What Lies Beneath (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
It has been a long time since I was as nervous, tense & genuinely scared while watching a movie as I was during 'What Lies Beneath', a thriller directed by Robert Zemeckis. The wife of a university scientist believes that her picturesque Vermont lake house is haunted by a ghost. Could it be true? Or is she losing her mind? The script may not be as strong as it could be. But the acting, nerve-rattling musical score & unpredictable scenarios make this Hitchcockian thriller worth watching. Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a retired concert cellist who was involved in a serious car accident 1 yr. ago. Norman (Harrison Ford) is her respected geneticist husband. Having just sent her daughter off to college, Claire expects to have a peaceful, enriching Fall/Winter with Norman. Norman works hard on an important research paper. Claire makes use of her free time in the garden. But something strange is afoot.
Doors are opening spontaneously. The electricity is malfunctioning. Claire is hearing things. She even sees some startling images. And a neighbor of theirs (Miranda Otto) disappears. Norman thinks she needs to see a psychiatrist; maybe some held over emotions from her disastrous car wreck last year. But Claire 'knows' something is up; and that it has to do with the missing neighbor and her suspicious-looking husband (James Remar). She acquiesces to her husband's request (seeing a therapist). And while he doesn't outright believe his patient, he urges her to try to make contact with the ghost. Using a Ouiji board, she & her best friend (a dry, funny Diana Scarwid) have some success.
Is there a ghost? What does it have to do with the neighbor? What does Norman think? Now, the plot of 'What Lies Beneath' is preposterous; even within the confines of its supernatural premise. But I throw that out the window because I was so highly entertained. In fact, the movie is almost masterful in the way it presents the story, builds tension & keeps us on the edge of our seats (through most of it). There are a handful of sequences that literally had me digging into my arm rest (water/mirror images, scenes involving a fence & the entire Ouiji board sequence). Michelle Pfeiffer is just wonderful as the conflicted, could-be-losing-her-sanity Claire. And when her character takes an acute turn late in the proceedings (while wearing the red dress) ... you will be utterly transfixed.
Admittedly, the film runs off its rails in the closing moments. While one subplot does well to make us think the film is going in one direction (when it's not) ... another HUGE aspect of the movie is fairly predictable. But the majority of the film (before this revelation) is so dense in suspense, horror, & thrills that you don't really mind. Most of the gasping audience could attest to that. The screenplay is not the best. Some of the dialogue is laughable; but in a 'this is so bad it's good' kind of way. The eerie cinematography, moodiness, chilling moments & water motifs (fog, lake, snow, steam, bath tub) kept me glued to the screen. Check your brain at the door. But I doubt you won't be pulled-in to this quirky ghost mystery. Good, scary fun.
Doors are opening spontaneously. The electricity is malfunctioning. Claire is hearing things. She even sees some startling images. And a neighbor of theirs (Miranda Otto) disappears. Norman thinks she needs to see a psychiatrist; maybe some held over emotions from her disastrous car wreck last year. But Claire 'knows' something is up; and that it has to do with the missing neighbor and her suspicious-looking husband (James Remar). She acquiesces to her husband's request (seeing a therapist). And while he doesn't outright believe his patient, he urges her to try to make contact with the ghost. Using a Ouiji board, she & her best friend (a dry, funny Diana Scarwid) have some success.
Is there a ghost? What does it have to do with the neighbor? What does Norman think? Now, the plot of 'What Lies Beneath' is preposterous; even within the confines of its supernatural premise. But I throw that out the window because I was so highly entertained. In fact, the movie is almost masterful in the way it presents the story, builds tension & keeps us on the edge of our seats (through most of it). There are a handful of sequences that literally had me digging into my arm rest (water/mirror images, scenes involving a fence & the entire Ouiji board sequence). Michelle Pfeiffer is just wonderful as the conflicted, could-be-losing-her-sanity Claire. And when her character takes an acute turn late in the proceedings (while wearing the red dress) ... you will be utterly transfixed.
Admittedly, the film runs off its rails in the closing moments. While one subplot does well to make us think the film is going in one direction (when it's not) ... another HUGE aspect of the movie is fairly predictable. But the majority of the film (before this revelation) is so dense in suspense, horror, & thrills that you don't really mind. Most of the gasping audience could attest to that. The screenplay is not the best. Some of the dialogue is laughable; but in a 'this is so bad it's good' kind of way. The eerie cinematography, moodiness, chilling moments & water motifs (fog, lake, snow, steam, bath tub) kept me glued to the screen. Check your brain at the door. But I doubt you won't be pulled-in to this quirky ghost mystery. Good, scary fun.