Honogurai mizu no soko kara (2002)

Director:

Hideo Nakata

Writers:

Kôji Suzuki (novel) and
Yoshihiro Nakamura (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

19 January 2002 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

From The Creators of Japan's Acclaimed RINGU, Inspiration for the hit phenomenon THE RING

Plot:

A mother and her 6 year old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.

Plot Keywords:

Water | Apartment | Ghost | Custody Battle | Divorce

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Hitomi Kuroki	...	Yoshimi Matsubara
Rio Kanno	...	Ikuko Matsubara (6 years old)
Mirei Oguchi	...	Mitsuko Kawai
Asami Mizukawa	...	Ikuko Hamada (16 years old)
Fumiyo Kohinata	...	Kunio Hamada
Yu Tokui	...	Ohta (real-estate agent)
Isao Yatsu	...	Kamiya (apartment manager)
Shigemitsu Ogi	...	Kishida (Yoshimi's lawyer)
Maiko Asano	...	Young Yoshimi's Teacher
Yukiko Ikari	...	Young Yoshimi
Shinji Nomura	...	Mediator
Kiriko Shimizu	...	Mediator
Teruko Hanahara	...	Old Lady (twin, elder)
Youko Yasuda	...	Old Lady (twin, younger)
Kono Tarou Suwa	...	Old Lady (twin, younger)
Shichirou Gou	...	Nishioka
Chisako Hara	...	Kayo
Tôru Shinagawa	...	Principal (as Tohur Shinagawa)
Shelley Calene-Black	...	Yoshimi Matsubara (voice: English version)
Gabi Chennisi	...	Ikuko Matsubara (voice: English version)
Jay Hickman	...	Kishida (voice: English version)
Mark Laskowski	...	Ohta (voice: English version) (as Mark X. Laskowski)
Chris Ayres	...	Principal (voice: English version) (as Christopher Ayres)
Andy McAvin	...	Kunio (voice: English version)
Jessica Boone	...	Teen Ikuko (voice: English version)
Ted Pfister	...	Kamiya (voice: English version)
John Swasey	...	Mediator (voice: English version)
Heather LeMaster	...	Mediator (voice: English version)
Vic Mignogna	...	Kono (voice: English version)
Vicki Barosh	...	Auntie Kayo / Old Woman A (voice: English version)
Christine M. Auten	...	Teacher Past / Ai's Mother / Recorded Message (voice: English version) (as Christine Auten)
Mariela Ortiz	...	Teacher B (voice: English version)
Amanda Nanawa	...	Teacher C / Mother (voice: English version)
Kaytha Coker	...	Tshushima (voice: English version)
Quentin Haag	...	Nishioka (voice: English version)
Luci Christian	...	Teen Girl A / Answering Machine / Lady Directions (voice: English version)
April Brem	...	Teen Girl B / Office Worker (voice: English version)
Mia	...	Ai / The Ghost of Mitsuko / Hiding Girl A / Young Yoshimi (voice: English version)
Lidia Porto	...	Secretary / Old Woman B / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Cynthia Martinez	...	Hiding Girl B / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Hilary Haag	...	Mao-chan / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
K.C. Jones	...	Father / Mover A (voice: English version)
Rebecca Ayres	...	Little Boy / Kobayashi / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Emma Crabb	...	Assistant / Potential Buyer (voice: English version)
Jacob A. Gragard	...	Worker A / Mover C (voice: English version)
Matthew Crawford	...	Worker B / Mover B (voice: English version) (as Matt Crawford)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chihiro Ôtsuka

Directed by
Hideo Nakata

Writing credits
Kôji Suzuki		(novel)
Takashige Ichise		screenplay (uncredited)
Yoshihiro Nakamura		screenplay
Hideo Nakata		screenplay (uncredited)
Ken'ichi Suzuki		screenplay

Produced by
Takashige Ichise	....	producer
Kyle Jones	....	producer (english language & subtitled versions)
John Ledford	....	executive producer (english language & subtitled versions)
Mark Williams	....	executive producer (english language & subtitled versions)

Original Music by
Kenji Kawai
Shikao Suga

Cinematography by
Jun'ichirô Hayashi

Film Editing by
Nobuyuki Takahashi

Production Design by
Katsumi Nakazawa

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Masaki Adachi	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Cesar Inserny	....	sound designer
Cesar Inserny	....	sound mixer
Masayuki Iwakura	....	sound
Kiyoshi Kakizawa	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Meichô Tomiyama	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Patrick Givens	....	editor: english language and subtitled versions
Neil O'Sullivan	....	editor: english language and subtitled versions

Other crew
Marta Bechtol	....	production assistant: engish language and subtitled versions
Toru Iwakami	....	international coordinator: english language and subtitled versions
Kyle Jones	....	adr director: English version
Miyuki Kamiya	....	production assistant: engish language and subtitled versions
Paul Mericle	....	production assistant: engish language and subtitled versions
Sara Muir	....	production assistant: engish language and subtitled versions
Maki Nagano	....	production assistant: engish language and subtitled versions
Shoko Oono	....	senior translator: english language and subtitled versions
Carole Pavlik	....	production assistant: engish language and subtitled versions

Production Companies

• Honogurai mizu no Soko kara Seisaku Iinkai
• Oz Productions

Distributors

• Arti Film (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Tartan (2003) (UK) (theatrical)
• ADV Films (2004) (USA) (DVD) (English language and subtitled versions)
• Diaphana Films
• Highlight Film (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (all media)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (all media)
• SBP (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• SBP (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2003) (Finland) (VHS)
• Tartan Video (2003) (UK) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Industrial Smoke & Mirrors  English ADR recording (English version)
• Monkey Boy Pictures  post-production (English language and subtitled versions)

Also Known As:

Dark Water (UK) (USA)
From the Depths of Dark Water (International: English title) (literal title)
Темные воды (Russia) [ru]
Dark Water (Finland) [fi]
Dark Water (France) [fr]
Dark Water (Spain) [es]
Iz dubine tamne vode (Croatia) [hr]
Karanlik sular (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for terror and disturbing situations.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Company:

Honogurai mizu no Soko kara Seisaku Iinkai

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When everyone is up on the roof examining the water tower, a flap of cloth or pant leg can be seen at the top of the ladder. This could be something attached to the tower, but later when she climbs it by herself and we see the whole thing, no such cloth is visible.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ghosts Are Hungry (2006) (V)

One of the best ghost movies ever made

This is my idea of a horror movie. No junk, no noise, no random jolts, but plenty of fear, delivered quietly and compactly, without fuss. It's the most suspenseful movie I've seen since "Ring," and I think it's even better. Like that movie, it put my stomach in knots to prep them for the chills, which rose up like waves out of calm water. I thought "Ring" rather like a Robert Aickman story; this is as near as a movie can come. The director has uncanny skill in knowing where to place the camera and how long to hold a shot. And the leading actress gives a wonderful performance. Her face in the elevator...but that would be giving it away. The conclusion is foreseeable--maybe the ends of all ghost stories are foreseeable--but nonetheless satisfying. If you like tales of quietly disturbing dread, this is one for you.