Dark Water [2005] Pt.2

So the first time Yoshimi went into the upstairs flooded apartment Ikuko had been missing. She then has another encounter with something supernatural. Here, honestly, besides that elevator scene this movie has been lacking on the horror and dread. It could very well be a normal drama about a mother struggling to protect her daughter. (o_ô)

Ceci's teacher informs Dahlia that Ceci has been talking with her imaginary friend a lot. Oh well, not unusual for that age, eh? Later that night, Ceci lies in bed singing Itsy Bitsy Spider when the ghostly whisper joins in. I lol'ed rather than shuddered. As Dahlia and Ceci fall asleep the camera view shifts to behind the wall vent for some reason. Is that supposed to be the ghost watching her?

Dahlia has a dream sequence of herself entering the upstairs apartment. Retching sounds guide her to the bathroom where she finds a woman with an accent puking into the toilet. As Dahlia bends down to help her it turns out it is her mother, who declares that she hates her. Mother shoves her out of the bathroom into the hall, water leaking down its walls and ceiling all around.

The next day it turns out the husband is waiting outside her apartment. It turns out he has also been to Ceci's school, giving them his cell phone number. Furthermore, Ceci has continued to fraternize with her imaginary friend, Natasha. Later, Dahlia takes her laundry down to the basement where she is harassed by some teens, apparently the same teens who vandalized the upstairs room. Minor characters, completely dispensable to the storyline and only good for the two jump scares they deliver within 60 seconds of each other. Dahlia finds the Hello Kitty bag in a nearby trash can and notices the tag has a name on it: Natasha Rimsky. Ok... Dahlia drops it back and waits for her laundry. The machine starts to shake and jump. Dahlia leans in closer to see dirty water start to fill the cylinder when suddenly the image of a screaming little girl appears in its depths.

Sigh... You know what I said about the supernatural? Well, now we have some, sure, but it feels so tacked on. In fact, I feel like this movie could have been a decent drama film and dispensed with this half-assed horror instead. These jump scares are a tool as if to urgently remind us, "You're watching a horror film! A horror film! Please believe us!"

I notice that these posts haven't had alot of pictures in them, whereas the Japanese version had plenty. That wasn't on purpose but it is no accident either. There hasn't been much of anything frightening to see so far.