecca (and as a matter of fact, Rebecca veteran Joan Harrison worked on the script). Director André De Toth pumps up the atmosphere despite limited independent production resources, and he creates an unsettling mise en scène in which the heroine is either effaced by off-kilter camera angles or utterly isolated in vulnerable closeup. Unfortunately, Merle Oberon, notwithstanding her heartstopping Eurasian beauty, is about as expressive as a marble paperweight, and the screenplay doesn't so much advance as sink into the neighboring quicksand. Still, De Toth's inventiveness, Miklós Rósza's score, and some filigreed lighting by Bride of Frankenstein's John Mescall keep you watching. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

A fake aunt and uncle attempt to drive a nervous young heiress to suicide in order to collect her estate. Aided by the bayou, the would-be killers implement a series of terrifying ploys to suffocate the young girl in her own madness. Andre de Toth (House of Wax) directs Merle Oberon and Elisha Cook Jr. in this excellent melodrama set in the dank, forbidding Louisiana bayous, the perfect aid to the mystery and violence of the story.

Customer Reviews:

A Fine Swamp Noir, With A Gloomy Mansion, Quicksand, Dark Intentions And, Perhaps, Madness .......2006-04-23

To grab your attention, there's nothing quite like a screaming face with bulging eyes slowly sinking under quicksand. Few actors could bulge and scream as well as Elisha Cook Jr, and in Dark Waters he's given every opportunity to deserve his fate. Please note that while elements of the plot are discussed, we know the whodunit within the first 15 minutes of the movie. It's the whydunit combined with swamp atmosphere and movie-making craftsmanship that make the movie as good as it is.

Leslie Calvin (Merle Oberon) was one of four survivors of a sub attack during World War II. She and her parents were returning to America from Batavia. She wakes up in a Louisiana hospital, distraught, anxious, knowing no one and afraid she's losing her mind. She remembers a sister of her mother, and her doctor encourages her to write. She eventually receives a letter inviting her to stay with her Aunt Emily and Uncle Norbert at a plantation house on Bayou Grandterre, near the small town of Belleville, Louisiana. She sends a telegram saying when she will arrive, but when she gets off the train no one is there to meet her. Her anxiety kicks in, she faints from the heat, and wakes up in the train station being attended to by Doctor George Grover (Franchot Tone). He drives her to the mansion, gloomy and colonnaded, where she meets her aunt and uncle (Fay Bainter and John Qualen) and a Mr. Sydney (Thomas Mitchell). Sydney seems sympathetic and caring; he also seems to run the plantation and to run Aunt Emily and Uncle Norbert. He always wears seedy-looking white suits. He regrets not receiving Leslie's telegram, and Aunt Emily says she doesn't understand what could have happened. Leslie is welcomed warmly and shown her room. Dr. Grover cautions Mr. Sydney on how precarious Leslie's mental health is. As Grover drives off, Mr. Sydney takes Leslie's telegram from his pocket, wads it up and throws it in the trash.

And now in this gloomy mansion on the edge of a swamp, Leslie begins to experience unsettling things...a shutter banging in the night, a lamp she turns off which later comes on, a voice softly calling her into the swamp. Her aunt is sympathetic but dithering. "You're not eating, dear," she tells Leslie. "I do think you should have a hot biscuit." Her uncle is preoccupied. Mr. Sydney is avuncular and watchful. Before long, she also meets Cleeve (Elisha Cook Jr.), the man Mr. Sydney hired to oversee the plantation, a man who urges Leslie to have fun with him, who likes to touch her arm, who blinks a little too fast when he's excited. "It must be awful drowning in quicksand," Cleeve tells her one day. "Water's cleaner at least...faster." "Cleeve," Mr Sydney says, "please...think of Leslie." All she has to depend on is George Grover, a man who is falling in love with her but who may not believe her suspicions. The climax comes in the bayou at night, where the dark water is choked with swamp grass and a solid path can lead to a slow, strangling death in quicksand.

If there's a category called swamp noir, and I see no reason why there shouldn't be, Dark Waters would be a leading example. The film's atmosphere is dark, humid and filled with dread. The mansion not only has seen better days, but so has the old sugar house nearby. It's derelict now and sits right on the edge of the swamp with only a narrow passage leading from shore to the boat dock. Much of the action takes place at night, when many creeping things can hide, a path can be mistaken and a corpse hidden. Merle Oberon and Franchot Tone do fine jobs in the lead roles, but what makes this movie work so well are Mitchell, Bainter, Qualen and Cook. The four never go over the top. While we know bad things are happening, and we know they are part of it, we never find out just how bad things are until the end. Mitchell and Bainter are particularly good. What also makes this movie work is the efficiency and craftsmanship of the screenwriters and the director. They take less than five minutes to establish Leslie's situation, less than 15 minutes to place her in the middle of the plot. From then on, they steadily increase the dread and unease. And then, right in the middle of the movie, they take 10 minutes to put Leslie and George in a Cajun fais do-do, with fiddles, accordions, lots of dancing and the kids of a Cajun family that Leslie met the previous day. It's a great device to ease up on the plot a little and then bring things back with even more tension afterwards.

This is a first-rate and largely forgotten movie. If you like noir and are fond of excellent character acting, this would be a film to add to your collection. The DVD visual and audio are not perfect but much better than you might expect. The DVD is easy to watch. It has no extras.

Good Gothic Drama.......2006-03-02

Though the suspense is on the low burner in this Andre De Toth film starring beautiful Merle Oberon and Franchot Tone, those who enjoy a good gothic drama will find much to like here. Nice camera work from Archie Stout and John Mescall and a fine score from Miklos Rozsa help create a mood that is sustained throughout the entire film.

When tragedy aboard a ship during WWII leaves young Leslie in a fragile mental state, wondering why her parents drowned and she survived, she has nowhere to turn until a letter arrives from an aunt and uncle inviting her to stay with them in Louisiana. But the Rossignol estate holds unforseen danger for Leslie, and the peculiar things happening around her cause her to question her sanity.

The beautiful Rosignol is located in the middle of the bayou and the light and shadows of the swamp add to her sense of losing touch with reality. Her aunt and uncle seem strange somehow and Elisha Cook Jr. borders on creepy. Lights go on by themselves at night, a radio not plugged in begins to play, and a voice keeps calling her towards the swamp. Only the budding romance with the country doctor, George (Franchot Tone), offers her any fun and normal moments. Her visits with him to the large family down the road and their happy time at the town dance keep her going.

A turning point comes, however, when Pearson Jackson, a kind long time employee at Rosignol recently fired by Elisha Cook Jr., hears the voice in the swamp calling her name too, and Leslie begins to suspect she is not losing her mind at all. When her aunt, Emily (Fay Bainter), slips up and talks on about what a fine dancer Leslie's mother was, the pieces fall into place. She must get George to believe her before it's too late.

Joan Harrison, who worked on several Hitchcock films, including Rebecca and Suspicion, had a hand in the screenplay here. Those expecting edge of your seat tension will be let down by this offering. If you enjoy a good gothic drama which is more atmosphere and romance, however, you'll like this one due to the attractive cast and good ending. A fine film for a rainy night.

One of the best classics.......2005-10-20

This was one of the best classic films I've seen recently. I rented it on a whim and was very pleasantly suprised. Merle looks beautiul and Franchot's acting ability shines through. This film keeps you in suspense the entire time with some elements of "Gaslight". Even the ending is good.

I also wanted to point out that the reviewer who said this was a bloody movie must have been reviewing a different film. This is very low on the violence meter.

An excellent noirish thriller with an all-star cast!.......2005-05-24

Merle Oberon stars as Leslie Calvin, a shipwreck victim who visits her aunt and uncle (Fay Bainter and John Qualen) in the Louisiana bayous in an attempt to recover from the tragic ordeal she's been through. She's driven there by the kind Dr. George Grover (Franchot Tone), who is instantly attracted to her (Gee, what a surprise!). Also staying with her aunt and uncle are a mysterious houseguest, Mr. Sydney (Thomas Mitchell) and the creepy caretaker, "Cleeve" (Elisha Cook Jr.). You will never think of veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell ("Gone With the Wind", "It's a Wonderful Life") in the same way after watching his chilling performance in this movie!

What was supposed to be a safe haven ends up being a living nightmare for Leslie. She hears frightening sounds during the night, lights turn on and off, doors slam shut, and a mysterious voice calls her name, but always the answer from her seemingly loving relatives is the same: "I didn't hear anything" or "You were just having a nightmare, Leslie". Leslie's only joy comes whenever Dr. Grover comes to visit her, and they both fall in love. Leslie quickly realizes that Mr. Sydney, Cleeve, and her "aunt" and "uncle" are in reality all con artists out to get her inheritance. The scheme is the brainchild of Mr. Sydney, who uses Cleeve to do his "dirty work" and the "aunt" and "uncle" to trick Leslie into trusting them.

Pearson Jackson (Rex Ingram), the former caretaker of the house, tries to help Leslie but is brutally murdered and dumped in the swamp by Cleeve. Desperate for help and fearing for her life, she calls Dr. Grover, who rushes over to help. However, Mr. Sydney has his own sinister plans for Leslie and George (the swamp is a large place after all!) and will stop at nothing to get the money from her estate. Will Leslie and George be able to escape from these cold-blooded people? Watch and find out! I won't spoil the ending, but simply put it is very exciting and suspenseful. The all-star cast in this stylish classic was fabulous, especially Merle Oberon and Franchot Tone. And of course bug-eyed Elisha Cook Jr. played the creepy psycho to perfection!

1944's "Dark Waters" is a superb noirish thriller that reminds me of "Gaslight" and other similar classics. Disregard Leonard Maltin's review of this movie, as it's just furthur proof that he's an arrogant snob! In my opinion the only weak scene in the movie is when Dr. Grover and Leslie visit the Boudreaux family, but other than that it is a riveting suspenseful classic. The dvd from Image is a sad disappointment, though. The movie hasn't been restored well at all and it is painfully evident in both the picture and sound quality. There are absolutely no bonus features (unless you count scene selection!), not even a trailer. Thus the dvd seems very overpriced and my advice is to buy it used or wait until a restored version is released (Criterion Collection hopefully!).

Dark Waters.......2001-12-20

From the opening scenes you?re engaged. Merle Oberon is the beautiful but mentally shaken oil heiress Leslie Calvin. Leslie's mental health is fragile because she and her family had to flee their East Indies home due to a Japanese invasion during the hell that is WWII. Then the ship that she sails away on is torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat. Virtually every passenger (including Leslie's parents) is killed in this incident except Leslie and 3 other survivors. Leslie Calvin has had an incredible run of bad luck and it's going to get worst.

In a New York hospital Ms. Calvin's New York doctor (played by Batman's Alan Napier) feels that Leslie would probably recuperate a lot faster if she were to stay with family. Unfortunately the only family Leslie has now is an Aunt (played brilliantly by Fay Bainter) and Uncle whom she has never met who live down in the Louisiana bayou on a sugar plantation called Rossignol. Leslie follows her doctor's advise, which is a bad idea, as Leslie's Aunt and Uncle aren't exactly as they seem and embark on a deadly plan to get Leslie out of the way in order to claim her inheritance. Suddenly Leslie hears voices in the night, lights mysteriously flicker and her "relatives" can't stop talking about Leslie's personal tragedies, which her bayou doctor played by Franchot Tone had instructed them not to do. The cruelest scene is when her relatives take Leslie to the movies to see a war picture complete with U-boats sinking ships and death.

One of the most moving scenes is where a depressed Leslie feels that she is losing her grip on her sanity. She feels that she does not deserve the love of her doctor (who had just proposed to her) because she feels that she is going mad. She feels that she should have died like her parents and be, "under the water with my mother and father."

When Leslie begins to realize that something is amiss with her aunt and uncle she forgets her fears regarding her mental state
and becomes the answer-seeking heroine. Leslie enlists the doctor's aid and they set off to solve the mystery of Leslie's strange aunt and uncle, which leads to deadly consequences for all. At the end of the film Ms. Calvin and the doctor triumph and the good doctor ask Leslie if she all right, and Leslie lights up with the realization that she is indeed all right and she is a survivor.

Average customer rating:

Dark Waters of great horror.
EXCELLENT HORROR
Brooding, "Lovecraftian" Nightmare
what are your choices?
Italian Euro-Horror film ripe for discovery

Dark Waters

Manufacturer: Noshame
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

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Dust Devil - The Final Cut
The Emilio Miraglia Killer Queen Box Set
Masters of Horror - Imprint
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
Feast (Unrated) [HD DVD]

ASIN: B000HOJTVK
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Amazon.com

Young Italian director Mariano Baino may hope to be the new Dario Argento, but he isn't there yet. In this cool box set that includes the cement medallion from Dark Waters, the feature, Dark Waters, is actually a weak link. Broaching the Italian Catholic subject of mysterious, demented nuns, Dark Waters tells the story of Elizabeth (Louise Salter), a sexy Londoner whose father has died and requested that she donate a portion of her inheritance to an isolated monastery in the Black Sea where her mother used to live, and where she was born. When Elizabeth visits, she becomes stranded, discovering that the nuns make blood sacrifices to appease a water demon, and her only confidant on the island, friend-turned-nun Sarah (Venera Simmons), turns out to be equally psycho. Candlelit sanctums, chanting, blind nuns, and bloody crosses liken this nunnery to a torture chamber, but the clichés ruin scary moments. Slow pacing in Dark Waters also lowers the scare factor. That said, the second disc featuring Baino's early shorts, is full of brief, eerie spectacles. "Never Ever After" is about a girl whose wish to rid herself of her body results in her beheading. "Caruncula" stars a grizzly serial killer, who is transformed into TV dinner upon encountering his match, a seemingly harmless young lady. In "Dream Car", a young man's demise is attributed to an evil red sports car. In these shorts, plots move along and gore happens faster, their ideas concise, original, and nightmarish, making the Dark Waters box set satisfying on the whole. --Trinie Dalton

Description

A remote, storm-swept islandÂ… a population of evolutionary throwbacksÂ… a forbidding Medieval monasteryÂ… a strange religious orderÂ… ancient, undying evil. After the death of her father, a beautiful Londoner travels to a desolate island to investigate the dead man's bequest of a large sum of money to be paid annually to the reclusive nuns of a local convent. Given little information from the secretive sisterhood or their blind Mother Superior, Elizabeth strikes out on her own with the aid of a helpful noviceÂ… and discovers the convent serves as a prison for an ancient aquatic demonÂ… whose awful wrath is held at bay only so long as the fragments of a stone amulet bearing the monsterÂ's horrific likeness are kept separated. The first feature film by Mariano Baino is an unabashed love letter to the strange stories of H.P. Lovecraft and the color (and blood) drenched films of Mario Bava and Dario Argento. Filmed on location in Ukraine and making atmospheric use of the famed Odessa catacombs, DARK WATERS is an undeniably audacious debut Â… a sumptuously unsettling smorgasbord of disconcerting visuals and unnerving sounds that must be seen to be believed. DARK WATERS stars British actress Louise Salter (INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE) and Soviet performer Mariya Kapnist (Naina the Witch from Aleksandr PtushkoÂ's RUSLAN AND LYUDMILLA) in her last film role.

Customer Reviews:

Dark Waters of great horror........2007-05-05

I love finding these off-beat low budget horror films. The acting, script and direction for this film is supereb, considering the limited budget of the film. It is done in the old style od Argento and fulchi, with creepy, craggy, rainsoaked locations, evil nuns, and a very well written diolouge between the two main female charachters throughout the film. It is tense at times and really takes you into a sinister world of lies and satanic treachery.
True the ending is somewhat weak, but if you allow the director some room considering he had no money, it all works pretty good.
A four stars for this one. I'm going to order a copy now.

EXCELLENT HORROR .......2007-03-30

It's funny but two films came out in the same time period - "Dust Devil" and "Dark Waters". Most seem to consider Dust Devil the perfect horror film of that time and while I really enjoy that film also I find Dark Waters a much better film.

To give you an idea of the story and feel mix the amazing film "The Sentinel(1977)" With Stuart Gordon's masterpiece "Dagon" as if it was directed by Argento or Fulci and you get a sense of "Dark Waters".
It has a very strong Giallo feel and look to it, VERY italian horror with the music, atmosphere and shots. The film is shot very well and has that true sense of foreboding. It is a definite ode to H.P Lovecraft and the italian horror shockers of the 70s/80s. If you like any of this stuff then Dark Waters is for you!

There are three editions to choose from. (the single disc, double disc and special edition with the amulet replica). If you are a fan of italian horror and H.P Lovecraft then this is a must buy!

Brooding, "Lovecraftian" Nightmare.......2007-01-26

From the previous reviews, it seems that one either really likes this film or really detests it. After a bit of reflection, I'll have to count myself in the first camp.

"Dark Waters" is definitely not a usual off-the-shelf, paint-by-numbers horror film. Its appeal (from my viewpoint) is more subtle and mature by far than the hack-'til-you-drop gore-fare that some use to define "horror" today. For me, the dread and horror in "Dark Waters" developed gradually as the film slowly brought the viewer to the point of realizing that he (or she) is inexorably entangled in the tentacles of an inescapable living nightmare. I found myself thinking that if H.P. Lovecraft had nightmares, and if a film crew could enter into them and capture their essence visually and psychologically, the result would not be unlike "Dark Waters."

The film certainly isn't for every taste. If you like lots of violent action, tons of gore and quick gratification, "Dark Waters" will be unsatisfying. But if you enjoy being slowly drawn into a vortex of nightmarish hopelessness in a setting very reminiscent to haunted Innsmouth (with truly crazed nuns perhaps standing in for the depraved Cult of Dagon), then I think you might give "Dark Waters" a viewing.

what are your choices?.......2007-01-22

Keeping in mind that this obscurity was made on the cheap in Russia in the early 90s, there are a lot of positives here. The director tried to make a straightforward atmospheric ode to Lovecraft in a style influenced by the Italian greats, no ironic postmodern jokey humor here to dilute things. There are too few horror films of recent vintage with that kind of lofty ambition and so I give the movie an extra star for that. Some of the other reviewers have complained that the movie is way too derivative: there's really no question that Suspiria, Inferno, and Phenomena in particular influenced the makers of this movie and there are a few obvious/deliberate visual swipes/hommages here and there, but I don't see that as a problem myself. I'd rather see work by a filmmaker perhaps overly influenced by great work than one by someone who's imitating a bunch of crap.

Several of the sequences have nicely done and memorable imagery, are well lit and shot, and overall the movie looks pretty darn good for the low budget. The look of it (lots of rain in an old remote seacoastal town populated by sinister natives) sort of made me think of Stuart Gordon's later Dagon, though the two have a very different approach in tone. The acting is surprisingly not bad: the lead, Louise Salter is pretty and talented and it's a shame that this seems to be really her only movie (and the director's as well). The problems? Well, there are many awkward transitions and moments of poor plot/factual exposition which gives the film a somewhat random cobbled together feel (although the same charge can be said of Argento or Bava or other Italian greats to be fair); some scenes particularly in the middle drag quite a bit; the whole thing should probably have been quite a bit bloodier honestly; the low budget is a problem in a few key places; and unfortunately, the director cannot resist the temptation to include some creature effects toward the end that wind up bringing the whole thing down rather than doing anything positive (Didn't anyone learn from Curse of the Demon? Many other films of course make this same mistake: see Carpenter's Mouth of Madness for another Lovecraftian style narrative from this time period that also blows it badly by showing more than it should).

Bottom line, if you are a fan of serious 70s/80s euro-horror (particularly of a supernatural bent), you should probably give this a shot and watch it (perhaps rent first then decide on a purchase). After all, despite the shortcomings, there haven't been that many films made for those with these tastes in recent years, so it's not like there's a ton of other choices waiting.

Italian Euro-Horror film ripe for discovery.......2006-11-02

Superior 2 disc limited edition set (complete with resin amulet & 48 page booklet) from NoShame films - they have done this little seen, little known gem up right. Disregard that 1 star rating and review, and I couldn't disagree more with that statement that "Dark Waters" was trying to be the new "Suspiria"? I will say it is much more in the tradition of Bava-Fulci-Argento horror and Italian horror of the 60's & 70's then horror stylings of today.

An atmospheric, dreamlike, disjointed film (in the best tradition of Italian horror) with excellent photography, settings and sound that demands multiple viewings to fully appreciate it - one must remember this was filmed in the Ukraine just after the fall of the USSR on little to no budget so the results under such conditions were/are outstanding - the director is Italian, but based out of England so the dialogue was filmed/spoken in English - this is not a dubbed or subtitled movie. Highly recommended, esp. for those horror, euro-horror fans who have grown tired of the onslaught of joke horror, slasher horror, torture/gross-out horror and Japanese remakes of recent. Buy this set while you can - limited to just 3000 produced.

Average customer rating:

Dark Waters of great horror.
EXCELLENT HORROR
Brooding, "Lovecraftian" Nightmare
what are your choices?
Italian Euro-Horror film ripe for discovery

Dark Waters

Manufacturer: Noshame
ProductGroup: DVD
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Dust Devil - The Final Cut
The Emilio Miraglia Killer Queen Box Set
Masters of Horror - Imprint
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Feast (Unrated) [HD DVD]

ASIN: B000HEWEXU
Release Date: 2006-09-26

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Customer Reviews:

Dark Waters of great horror........2007-05-05

EXCELLENT HORROR .......2007-03-30

Brooding, "Lovecraftian" Nightmare.......2007-01-26

what are your choices?.......2007-01-22

Italian Euro-Horror film ripe for discovery.......2006-11-02

Average customer rating:

Dark Waters
Starring: Lorenzo Lamas , and Simmone Mackinnon
Director: Phillip J. Roth
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A2X3NE
Release Date: 2005-08-24

Average customer rating:

Simmone Jade MacKinnon ... Nuff said.
Personally, onr of my favorite shark movies!
Expectations Met
Grade A Cheese!
Awful movie...sexy girl

Dark Waters
Starring: Lorenzo Lamas , and Simmone Mackinnon
Director: Phillip J. Roth
Manufacturer: Dej (Ingram)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Deep Evil
Megalodon
Mask of Death
Parasite
Terminal Justice

ASIN: B0000D0YVG
Release Date: 2003-12-09

Customer Reviews:

Simmone Jade MacKinnon ... Nuff said. .......2005-10-02

B Movies are meant to be "guilty pleasure" movies ... watched to satisfy those urges, instincts and desires that we're not always ready to admit to openly in public. Featuring various combinations of babe lust, wonton carnage, savage (or not so savage) brutality, far out locations, techno-junky-ism, monsters, weapon fetishes, space ships, mutants, armored vehicles and more babe lust, they come in Horror, Monster, Sci-Fi, Girly and many other sub-varieties. My reviews of such movies take this intentional "guilty pleasure" aspect into account and are written for people who enjoy either watching or making fun of this sort of entertainment at least some of the time. If you're looking for more than this from a B-movie ... (though it does happen occassionally), then you're not as smart as you think you are.

THIS movie probably wouldn't have held my attention for very long if it was just another "scary" shark movie, as my personal monster preferences don't focus on sharks. But Simmone MacKinnon is one of my all time favorite busty, Australian red heads. YEOUCH! Plot, script, production values ... who cares. If SJM is on screen (wearing bikini's and snug outfits that are more often wet than not) ... I'm game. Shallow, predictable, libidinous ... you bet. Life doesn't always have to be deep and thoughtful ... sometimes it can just be an experience of guilty pleasure. If you don't get that sort of thing ... well ... then WHY on EARTH were you watching THIS movie? : )

Personally, onr of my favorite shark movies!.......2005-09-07

Some people might think that this is another stupid B-Movie with a ton of corny lines, crappy SFX, and a lame plot, but this was different.
This movie has the best SFX for a B-Movie I have ever seen, and the sharks looked amazingly real, and the story well done. Hopefully, a lot of people see this show, because they deserve a taste of what low budget movies can be.
Five stars.

Expectations Met.......2005-06-21

I wasn't planning on seeing an earth-shattering motion picture when I turned on "Dark Waters." In fact, I was expecting to become bored about half-way through this flick. Surprising to me, "Dark Waters" is actually a very good movie that suffers only from a lack of production funds and a modest script. In short, it's a well above-average B-flick that is sure to satisfy even the stingiest and hard-nosed critic if they accept it for what it is.

It held my attention for its duration. It doesn't get too completely outlandish, so far as the limits of a good B-flick are concerned. Lorenzo Lamas is solid as the dashing hero of the film, and his supporting cast does well. The sharks in this film aren't really the focus. In fact, they are only around for brief flashes in the film, most notably when the trio of heroes dive into the realm of the sharks to escape their captors. It's one of the most tense moments in the movie.

If you're looking for a good film that doesn't quite measure up to movies like "Deep Blue Sea" and "Jaws," but is somewhat more entertaining than flicks like "Project Viper" and "Sabretooth," I'm sure "Dark Waters" will suffice.

Recommended to fans of SciFi Channel movies that are above average when compared to most SciFi pictures.

Grade A Cheese!.......2004-04-20

Others have compared this film to Deep Blue Sea. That is slightly true in that there are several smart (well, trained, at least) sharks in this movie. But it also borrows heavily from Shark Hunter (under water installation destroyed by sharks, down-on-luck scientist has super research sub, people smoke in rarefied environments, etc.).

In this movie we have a young scientist who is raising fake funds for an Atlantis mission, worries that he didn't sell enough books to cover the cost of the press conference, but owns a billion-dollar sub. After being taken in by some seductive decoys, he is convinced to look into the destruction of an undersea base (located under a drilling platform). The investigation takes his sub to its depth limit. Enter coordinated shark attack.

Soon, ala James Bond, said scientist finds himself aboard a secret sub where they have been developing the attack sharks for the past 20 years. He and his sidekick (a brainy, busty, oceanographer) baffle the crew with bluster before having to run for their lives. Eventually we get to a cheesy ending involving reunited families, amazing discoveries, and credibility thrown out the window.

There are some odd bits to this film. One is the offshore drilling platform. At what should be where the shaft meets the seabed, there is an installation that looks like an underwater city (mistake or unexplained secret base? My guess is the film makers didn't know anything about offshore drilling). There is also the shark tank. It is in the floor of the research lab with open water. It also extends up in front of the lab so than an impressive window can be opened into it. I shudder to think of the air pressure required to pull off this feat.

Still, there are some nifty shark attacks, a dead whale, cool subs, one of the stupidest rescues ever (it involves a raft and you have to see it to believe it), evil military, atoning scientists, a brainy busty oceanographer, and an amazing discovery. Grade A cheese!

Awful movie...sexy girl.......2004-03-04

Well, what can I say. This movie pretty much stinks. Suffice it to say that the main characters become mass murderers during the course of this thing, murderers of a whole lot of innocent people. But as is so typical of these "check your IQ at the door" type of films, the dead were all members of the military, so apparently the writers didn't see any reason why anyone should care. Oh, your average audience member who's smart enough to tie their own shoes might notice, but the makers of the film didn't. That's just a bit too deep and intellectual for them.

However, if you like looking at a pretty girl in a black bra and a skin-tight T-shirt getting squirted with water, diving into water, and generally running around while very wet, well, this movie does deliver that. She even takes her T-shirt off at the end, but it's too dark to really see anything. I suppose you could try turning up the brightness on your set.

And that's about it.

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