Dark Hair

Awards:

Goregoria Horrorfest Official Entry (2006)

Horegoria Gorrorfest Official Entry (2006)

Deathfan Mutiloscars Horror Awards: Best Adapted Eye Gouge (2006)

Redgrass County Fair: Blue Ribbon, Pies & Cakes Category (1953)

Trivia:

Seen as something of a comeback for director Harold Wells. Of the 58 movies Harold Wells directed in the 2000s, Dark Hair was the only one produced by a major studio and featuring union actors; it was the only one to receive a full theatrical release; and it was one of only six to not feature the word "Bikini" in the title.

Columbia Pictures approved a budget of $6.5 million for the film, but due to his extensive knowledge of clever budget-saving measures, b-movie veteran Harold Wells completed the film for only $12,300. To avoid scrutiny by studio executives, he took the remainder of the budget to the beach and secretly burned it.

"Johnny Cat" Kazazuki, writer and director of the original Japanese film, objected to several of the changes to his artistic vision. For example, Kazazuki's film had less reliance on noise cues for scares and tended to build creeping dread in more subtle ways; also, Kazazuki's original film was a comedy about an all-girl pop group raising money for a high school trip by entering a beauty pageant for horses.

Harold Wells wrote the adapted screenplay himself but credited the nonexistent "Harold Wells Jr.," hoping to impress studio executives with the notion that he was important enough to be a nepotist.

Wells spent months personally scouting a suitably terrifying child to play Kiku, the vengeful ghost. He ran into legal complications due to his "Old Hollywood" method of scouting, which involved sitting for hours in playgrounds wearing dark glasses and a trench coat, leering at children and inviting candidates into his casting van.

Director trademark: Shower scene featuring woman chewing with her mouth open.

Claire Danes sued Harold Wells and Columbia Pictures after receiving her paycheck for the film, which was just a book of expired Sprouse-Reitz coupons and novelty "Budget Bux."

In the DVD commentary track, director Harold Wells explains that the filming featured its own real-life horror story: "we kept writing Cheri Oteri out of the script, dozens of times, but she just kept coming back. If you look closely, you can see her horrifying visage skulking around the frame."

Crazy credits: Adam Scott's character is listed in the credits as "Officer Mark Idiot Bitch," despite him clearly being referred to as Officer Mark Powell in the film's dialogue. Harold Wells later explained that this was due to an on-set dispute with the character (and not, as many assumed, with Adam Scott himself).

To drum up studio support for a sequel, Harold Wells wrote, directed and released the straight-to-DVD Dark Hair 3 (2007, sometimes listed as D3rk H3ir), which was much more critically and financially successful than Dark Hair itself. He then successfully lobbied Columbia to let him direct Dark Hair 2 (2008, also known as D2rk Hair), which was a moderate success, paving the way for a "requel," Dark Hair 3 (2009, sometimes listed as D3rk H4ir).

Director's trademark: Woman going to the bathroom, urinating, leaving the bathroom, startling as if she forgot something, then going to the bathroom and urinating a little more.

Child actress Mychigan Bates had a difficult working relationship with Claire Danes, who would slap her in the face and call her a "garbage baby" whenever she missed a cue.

Damaged film stock made it necessary to reshoot Drea de Matteo's death scene, but Harold Wells was unwilling to spend the money to do so. Instead, he used footage from his film Bikini Collections Agency (1995) of actress Julie K. Smith diving face-first into the sand during a topless volleyball game.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: in a flashback to Jennifer Stone's childhood trauma in 1992, her mother, Linda Stone, can be seen talking into an iPhone, driving a 2005 Honda Civic, listening to Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" on the radio, returning a DVD of Brokeback Mountain and glancing at an issue of the New York Times announcing the death of Pope John Paul II.

Crew or Equipment Visible: In the director's cut, several uncapped mason jars of Harold Wells' urine are visible on a shelf, precariously balanced above Claire Danes, teetering, almost falling right on her head. This was cut out of the theatrical release to maintain a PG-13 rating.

Factual Errors: Not all ghosts speak Japanese. Only Japanese ghosts speak Japanese.

Audio Errors: When Jennifer Stone is exploring her darkened house, the creepy sound of a child's laughter can be heard on the soundtrack. This is actually the laughter of Harold Wells, who was amusing himself with a helium balloon.

Quotes:

Jennifer Stone: I'm telling you, Barry, there's something wrong with this place.
Barry Bridges: Just calm down.
Jennifer Stone: You hear that? What was that noise? Did you hear that? Listen.
Barry Bridges: Jennifer, just calm down.
Jennifer Stone: I don't like it here. Something is very wrong here. I want to move out.
Barry Bridges: Jennifer, just calm down.
Jennifer Stone: Wait. Be quiet. Did you hear that?
Barry Bridges: Just calm down.