A few thank you notes. To producer Bill Mechanic, for his guidance and for having beared with me throughout this process. To executive producer Ashley Kramer and studio executive Jill Morris, for their support. And a special thanks to Andrew Magarian, the man who has coached the two wonderful young actresses who are in the film, Ariel Gade and Perla Haney- Jardine.
Nothing is more terrifying than to realize your home, your family, your neighborhood, the very walls and ceilings that surround you have turned against you. When there is no safety to be found in what is supposed to be the very safest of places, the deepest form of psychological fear abounds. This theme has wended its way through some of the most unsettling and sophisticated horror-thrillers in movie history. From the kindly-seeming next-door neighbors secretly practicing satanic rituals in “Rosemary’s Baby” to the idyllic retreat which dissolves into family madness in “The Shining” to the lonely little boy who finds apparitions of the dead in urban hallways in “The Sixth Sense”—the idea of “home sweet home” becoming unbearably haunted has long fired the artistic imagination.
Now, DARK WATER continues in this classic tradition of smart, stylish, emotionally charged and thought-provoking terror driven by the complex performances of a highly accomplished cast of actors. Acclaimed director Walter Salles (“Central Station,” “The Motorcycle Diaries”) joins the ranks of Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski, Stanley Kubrick, M. Night Shyamalan and Alejandro Amenebar in exploring the mind-bending, heart-stopping territory where everyday reality encounters the darkest supernatural mysteries. Based on a story by the author of the horror classic “The Ring,” DARK WATER approaches modern domestic anxiety from an original angle: that of a devoted mother who will go to unimaginable lengths to protect her daughter from an apartment that threatens to literally unleash a torrent of fury.
DARK WATER marks the Hollywood debut of acclaimed Brazilian director Walter Salles, who was an Academy Award® nominee for “Central Station.” Rafael Yglesias wrote the screenplay. The film is produced by Bill Mechanic, Roy Lee and Doug Davison. Ashley Kramer is the executive producer; Diana Pokorny is the co-producer. DARK WATER unites a stellar cast headed by Academy Award® winner Jennifer Connelly in a role that pushes a mother’s heart-wrenching devotion to its very edges.
Supporting Connelly in her journey into the center of fear are memorable characters portrayed by Dougray Scott and Camryn Manheim, along with Academy Award® nominees John C. Reilly, Tim Roth and Pete Postlethwaite.
The creative team working with Walter Salles to craft the film’s atmosphere of trepidation and suspense includes cinematographer Affonso Beato (“Dot The I,” “All About My Mother”); production designer Therese DePrez (“American Splendor”); Academy Award®-nominated editor Daniel Rezende (“City of God,” “The Motorcycle Diaries”); costume designer Michael Wilkinson (“American Splendor”); and Golden Globe®-nominated composer Angelo Badalamenti (“Mulholland Drive”).
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