laire (Pfeiffer) and Norman Spencer (Ford) seem to have it all--money, success, a loving marriage and a beautiful lakeside home. When her daughter leaves for college, however, Claire starts to find her idyllic life crumbling all around her.
Acutely feeling empty-nest syndrome, she turns her attention to the new neighbors, the Feurs. After seeing the husband carrying a large bundle out to the trunk of his car one night, Claire starts to suspect that he has murdered his wife.
Soon after, strange phenomena start occurring around the house; a picture keeps falling to the ground, doors open on their own, and whispering noises fill empty rooms. Claire is convinced this is all caused by the ghost of Mrs.
Feur. But at a party, Claire discovers that Mrs. Feur is alive and well. She apologetically explains the reasonable circumstances of her sudden disappearance.
Meanwhile, Claire's husband, Norman, is not without his own personal demons. A brilliant professor and scientist, he constantly lives in the shadow of his famous father. He is supportive, but when Claire continues to insist that she is seeing things, he convinces her to see a therapist.
The odd occurrences only escalate in frequency and creepiness. Claire begins to suspect that the haunting has to do with the disappearance of a young student about a year ago. What exactly is her husband's connection to this girl? The dark truth could very well destroy their seemingly perfect life.
A solid thriller
If Hitchcock were to film a ghost story today, it would probably look like What Lies Beneath. Superficially, this film has all the elements of classic suspense--a complicated plot with unexpected twists, a heroine in jeopardy and a roller-coaster ride of emotions. There are even direct homages to both Psycho and Rear Window. Homage is as far as it goes, however, as What Lies Beneath doesn't reach Hitchcock's heights of originality and innovation. The result is a good, solid supernatural thriller, but not a great one.
Known for directing and producing films of wide appeal, Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Contact) doesn't stray far from formulaic moviemaking for this flick. He employs every horror genre cliché in the book, most especially the fright gag, which happens so many times early on that it lessens the impact of the real scares when they finally come.
Pfeiffer is in top form as the fragile, afflicted Claire. Ford doesn't disappoint either, although his screen presence has become akin to an old, starched shirt--comfortable and familiar, yet stiff and a bit worn around the edges. Particularly notable among the cast is Diana Scarwid as Claire's New Age-y best friend.
The cinematography is elegant; long shadows add a sinister undercurrent to the Spencers' picturesque home, contrasting with the stark white light of the bathroom scenes. There are some neat visual tricks, too. Unfortunately, these aren't enough to enliven the screenplay.
