Synopsis

Recently separated and fighting for custody of her daughter, Dahlia Williams moves into a run-down apartment on New York's Roosevelt Island. When dark water begins leaking through the ceiling and strange disturbances escalate, she investigates the building's troubled history. Her search reveals a connection between her family and a missing child, forcing Dahlia to confront both a supernatural presence and her own painful past.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is an American remake of the 2002 Japanese horror film Dark Water, which was based on Koji Suzuki's short story "Floating Water." Suzuki also wrote the Ring novels.

• Water appears throughout the movie in forms including rain, leaks, humidity, toilets, bathtubs, and washing machines. The recurring motif was treated as a central presence rather than merely a source of scares.

• A concentrated soft-drink coloring agent was used to give the leaking water its murky appearance. Flat, expired soda was also used for some of the filthy water effects.

• The young versions of Dahlia and Natasha are played by the same actress. This visual connection reflects the film's parallel between two neglected girls and Dahlia's fear of repeating her own mother's failures.

• The heartbeat heard during Dahlia's migraine episodes came from an ultrasound recording of editor Daniel Rezende's wife, who became pregnant during production.

• John C. Reilly based aspects of his property manager performance on Elisha Cook Jr.'s work in Rosemary's Baby.

• Filming took place in New York City, Toronto, and Los Angeles, with Roosevelt Island providing the setting for the apartment complex and much of the story's isolated urban atmosphere.