Dark Waters

A lurking drama I expected more from. It was more the atmosphere than the story which captivated me. The plot didn't come alive the way I'd hoped, even with the creepy people creeping beautiful Merle Oberon. But it's a well crafted movie which probable is worth your time.

How much mushy romance and la di dah violin music can you squeeze into a film that advertises itself as a thriller and a film noir

It's all about the atmosphere for this one. The swampy setting is a perfect one for mystery and sinister designs, and the film has a very appealing southern Gothic aesthetic. Oberon struggles somewhat with a complex role, but the whole atmosphere of the film helps to convey her gloom and fear.

Great atmosphere, some decent supporting acting, not much else. The whole thing seems perpetually stuck in second gear, relying largely on the creepy atmosphere to keep it going, but it's not really creepy or mysterious enough to manage it. Sometimes you watch a film that doesn't lay all it's cards on the table and it feels brilliant, other times it feels like the writers couldn't figure out something that makes sense and decided to just ignore it. This feels like the latter.

A film like this only works if there's some ambiguity about the character's state of mind and what she is - or isn't - experiencing. This is way too blunt. There's no mystery about the motives of the people involved and no subtlety whatsoever. The shadowy cinematography has some nice touches, but the dialogue, the acting and the story are all just bland.

Gloomy

Drenched with thick, Gothic, gloomy atmosphere, overcast with deep, imposing shadows. The aura of mysterious dread is maintained for the entire first hour, as the audience is kept just as much in the dark as the heroine. Thomas Miller and Elisha Cook, Jr. are so menacing and creepy that they're a joy to watch. Oberon isn't the greatest actress, but here she's given a role that doesn't require her to do much. Something like Tourneur meets Hitchcock, this was a nice surprise.