Dark Waters (1993)

Director:

Mariano Baino

Writers:

Mariano Baino (writer)
Andy Bark (writer)

Release Date:

1993 (Russia)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Sometimes, evil lurks where you least expect it.

Plot:

A girl travels to an island, after the death of her father, to find out why the father funded a monestary on the island.

Plot Keywords:

Crucifix | Evil Nun | Fish | Catholic Priest | Beast

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Louise Salter	...	Elizabeth
Venera Simmons	...	Sarah
Mariya Kapnist	...	Mother Superior (as Maria Kapnist)
Lubov Snegur	...	Mother Superior's Assistant
Alvina Skarga	...	Old Blind Woman
Valeri Bassel	...	Fisherman (as Valeriy Bassel)
Pavel Sokolov	...	Boat Owner
Anna Rose Phipps	...	Theresa
Tanya Dobrovolskaya	...	Elizabeth as a Child
Valeriy Kopaev	...	Priest
Ludmila Marufova	...	Nun
Kristina Spivak	...	Sarah as a Child
Nadezhda Trimasova	...	Crucified Nun

Also Known As:

Dead Waters (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

USA:94 min

Country:

Russia | Italy | UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:R | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Crimea, Ukraine

Probably one of the best horror films of the 1990s

This extremely stylish and unique horror film is undoubtedly a must-see for every true horror fan - but also for every film admirer in general. "Dark Waters" (released in the U.S. as "Dead Waters") offers everything one might expect from an Italian director: Beautifully shot sequences, uncanny settings, some relentlessly violent moments and a creepy, thoroughly tantalizing atmosphere. Not to forget the disturbing plot that leaves room for various interesting analyses.

Especially remarkable is the fact that there is very few dialogue. This makes the whole film an even more intriguing and breathtaking experience. The story takes place in a convent on a Ukrainian island, which gives gifted director Baino a lot of space to increase the ever mounting tension as the plot unfolds. Another interesting fact that makes this movie unique is that the important characters are all women; men seem to have no importance without at least one woman, or they die quickly.

By the way this gem was a British-Russian co-production (before the Ukraine became independent), so there was (officially) no Italian money involved.

I can't understand the IMDb-users who smashed this masterpiece in their comments - they must have seen another film or expected something much more banal. Come on folks: This is high art in the tradition of Mario Bava and Dario Argento!

Certainly one of the best Italian films of the 1990s, probably one of the best horror films of that decade at all. Rating: 9 out of 10.