DARK WATERS

Aka: Dead waters
Director: Mariano Baino
1993


A young woman Elizabeth returns to a remote island where she was born twenty years later after the death of her father. Once at the island she goes to the monastery where her friend Theresa a nun is supposed to be waiting for her. Theresa has disappeared without giving any word of her return so the nuns have Sister Sara take care of all of Elizabeth’s needs. The longer Elizabeth stays on the island the more she uncovers about her past and her search for the truth only further puts her own life in danger.

Dark Waters when released twelve years ago somehow didn’t find its audience which is a shame since it embodies all what it good with in the horror genre and not the water down horror films that have assaulted us since its release. The film is an atmospheric horror film that makes you think and even has some characters that are more then one dimensional. The story is well rounded still there are a few moments in the film where the narrative tends to drag or drift off course into another dimension.

Now to the important stuff are there killings yes and most of them are bloody even though a lot of the killing is done off screen. Also no movie about nuns would be complete without some nudity or at least some torture. There are a few instances of self inflicted torture that is done in a stylishly sleazy way. His use of color and knack for capturing gothic set pieces is reminiscent of the style employed in most horror films that came out of Italy in the 1970’s and early 1980’s.

Director Mariano Baino is a strong visual storyteller who lets the images do most of the talking and only relies on dialog minimally. His sense of building suspense and setting the mood is what drives this film home visually. The various locations used in the film are all wonderful choices that greatly enhance the overall production value of the film. Ultimately Dark Waters is the best horror film that no one has heard of that is until now.