What Lies Beneath

2000

PG-13

2h 10m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

1.9K

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Drama

Horror

Mystery

Thriller

When Claire Spencer starts hearing ghostly voices and seeing spooky images, she wonders if an otherworldly spirit is trying to contact her. All the while, her husband tries to reassure her by telling her it's all in her head. But as Claire investigates, she discovers that the man she loves might know more than he's letting on.

Directors

Robert Zemeckis

Writers

Clark Gregg(screenplay by)

Sarah Kernochan(story by)

Steven Spielberg(idea by)

Stars

Michelle Pfeiffer

Harrison Ford

Diana Scarwid

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Videos2

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Watch Clip: Casting Harrison Ford

Photos86

Top cast

Claire Spencer

Norman Spencer

Jody

Warren Feur

Mary Feur

Dr. Stan Powell

Elena

Madison Elizabeth Frank

Caitlin Spencer

Beatrice

Dr. Drayton

Mrs. Frank

Mrs. Templeton

PhD Student #3

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PhD Student #2

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PhD Student #1

Directors

Robert Zemeckis

Writers

Clark Gregg(screenplay by)

Sarah Kernochan(story by)

Steven Spielberg(idea by)

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Review

Featured review

7/10

You're not yourself today are you? Claire and Norman Spencer's marriage starts to fall apart when she believes there is a ghost in the house. Things gather apace when Claire is convinced that the spirit is trying to tell her something. Something that could be too close to home for comfort. Robert Zemeckis does Hitchcock? Well yes, the influence is obvious, unashamedly so. But the trouble with that, is having the maestro as a benchmark renders all other modern day attempts as folly. However, casting aside that gargantuan issue, What Lies Beneath is an effective creeper come thriller that boasts star credentials. Directed by Zemeckis, formed from an idea by Steven Spielberg (from the story by Sarah Kernochan) and starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as the fragmenting Spencer's. That's a pretty tidy bunch from which to launch your movie. What follows is a mixture of genuine unease and mystery, red herrings and standard boo jump moments, all of which almost gets lost on a saggy middle section as Zemeckis plays Hitchcock one too many times and loses sight of the supernatural heart of the piece, not helped by Clark Gregg's meandering script I might add. None the less, the picture gets pulled around for the finale as the spooky combines with thriller to produce some quality edge of the seat stuff. But it's only then that you totally realise that the makers here have tried to cram too much in to one film. In eagerness to manipulate the audience for the fine ending (though you probably will have it worked out at the half way point) the film just ends up as being confused as to what it mostly wanted to be. Pfeiffer is excellent and looks stunning and Ford gives it gusto when the script allows. Support comes from Diana Scarwid, Joe Morton, Miranda Otto and James Remar. The house is suitably eerie with its waterside setting and Alan Silvestri's score is perfectly in tune with the creepy elements of the piece. It's a fine enough film in its own right, regardless of the Hitchcockian homages. It's just that it should have been a far better horror picture than it turned out to be. 7/10

John Chard10 Jul, 2015