Dark Waters (1993)

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Following the death of her father, a woman arrives at a strange convent on a remote island in Russia to join a friend living there and begins to suspect them of strange happenings when a series of visions and dreams leads her to believe something is beneath the church's grounds.This here turned out to be quite the enjoyable and engaging effort. One of the many strengths of this one is the fact that there's a highly appealing atmosphere throughout this one that makes for a rather chilling and mysterious series of events. From the opening shot of the church being dismantled by the oncoming water as the hillside crumbles away and takes the debris out into the sea with it followed by the mysterious unseen force acting upon the loners left at the site, this one goes immediately for the grand hypnotic air throughout this one which is held by the utterly chilling scenes of the nuns underground. Given an appropriately eerie glow with the constant rocky outcroppings holding innumerable candles illuminating the darkness, this gets quite creepy with their strange antics and rituals being practiced that are otherworldly for a group of nuns to be engaging in, and there's quite a different feeling here that this indulges in due to these strange sequences. This is further highlighted by the strange dreams and visions she has once she arrives, with the elaborate candle-lit hallways and torch-fire ceremonial processions she sees them engaging in which are even greater pieces of the puzzle that she needs to uncover about their behavior and builds to a rather strong, overwhelming feeling here once it starts unraveling its storyline. Furthered by the strange incidents of her stumbling upon the pit featuring the blind nuns shambling about or coming across the twins in the catacombs, the idea of their purpose in the convent and what they're actually trying to accomplish becomes unveiled quite nicely and gives this one the kind of eerie, effective slow-burn build that's paid off exceptionally well with all the fun found in the final half which is where a lot of the action really picks up. From the attack on the helpers' shack to the nuns tracking her down through the church catacombs and the final meet-up with the main monster which inspires a massive rampage through the convent that's quite fun and exciting. As well, the final revelation about their backstory and how it all ties their history together is a nice shock twist that's paid off quite well with the impact it has on the events of the film thus far and makes for a great downbeat ending. Coupled with the fine gore and miniature effects used throughout here, there's a lot to like with this one. While these here are what really work here, this one still has some flaws to be had here. Among the few issues is the rather slow and dull beginning showing her travels to the remote convent which is really not that interesting and takes up way too much time. Going through the steps one-by-one of meeting all the different people along the way makes for a slow-going and somewhat dull as the voice-over narration at the start of the journey tells us all what's supposed to occur and now taking up this time just makes for a rocky start. That gets carried over into what happens once she finally arrives as the creepy, eerie atmosphere present here simply hides the fact that very little action actually occurs within this as it becomes a lot more about the creepy imagery and mystery than it is about the action behind the convent walls. These do hold it back somewhat but aren't enough to overwhelm the positives on display.Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.

I had never heard of the Italian director Baino before this movie. It seems to me that this pretty much is his one and only full length feature film. The film is actually Russian-Italian-British co-production so it's actually not right to classify it as an Italian film. It of course resembles many old Italian horror movies from the past and that was the only reason i ever chose to watch it as i kind of knew what to expect.The movie is like a combination of Fulci and Soavi and sometimes even Argento but sadly its worst problem is with the pacing and obvious need for a plot, good script and better actors. All of those elements being more or less strongly on the average side, the movie still works like an effective horror should. I felt kind of claustrophobic after the film, just like like with some films directed by Soavi and Fulci.I can understand incoherency and allegory to some level but i got lost with this movie. It really is more of an art movie than anything else.I can recommend this movie for those who like truly bizarre horror and for those who like old Italian horror movies. Those who are easily offended shouldn't watch the film.It's surprising that Baino's first movie is this good and it's quite a shame that he hasn't got to make more films in his career. Maybe films of this kind don't get much of funding in these days and the other factor might just be the crumbling Italian cinema. They've seen their better days.

I first heard about this film relatively recently through the Internet and, then, became even more interested in it when the now sadly defunct No Shame label announced two separate DVD releases – a 1-Disc "Special Edition" and a Limited 2-Disc Set, with added supplements and even a replica of the powerful amulet depicted in the film! While a friend of mine who had watched DARK WATERS in the past told me he had been underwhelmed by it, I knew it'd be hard for me to resist blind-buying the not inexpensive set – especially after reading the generally positive reviews which began cropping up (often accompanied by awesome-looking stills from the main feature). Even so, it took me a long time to finally sit down and – as it eventually transpired – dedicate a whole evening to the work of Mariano Baino! Anyway, I was glad to see for myself (please bear in mind that I'm not usually a fan of the modern style in horror) that the hype surrounding this particular flick was indeed justified – for this is surely one of the most audacious and impressive genre outings to emerge in the last two decades, even if the plot itself is derivative of several older 'classics'. In fact, the cut-off and openly hostile community smacks of THE WICKER MAN (1973); the inquisitive female lead (often dressed in red) and the generally weird goings-on brought SUSPIRIA (1977) to mind; the creepy girl featured in the flashbacks could well have strayed in from KILL, BABY…KILL! (1966); and the members of a religious order with their blind leader (sinister-looking but eventually revealed to have benign intentions) stems from THE SENTINEL (1977). Besides, the film's overall look – with full-size crosses fitted in candle-lit caverns, to where self-flagellating nuns habitually convene – clearly owes a strong debt to ALUCARDA (1975).Still, it all makes for a highly intriguing mélange of visceral thrills (Lovecraftian monster, some instances of gore – including depictions of cannibalism) and mysticism (the afore-mentioned amulet, a mystery from the heroine's past residing within a series of riddles); dialogue is minimal as well (which is just as well – in view of the fact that the film was shot in English in the Ukraine with a multi-national cast and crew), and there are definite moments of lyricism throughout (given its elemental and spiritual overtones). While rather drab-looking – as opposed to the traditionally garish "Euro-Cult" style (DARK WATERS came at the extreme tail-end of the trend) – and featuring a largely unobtrusive score, this austerity actually helps the essentially oppressive mood which permeates the film. The result, then, contains more than its share of haunting images: the line-up of nuns along the horizon carrying burning crosses, the grotesque figure of the crucified 'monster nun'(!), Sister Sarah's revolting 'unclothed' appearance as a half-human/half-beast at the climax, and the closing reveal of the heroine as the convent's new blind sentinel.With an elliptical narrative (typified by the scene where the lead suddenly finds herself on the shore eating raw fish) infused with symbolism and the deft juxtaposition throughout of image and sound (a death in a blazing cabin intercut with a murderous attempt on Sister Sarah, or the association between children crying and the growling creature) this is the kind of film which needs more than one viewing to fully appreciate! At the end of the day, however, the evident low-budget of the production couldn't effectively cater to all the various themes conveyed in its over-ambitious script – so that some plot points remain obscure (such as where the mural painter apparently dwelling within the depths of the convent fits in the whole scheme of things), whereas the fact that the appearance of the creature is downplayed during the climax was probably forced on the film-makers rather than a deliberate decision on their part…but these don't effect one's evaluation of the finished product in any significant way.Incidentally, the No Shame edition presents the film in a new director's cut (running 92 minutes though, not 89 as listed) which removes 7 minutes from the theatrical release version; this footage is still included as deleted scenes (even if it's perhaps the weirdest collection of outtakes that I've come across since, on several occasions, a mere number of frames were taken out of specific scenes!). As I said at the start, I followed this viewing with three short subjects by Baino, which proved equally stylized (and unpleasant) – making for a decidedly grim night! I wish I had the time to delve into the other extras as well – the two documentaries and the various commentaries – as Baino seems to be a talent to watch, and I'd certainly like to know more about the main feature (whose making was reportedly fraught with problems).

I've been looking forward to seeing Dark Waters for ages, and with that in mind; I have to say that the film is a huge disappointment. The film is definitely style over substance, and it would seem that director Mariano Baino (a man with only one film credit) was happy to have it that way as Dark Waters features a wealth of memorable nasty sequences, but hardly anything in terms of plot and coherency. Italian films aren't exactly renowned for making a whole lot of sense; but the plot here is completely pointless, and this ensures that the film is actually really boring and the stylish elements just aren't enough to save it. The film focuses on an island where strange things are afoot. The island features a bizarre convent full of nuns who don't seem to be interested in God, as well as a load of other strange and eerie characters. We follow Elizabeth; a young girl who travels to said island, where she just happens to have been born, as she constantly suffers from nightmares about it. It's obvious that there's a strange ancient evil on the island, and after staying there; she soon finds that there is no escape...The main influence on this film would seem to be the work of H.P. Lovecraft, as themes of ancient evil being reawakened are rife, and the film features a typically Lovecraftian atmosphere. It is for this reason that Dark Waters is so disappointing as if it could only have been fused with an interesting storyline, we could have had a masterpiece. If I were to slot this film into a genre, it would be somewhere between nunsploitation and good old Gothic horror as the film features themes from both sides of the spectrum. I'm guessing that the director didn't really know what he wanted the film to be, as it's all very disjointed and that makes it a shame that Mariano Baino was the man at the helm as someone with more experience could have done a lot better. It's hard to really judge the acting performances given the nature of the film, but lead actress Louise Salter at least looks the part and fits into the film nicely, which is to Dark Waters' credit. The island itself certainly has presence, and the cinematography is generally of a high standard too, which is nice in that it ensures the film is easy on the eyes. Still, it all boils down to the fact that there is no plot here and, unfortunately, the style isn't enough to save it!