What Lies Beneath (2000) Reviews

• Scary, spooky, in a way that reminds me of days gone by.

  bob.lindell2000-08-02

  Oh man!! What a fun movie! Without giving too much away, it's a ghost movie. The plot wasn't anything to write home about, it's been done about 100 times before, but it was just done better than it has been in recent memory. Seems that movies try to over-do everything lately with special effects, gore, music and violence. Not here... I kept thinking that they had taken a step back and returned to what makes movies spooky. It's not a computer generated demon, or a high intensity soundtrack; it's a creaky door, it's a reflection in the glass, it's that feeling when you know you just pushed that chair in a minute ago and now it's away from the table again. That's what makes people uneasy, that's what makes them check their closets and sleep with the hall light on when they go home. The most notable difference in the movie was the silence. I'd guess that about 50% of the movie was completely silent except for breathing, footsteps, creaking doors... wonderful. Seems that lately the powers-that-be just have to fit every second of the soundtrack into the movie (seems they should since now-a-days there's commercials for the soundtrack separate from the movie in many cases) in order to boost the spooky level... it rarely works. The silence in the movie just added to that tension in your shoulders and made you slowly edge up on your seat. If I had to pick anything to complain about, it'd be the weak foreshadowing of two events, I don't want to give anything away, but you'll know when you see it. It's like they gave up on trying to write them into the plot. They may as well have put a subtitle on the screen (or a "Pop Up Video" bubble) that told you that what they were saying was important. For my wife and I, it gave a bit away about how the movie was likely to end. Michelle Pfeiffer was really good, I'd guess she was in almost every single shot in the film, so anything but a great performance would have shown. I'm not normally one to judge actors performances, but there's some credit to be given to someone who can act that scared using only her eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a nod at the academy for this one.

• Solidly creepy chiller

  thehumanduvet2001-06-18

  A good old-fashioned scary movie, avoiding irony and self-referentialism at every turn, this film relies on a nice premise and some well-executed creepy atmosphere for its impact. Pfeiffer and Ford work well together as a middle-aged couple, with Pfeiffer particularly effective as the homey (though obviously ridiculously beautiful) mother left alone when her daughter heads off to college, working herself up into a panic at various, vaguely spooky goings-on around the place. The film plays its cards close to its chest throughout, working the old game of keeping the audience guessing for a good while ? is there really something supernatural going on, is it some kind of creepy but human plot, or is it all in her head? Of course it's all revealed in the end, in a solidly scary, thrilling and well-executed finale. A classic it ain't, but it has a kind of workmanlike, reliable quality oozing out of every scene.

• You're not yourself today are you?

  Spikeopath2009-10-01

  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

• A classic thriller

  thomsoj92001-06-25

  Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this chilling film full of twists, suspense and deceit. Directed by award-winning Robert Zemeckis, What Lies Beneath tells the terrifying story of a husband's dreadful secret that should have remained in the past. Set in a modern day country town, during autumn, sets the very eerie scene for where the apparently, happily married couple Claire Spencer (Pfeiffer) and Norman Spencer (Ford) encounter paranormal illusions and the truth about Norman's affair with a younger woman whom he murdered. Zemeckis has done very well in making the movie a classic thriller, as well as keeping the audience in suspense. He has done this with the use of the very many clichés of a thriller. He heightens the tensions throughout the movie by gradually lowering the camera, creating a very claustrophobic atmosphere which works in harmony with the terrifying, jumpy music. The acting in the movie is of the highest quality and Pfeiffer is admired for her superb performance, which creates a strong sense of vulnerability to the role and entices the audience. The casting of Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford as a married couple is very convincing and genuinely believable. What Lies Beneath is a very frightening and scary movie with all the traits of a classic thriller. With the excellent casting of Pfeiffer and Ford, along with Zemeckis's excellent techniques of terrifying the audience, it is truly a great film.

• Possibly One Of The Top 10 Scariest Movies I Have Ever Seen...

  flickjunkie-32000-12-15

  *Warning: Some Major Spoilers* What Lies Beneath had a brief trailer and I hadn't heard much about it, so, when I went to see it, I was a bit unsure about what I was about to see. Fortunately, I largely enjoyed myself in this mysterious horror film. The film opens with Norman and Claire Spencer (played to perfection by Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfieffer) sending Claire's daughter away to college. Claire fears being alone in the house, but soon grows to the idea because she feels she will have her life back again. One day, while sitting on her terrace, she hears a woman crying next door, and upon investigation of the events of her new neighbors, she begins to wonder if the husband has killed his wife. Meanwhile, in her own house, strange occurrences, such as breaking pictures, opening doors and whispering voices lead her to believe that a ghost, possibly her "dead" neighbor, is trying to contact her. Claire soon discovers that all she thinks has happened is not at all true, with her neighbour very much alive and happy again. But the apparitions still permeate throughout the house, filling bathtubs and turning off lights. As Claire begins to dig into "who" is trying to contact her, she discovers that her husband had an affair with a young woman. Claire confronts Norman about the woman, and he tells her that the girl committed suicide when he tried breaking off the relationship. But that is not the end of Claire's journey, for she will soon discover that even the perfect husband has flaws. The acting is near perfection, Michelle Pfeiffer deserves an Academy Award for her brilliant and masterful performance, but Harrison Ford surprisingly takes a back seat for most of the film, until the last 30 minutes, where his character really breaks out into something evil, Claire discovers why Norman has been trying to keep his secret for so long. The direction is very satisfying, Zemeckis builds up so much tension, What Lies Beneath is one of the only films I have ever screamed in. Two really scary parts are the binocular scene and the horrifying bath-tub sequence. A film not to be missed, What Lies Beneath is possibly one of the scariest movies of our time. And a cracker mystery... I rate What Lies Beneath 8 out of 10.