Dark Waters (1994)

The definition of a hidden gem, Mariano Baino's Dark Waters really surprised me. Almost from the first frame, I knew I was going to be in for a real treat. Evil nuns, occult ritual, a cool gothic setting, and Lovecraftian horrors: this film has it all, at least from a genre enthusiast's point of view. While it isn't earth-shatteringly original, I feel this film adds up to more than the sum of its parts. It stands as an immersive descent into madness with lavish, storybook visuals propped up by a nightmarish atmosphere that does away with notions of realism or normal storytelling logic to hypnotic results.

The film, despite its story of a murderous convent of nuns that live alone on a remote island, takes itself relatively seriously. After an inexplicable opening scene bursting with visual flair, we then cut forward in time to something that resembles the opening of Dracula or perhaps an Agatha Christie mystery, where we meet our protagonist en route to the island where our sisterhood of bad habits resides, reading a letter sent to her from a friend of hers that is staying there for... some reason. Enjoy it, because its one of very few moments of out-and-out exposition in the film, and soon after, we find ourselves witnessing quite gruesome murder in a fashion that puts similar scenes in the works of Dario Argento to shame in terms of unsettling the audience. Why does our heroine want to go to this clearly dangerous island with no means of escape, even after she's warned not to by locals? This and many other niggling questions will, rest assured, be solved by the time the film's credits roll, but those with tight attention spans and a high opinion of their own intelligence will likely assume that these are plot holes, get bored and turn it off. You have to switch off the part of your brain that wants to understand everything the moment it happens and just enjoy the spiral into horror. The things it holds back draw you deeper into the world and mythology, and make its scares even more effective. It is true that fans of Lovecraft will have an easier time guessing where things are headed, but they'll likely be so stoked that such a talented filmmaker has finally made a film that really captures the essence of Lovecraft's best tale "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" to mind. Yes, by the end we have people being attacked in their beds, humans reproducing with eldritch abominations, a fixation on both water and what may lurk within it, and last but not least: the horrors of heredity. 

It's a very frightening film, one of the more overtly disturbing I've seen in a while. It skates the line between being brutal and vicious to its characters and being just tasteful enough that it feels like a real film and the violence actually has weight to it. And then there's the ghostly weeping of a child that can be heard echoing through the halls, a satyr with beady black eyes, and gross, body horror makeup effects straight out of the eighties. The ending and final act tied things up perfectly, and the final image was masterfully composed and set up. Some imitation-horror film this isn't. This isn't even Dagon, a well-intentioned but cheap and often trashy film. This is a film that manages to transcend its pure horror camp story about spooky nuns and spin it into gold, never allowing things to turn into shlock even at its most extreme.

The visuals are a big part of the draw of this film, and the setting especially. The rows upon rows of candles in soft focus, the rich, warm palette, and the chiaroscuro lighting all contribute to the film's perfectly-tuned vintage look that transports you into the classic horror stories of Lovecraft's time without actually having to reference them other than in spirit. It has so much texture, and is an ever-present reminder of the talented craftsmen behind every the camera. The soundtrack is nearly as strong: lavishly orchestrated and ornately composed, it's the ideal companion to match the gothic look. The sound mix, on the other hand, isn't perfect, as there are a few moments where they play a mixture of beast noises and children crying underneath the action and the score, and while it's a bit nitpicky to call out such a thing, I did feel that all that cacophony was ultimately unnecessary. Otherwise, there isn't much to complain about on the presentation front. The performances are solid across the board, but I really liked the lead actress and her soft, gentle voice during all the ADR bits, as it led me to expect something a bit less demented early on. Some of the cast do struggle with English quite a bit, a problem not helped by the cast's predilection for whispering all the damn time, which leaves those opposed to relying on subtitles often straining to hear or understand what's being said, but I digress. The only real moment in the film that was truly laughable was a scene of a character bashing someone's head against the floor until it bursts. Never before has someone so violently been killed by being so gently and gingerely shook before.

So, as I was saying, this film is a true hidden gem, both in terms of folk horror, genre film fun, and Lovecraft worship. It's no artsy-fartsy critical darling. This is pure horror camp, only without the camp. It has wild, campy ideas, but it appraoches all of these things with an artist's eye and careful consideration. While the premise may cause a few chuckles, it really only highlights to me how nightmarish the film is, existing in a space where things don't have to make sense: they just have to be scary, and Dark Waters is nothing if not scary. For those who enjoy endless exposition and fast-paced popcorn narratives in their horror films, this won't be your cup of tea, but for those that are patient and observant, you'll find this to be one of the more immersive horror films you've likely ever seen.