Black Water (2007)

"...a low-key and quietly effective little chiller.  Scott Weinberg, FearNet
"...a simple but suspenseful low-budget chiller from Down Under.  Steven West, The Horror Review

Editor's Note This documentary examines a small Tahitian village called Teahupoo, known for its amazing coral reef wave. In addition to interviews and never-before-seen footage, BLACK WATER contains a soundtrack packed with artists including Paul Kearney, Pre-Shrunk, Inked Factor, Nora Drenalin, and more.

	Andy Rodoreda
	Diana Glenn
	Fiona Press
	Maeve Dermody
	Aaron Crothers - Production Designer
	Andrew Traucki - Writer
	Andrew Traucki - Director
	Chris Wheeldon - Producer
	David Nerlich - Director
	David Nerlich - Writer
	John Biggins - Cinematographer
	Michelle Harrison - Executive Producer
	Rafael May - Original Music By
	Rodrigo Balart - Editor

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] enough shocks to keep you gripped, not to mention a conclusion that refreshingly refutes the genre rulebook." 02/01/2008 p.53

Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "Raw turns and skillful shot-craft sustain a sense of menace..." 02/01/2008 p.49

Sight and Sound
"[S]easoned with horror-film spice....The film fashions a few hair-raising shocks, through convincing performances and versatile, creative camerawork..." 02/01/2008 p.55

Nefarious Films 7 of 10
This low budget little Australian effort is the latest in the small but growing sub-genre of 'Nature-Slashers'. Open Water is the clear father of this particular off-shoot and Black Water certainly draws from it very heavily. Rather than a couple being menaced by sharks in the ocean however, here we have three people being hassled by a crocodile in a swamp. Another similarity between these two films is that like Open Water before it the directors of this film have opted to eschew CGI or animatronic puppets in favour of the real deal. The whole film was shot using real saltwater crocodiles in a real swamp, an act of admirably ballsy dedication from cast and crew and one which pays off by investing the film with a welcome sense of reality which reinforces and underpins the seriousness of the situation...There is never a moment when you disbelieve the fact that these characters are in a real swamp with a real crocodile and the film benefits greatly from this...Despite a rather unoriginal premise which isn't quite able to sustain its running time Black Water is an effective contribution to its rapidly expanding sub-genre. Bleak and unrelenting, at its best it hammers home just how little chance we stand against the full savagery of nature as well as just how resilient the human spirit can be. - Matt Compton