What Lies Beneath (2000)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers (WGA):

Sarah Kernochan (story) and
Clark Gregg (story) ...

Release Date:

21 July 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

He was the perfect husband until his one mistake followed them home.

Plot:

The wife of a university research scientist believes that her lakeside Vermont home is haunted by a ghost -- or that she's losing her mind.

Plot Keywords:

Infidelity | Revenge | Extramarital Affair | Writing On Wall | Charming But Evil Man

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Harrison Ford	...	Dr. Norman Spencer
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Claire Spencer
Diana Scarwid	...	Jody
Joe Morton	...	Dr. Drayton
James Remar	...	Warren Feur
Miranda Otto	...	Mary Feur
Amber Valletta	...	Madison Elizabeth Frank
Katharine Towne	...	Caitlin Spencer
Victoria Bidewell	...	Beatrice
Eliott Goretsky	...	Teddy
Ray Baker	...	Dr. Stan Powell
Wendy Crewson	...	Elena
Sloane Shelton	...	Mrs. Templeton
Tom Dahlgren	...	Dean Templeton
Micole Mercurio	...	Mrs. Frank

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for terror/violence, sensuality and brief language.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Japan:R | Iceland:16 | Hungary:16 (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Colombia:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Mexico:B | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Burlington, Vermont, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Director Robert Zemeckis filmed this while production on his Cast Away (2000) was shut down (for Tom Hanks to lose weight for his character).

Goofs:

Continuity: During the sequence when Claire is in the tub supposedly unable to move, her head is higher and lower in relation to the back edge of the tub in different shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Claire Spencer: Good morning, Beauty. Let's go or we'll never leave on time.
Caitlin Spencer: I'm totally ready.
Claire Spencer: Come on. I'll make you some waffles.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lethal Eviction (2005)

Soundtrack:

Gymnopedie No.1

Solidly creepy chiller

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.