Dark Water: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 2002
Director: Hideo Nakata
Writers: Takashige Ichise, Hideo Nakata, Ken’ichi Suzuki, Yoshihiro Nakamura
Cast: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yu Tokui, Isao Yatsu

Release Date: March 18th, 2024 (UK), March 18th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 101 Minutes 18 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Dark Water follows Yoshimi, a single mother struggling to win sole custody of her only child, Ikuko. When they move into a new home within a dilapidated and long-forgotten apartment complex, Yoshimi begins to experience startling visions and unexplainable sounds, calling her mental well-being into question, and endangering not only her custody of Ikuko, but perhaps their lives as well." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2023 4K digitally restored version by Kadokawa Corporation."

Dark Water comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 82.7 GB

Feature: 70.9 GB

When Arrow Video released Dark Water in 2016 as a Blu-ray/DVD combo, that transfer left a lot to be desired. Even the verbiage used about that transfer, “The High Definition Master was made available by Kadokawa Pictures, Additional restoration work was performed at Deluxe Restoration, London, to remove dirt and debris and improve overall picture stability,” leading one to believe that the source used was dated. That said, this new transfer is a substantial upgrade that is superior to that 2016 transfer in every way.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. This audio track sounds excellent. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Also, sound plays a significant role, and ambient sounds are perfectly represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include three TV spots (49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a teaser (37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 15 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actress Hitomi Kuroki (8 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actress Asami Mizukawa (4 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with composer Shikao Suga (2 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival Making of featurette (15 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Junichiro Hayashi titled Visualizing Horror (19 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with author Koji Suzuki titled Family Terrors (20 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Hideo Nakata titled Ghosts, Rings and Water (26 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to first pressing), and a 28-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay about the film titled Dead Wet Girls written by David Kalat, an essay about the American remake titled An Uncommon Remake written by Michael Gingold and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Dark Water was co-written and directed by Hideo Nakata, whose other notable films include Don’t Look Up, Ringu, Ringu 2, and Chaos. The screenplay for Dark Water was adapted from author Koji Suzuki’s novel of the same name.

In the middle of a custody battle, a mother and her six-year-old daughter move into a dilapidated home where a young girl disappeared a few years ago. At first glance, their new home appears to be an idyllic place for them to get through this tumultuous time in their lives. That is, until one day when bizarre things start occurring, like water flowing from various places and the reemergence of the girl who went missing years ago.

There are films that have scary moments, and then there are films that truly frighten you! It is this latter category that Dark Water falls into. Instead of creating a monster that can easily be categorized, Dark Water takes universal themes that everyone can identify with, and from there, the evil is unleashed.

Where horror cinema from Hollywood inundated its viewers with graphic moments of blood-soaked carnage, horror cinema from Japan often takes an approach that is the direct opposite; it slowly builds its foreboding mood until it reaches a crescendo at the finale. That said, it is in this regard that a film like Dark Water delivers in spades.

There are no throw-away moments in Dark Water; its meticulously constructed narrative does a phenomenal job building momentum, and there is a perfect balance between scares and exposition moments. Also, when it comes to objects and what appears in the frame, they play a significant role in the story at hand.

Another strength are the visuals, which create a tremendous amount of atmosphere and do a great job reinforcing the mood. And though there are many standout moments visually that will send chills down your spine, No moment is more potent than Dark Water’s moment of truth, where the mother is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The entire cast is very good, especially Hitomi Kuroki (Sada) in the role of Yoshimi Matsubara, a mother who is going through a divorce. So much of what unfolds is through her eyes, and her performance serves as a perfect guide, for it gives a crystal clear view of what is unfolding before our eyes. Also, her performance elevates everyone else's performances. Ultimately, Dark Waters is a riveting melodrama with horror elements about a family in a crisis that is on par with director Hideo Nakata’s most celebrated film, Ringu.

Dark Water makes its way to 4K UHD via a massive upgrade from Arrow Video that ports over all of the extras from their previous release, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer