Wondering if any of you have seen this Japanese horror movie and can give a recommendation for or against. It looked as if it might be good, but I've been wrong so many times before..... I know opinions vary, but I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has seen this one. Thanks.

Personally, I enjoyed the original RING, JU-ON 1 & 2 (theatrical), and KAIRO/PULSE a little better, but I still thought this was a solid entry of the J-horror spook genre.

It's got its fair share of jumps and ghostly imagery and the plot is a little more straightforward than most. Your enjoyment may also be tempered by how many of these types of films you've already seen since so many of the scares are similar between films. What once seemed like a menacing strand of ghost hair begins to look like a fx-controlled wig after while.

I also really enjoyed the South Korean A TALE OF TWO SISTERS and WHISPERING CORRIDOR.

Not so recommended: RING 2 (blech!), KAKASHI, ST JOHN'S WORT, HYPNOSIS, and PHONE (another from S. Korea).

You might want to check out the Snowblood Apple site which has a lot of reviews of these films: http://www.mandiapple.com/snowblood/index2.htm

As I recall, the film received very mixed reviews, but I quite enjoyed it. I saw it once on DVD and the second time on the big screen about two years ago.

What I liked was the atmosphere and the creepy sense of dread. And I jumped a couple of times. It didn't completely jolt my nervous system -- like THE RING did -- but it went deeper than the average horror flick.

I like it a lot. Builds up a very nice mood with very good acting and a decent script and that sense of dread Nakata is so good to express is all there.

There is only one negative thing I can say about this film and it is the sloppy make up job. As a matter of fact, it was so bad that it killed all the mood.

I found it to be painfully obvious. Just your standard ghost story, nothing new here. Like Todd stated, I think your enjoyment is going to depend heavily on how many films of this ilk you've seen.

I didn't find Dark Water all that scary. It was well done and I liked the study of the mother/daughter relationship, but it didn't get under my skin like some of the other Japanese horror films have. I think the scary little girl theme is a little over used now, but like others have said if you haven't seen too many like it, then Dark Water might be really enjoyable.

I really like it ... Nakata's a master when it comes to working mood and tone. His original Ring is better than this, but I'd rank it second of his filmography, just slightly ahead of Chaos. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does with the American Ring 2 ... apparently he's already gone on record saying it'll follow the story of the first American film and won't have much of any connection to the Japanese Ring 2 ...

Gotta second that recommendation for Tale of Two Sisters ... great film ...

I believe it will be the first time a director has made a non-remake sequel to the remake of his original. :blink: