What Lies Beneath
When Robert Zemeckis' What Lies Beneath was released, it was generally panned by critics, with a few notable exceptions (it made Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 of 2000 list). But this "throwaway" movie, which Zemeckis directed during a break from filming Cast Away, went on to gross more than $150 million. So who was right, the critics or the public?
In this case, it's power to the people. Yes, there's a road scene at the end that's a little cliched and silly, and yes, the soundtrack during the movie's climax sounds like a mangled version of Bernard Herrman's classic "Psycho" score. But by and large, What Lies Beneath does what it's designed to do: keep you on the edge of your seat and scare the hell out of you.
As the movie begins, husband and wife Dr. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) and Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) have recently moved into a new lakeside home in Vermont. Claire has just sent her daughter off to college, and with her husband working long hours as a university research scientist, she has plenty of time on her hands. In addition to snooping in on the ugly relationship between the couple next door (scenes that nod to Hitchock's classic Rear Window), Claire begins to hear strange voices and witnesses a series of eerie incidents around her home. A particuarly bad case of empty-nest syndrome? Not quite.
Claire believes the phenomenon may have something to do with the couple next door, particularly when the wife disappears without explanation. Unfortunately, if you've seen the trailer for the film, you already know more than I've explained here, including a major plot turn. For this, you can thank the studio and director Robert Zemeckis, who holds the idiotic notion that the public isn't bothered by having key plot elements revealed to them in a trailer (the Cast Away trailer is another example).
Fortunately, Zemeckis continues to ratchet up the tension in the film's second half, including a harrowing bathtub sequence that's one of the finest suspense scenes you'll see. Although he doesn't break much new ground, Zemeckis proves himself a master of the genre, manipulating images and sound for maximum suspense. Watching the film, you'll feel an unnerving fear of what's lurking just outside the screen.
Ford is solid in his role, providing enough ambiguity in his character to keep you guessing, but it's Pfeiffer who carries the film. Appearing in almost every scene, she expertly underplays the scare scenes and doesn't fall victim to "helpless-women-in-distress" cliches. It's a superb performance that deserved to garner more critical acclaim than it did.
On occasion, film critics get a little too high up on their horse and miss a good film, and that's exactly the case with What Lies Beneath. If you're a fan of classic suspense films, you won't want to miss it.
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Drinking a few brewskies has been known to enhance the experience of having the crap scared out of you.
Former People "Sexiest Man Alive" Ford + always-gorgeous Pfeiffer + lots of scares = you could get lucky.
Buy this movie from Amazon.com
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