If anyone has been longing for the new Fulci film that will obviously never happen or has been waiting for Argento to return to his heyday, you may have something to satisfy you, at least for a couple of hours. Although this film was originally released in 1994, most horror fans have never heard of it and those who have likely have only seen a bootleg video copy at best. NoShame Films have taken it upon themselves to save this film from obscurity and to remind us of the type of atmospheric horror movie that we simply do not see anymore.

Although much of this film is told in a loose narrative style (like many Eurohorror classics), we can gather that a girl named Elizabeth (Louise Salter) is traveling to a convent that her father donated generously to. She is going there to meet her friend Theresa (Anna Rose Phipps) who she has not seen in some time. Upon arrival, Elizabeth is introduced to a girl named Sarah (Venera Simmons) and together they try to uncover the mysteries of the convent and the mysterious disappearance of Theresa. Along the way there are a variety of murderous nuns, a creepy looking amulet, strange characters, a beach full of dead fish, a climax that turns into a barrage of Lovecraftian weirdness, and an aquatic demon. I also noticed that it rains an awful lot at night there.

Director Mariano Baino has delivered the feel and look of a European horror movie from the 70's or 80's. This movie is full of beautiful cinematography, a great score, and each scene has its own personality that may or may not fit into the rest of the film. Now, I know often times in my reviews, I complain of today's filmmakers throwing away plot and characterization in the name of effects. While I may appear to be contradicting myself when I say that I enjoyed this movie even though the plot didn't always make sense, the difference is that this movie was clearly done with passion by the filmmakers involved and not simply by a set of hired guns to crank out another cookie-cutter slasher film. You can tell just by the care taken in the style of this picture that Baino and company knew what they wanted and were trying their hardest to get their vision on the screen. I also find that with a movie like this, repeat viewings can provide more and more to love about the film. I think back on movies like Suspiria and The Beyond and even though I may not have completely understood everything about them, I still enjoy them and get something else out of them every time that I watch them. Allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions can sometimes be a good thing but only in cases where the films are well-made to begin with, which Dark Waters is.

The locations that were chosen for this film are absolutely fantastic and it may be the first movie that I have seen that was shot in the Ukraine. Baino makes great use of a site called the Odessa catacombs that looks striking when the passageways and caverns are filled with candles, religious imagery, and nuns. The acting is great by all involved and the make-up effects which include a number of blind people, a few murders, and a burning are excellent. Even with only a few lines of dialogue in the crucial first seventeen minutes of the film, Baino manages to keep us interested which can be a very difficult task. I look forward to watching this one many times in the future. I find it interesting that Baino's only other credit since this movie is the short film entitled "Never Ever After" that was completed in 2004. Why isn't this guy working more? (Josh Pasnak, 6/13/07)

Directed By: Mariano Baino.
Written By: Mariano Baino.

Starring: Louise Salter, Venera Simmons, Maria Kapnist, Lubov Snegur.