Year of Release - 1994
Rating ? Not Rated
Director - Mariano Baino
Running Time - 89 minutes
Distributor - NoShame Films

Seemingly relegated to obscurity and unknown to all but the most avid fans of European horror, Mariano Baino's Dark Waters (not to be confused with Hideo Nakata's Dark Water and its Hollywood remake) has finally resurfaced as one of the most talked-about genre DVDs of the year. More than a holy grail for cult-film completists, it's also a perfect introduction to a vastly underrated landmark in surrealist horror.

A joint Italian-Russian-British production, Dark Waters stars Louise Salter as Elizabeth, a fetching British lass who travels to a bizarre convent on a remote island in the Crimea to learn why the nuns have been the annual beneficiaries of her late father's fortune for twenty years. From the very beginning, her journey to the island is a surreal voyage through a landscape lost in time and space ? nuns process through cornfields at midnight holding aloft flaming crosses, and villagers mutter veiled warnings about dark forces while munching on raw fish guts ? but that's nothing compared to what she finds within the convent's walls.

Cut off from the mainland save for a single weekly delivery boat, the nuns live in a cloistered environment bereft of electricity or running water, partake in nightly flagellation rituals in candle-strewn catacombs, and harbor a horrific secret ? one they will readily kill to preserve. Consequently, they do little to help Elizabeth in her sleuthing. Even the willing assistance of sweet but mysterious young nun Sarah (Venera Simmons) fails to turn up any answers. All the while, Elizabeth is plagued by increasingly grotesque nightmares that lead her to question her own identity and her connection to something hideous imprisoned in the caverns below - a dark god straight out of a Lovecraft tale, seeking to roam the earth once again.

Although many of the plot elements might seem to pigeonhole Dark Waters as so-called ?Nunsploitation,? Baino steers clear of the sexual aspects associated with that peculiar genre (thank goodness... the whole idea of sexualizing nuns leaves me clammy). Instead, he takes the artistic high road, creating a highly stylized Gothic nightmare that seems lifted whole from a Bosch painting. No matter where he points his camera, Baino shows us glimpses of horrific beauty recalling the works of fellow countrymen Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Michele Soavi. Eschewing coherent plot in favor of an enveloping sense of dread, this can be a frustrating film for those weaned on more conventional storytelling... but for fans seeking that rare sense of beautiful gloom that only a few talents can capture, Dark Waters offers many rewards.

With each new release, NoShame Films claims a bigger slice of the niche-market DVD pie, but they've really outdone themselves this time: this package is going to drive Euro-horror fans into convulsions of ecstasy. Their 1.85:1 (anamorphic) transfer torpedoes the vastly inferior fullscreen release (re-titled Dead Waters). Drenched in super-saturated color, with razor-sharp clarity and dense black levels, the image is nearly pristine. A 5.1 mix would have been the perfect compliment, but alas, only a Dolby Mono track is included. Still, it's clean and strong, filled with eerie (if occasionally overwrought) sound effects and an inspired musical score.

Complementing the feature are some excellent bonus materials, including an introduction by Baino, an extensive photo gallery, blooper reel, and a novel segment that edits together every single frame of footage snipped from the original print. We also get a lively commentary with Baino and NoShame founder Michele De Angelis (whose accent is much heavier than the director's) detailing the many challenges they experienced shooting in Russia and the Ukraine ? where the rules of the filmmaking game are, let's say, more than a little skewed. The often hilarious results of adapting to these new rules are detailed in the accompanying documentary, ?Deep Into Dark Waters,? where Baino, Salter and many members of the company recount some of their travails and reveal Dark Waters as a labor of love for all involved.

These extras alone would be enough to recommend this lovingly restored oddity... but that's only the beginning. Those willing to plunk down 40 bucks for the deluxe set (limited to 3000 pieces, autographed by the director) are treated to an additional disc containing all of Baino's short films, beginning with his shot-on-video student project Dream Car, continuing with celebrated 16mm short Caruncula, and concluding with his most recent SOV production, Never Ever After. Each short is accompanied by a lively Baino commentary, and the third short gets its own making-of featurette (longer than the film itself). Caruncula is by far the superior film of the three: Baino pulls off the bait-and-switch plot, tortured-doll imagery and cannibalistic coda with a wink and a leer. The video productions employ similar horrific punchlines, but suffer from the limitations of the medium (and a ?surprise? ending that is telegraphed from frame one). There's also a music video for Cecily Fay, which is a stylish confection but not really indicative of Baino's potential.

Again, this would be enough even for ardent fans, but No Shame sweetens the pot further by throwing in a large color booklet containing production notes, storyboards and concept art... and tops off the whole sinister sundae with a cast-resin replica of the stone ?Beast? seal which features prominently in the film. It even has a convenient hanger on the back! At last, the perfect holiday decoration.