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23 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Hitchcock's ghostAug 18, 2005
By milss
"Yellow hair warrior"
Robert Zemeckis makes his homage to Hitchcock in What Lies Beneath, starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
The Spencer's -Claire and Norman- are a supposedly happy and successful marriage. He is a prominent scientist, she's an ex musician that just left her only daughter at college. Free time takes Mrs. Spencer to spy on her neighbors, and from that activity she believes that a crime has been perpetrated next door. Insecure and nervous, Claire's paranoia grows as a series of paranormal events take place in her perfect home: doors open and close, electrical equipment turn on automatically, spectral visions in the bathtub. Are all these things related? That's one of the many secrets the movie hides.
A lonely home, secrets trying to be revealed, darkness, ghosts and the impending sensation that we are not sure what our eyes are seeing, What Lies Beneath has enough elements to hook you up for a scary time. Zemeckis takes advantage from every trick, cliche and ideas to spice the story, until he leaves us with a terrible deja vu sensation. The result is a supernatural thriller cleverly built, part psychological, part ghost story.
And one could very well wonder, when Michelle Pfeiffer sees a spectral reflex on the water, if the ghost we are seeing is indeed Mr Hitchcock.
As soon as the credits vanish, we take a walk from moments of Rear Window, Suspicion, Vertigo and even Psycho. The cinematic references overwhelm us, from the lead man's name, the disturbing music score, the movie's rhythm, the creepy house alone on a hill. Hitch's fans will enjoy tremendously this tribute
Pfeiffer and Ford are two stars talented and very charismatic, whose performances give more depth to the story. Pfeiffer, above all, is very convincing as the housewife victim of a series of inexplicable events. Her terror and her pain are very truthful. Ford is somewhat relegated to a second place.
In the end, the secrets that hide What Lies Beneath are not so interesting. The excess of subplots, tributes and tricks make the movie into a series of brilliant moments that are bigger than the whole. For the entertaining time, we can thank Zemeckis. For the suspense and fear that comes from our inner souls, let's thank Hitchcock, the man that understood that, in a good story, there must lie beneath secrets and emotions too scary to be revealed ever.
30 of 35 found the following review helpful:
Genuinely CreepyDec 21, 2000
By Bradford Wilson
In a time in which good horror/suspense movies are few and far between, Robert Zemeckis brings us a wonderfully and surprisingly taut and well-balanced thriller filmed in the grand tradition of the great Alfred Hitchcock. Finally, a horror movie that doesn't rely on fake blood and cheesy special effects to wow the crowd, or attempt to scare the feeble minded. The movie is centered around a couple, recently moved, who has discovered a supernatural presence in their new dwelling. The wife, Claire (played beautifully by Michelle Pfeiffer, in one of the best female performances of the year) believes it to be the ghost of the neighbor she suspects has been murdered. The husband, Norman (played well by Harrison Ford) of course, thinks she is crazy. The movie twists and turns around this basic central plot, leading to an ending that, although not terrible, I'm still not quite buying. The greatness of the movie comes not from the plot, but from the style in which the film was created. Some of the devices are a bit overused (a door opens mysteriously about three times too many), but not too much as to distract the viewer. There are some great scenes that, although clichéd, (there's a wonderful scene that borrows heavily from Rear Window) work beautifully and really instill a sense of apprehension in the viewer. Also, Zemeckis utilizes silence to build suspense where a lesser director might use the old disonant-music-crescendos-into-a-big-loud-scare tactic that we see all too often in horror movies. Somewhere along the way, the line between horror movies and slasher films has blurred. It seems now that if you want to scare people, all you need is some fake blood and a knife. This movie proves that something can still be scary without dumbing it down.
19 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 Entertaining!Jan 15, 2001
By Victor Drysel
Robert Zemeckis gives us this non stop thrill ride starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. The story is about a couple (Ford and Pfeiffer) who's only child recently moves off to college leaving the two by themselves in a new home. The story quickly leaves that norm when the house turns out to be haunted by some sort of spiritual being. The film vaguely resembles a good Hitchcock movie with its' great work of shadows and an evil yet terrifying scene with a bath tub. The movie has a few surprises and scares that you don't expect which gives you more than enough reason to check this one out.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Sheer horrorMar 27, 2001
By Jublistic
What Lies BeneathScore: 78/100 Beware of the trailer for What Lies Beneath! If you want to see the film and not know what's going to happen, you must stay away from all adverts of this classy, hip thriller. I, fortunately, knew nothing about the movie when I went to see it, so I was lucky. But, if you see the trailer, you'll be able to guess the end twist within the first second. However, once you keep yourself darned away from that advertisement, your on the right track, and are sure to like this chilling and thought-provoking film. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford), a university research scientist, is growing more and more concerned about his wife, Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer), a retired concert cellist who a year ago was involved in a serious auto accident, and who has just sent off her daughter Caitlin (Norman's stepdaughter) to college. Now, Claire reports hearing voices and witnessing eerie occurrences in and around their lakeside Vermont home, including seeing the face of a young woman reflected in water. An increasingly frightened Claire thinks the phenomena have something to do with the couple living next door, especially since the wife has disappeared without apparent explanation. At her husband's urging, Claire starts to see a therapist; she tells him she thinks the house is being haunted by a ghost. His advice? Try to make contact. Enlisting the help of her best friend, Jody (Diana Scarwid), and a ouija board, Claire seeks to find out the truth of What Lies Beneath. At the very, very end the film kinds of drains away and leaves us with something a little more lifeless than the first hour and a half, but, flaws aside, What Lies Beneath is an excellent film. However, to call it a film or a movie is underestimating this thriller - it's more of an experience. What Lies Beneath's spooks and scares will practically traumatise you for the coming days. It's a truly horrifying piece of cinema, behind The Exorcist as the scariest film of all time. I couldn't stop jumping out of my seat and my face was pale when I came out of the cinema. It may not have the brilliance of The Exorcist, but it certainly has the style, the high performance level and the true smell of sheer horror that The Exorcist had included in 1973. Not for everyone, but for people who want a lot of fun as well as a lot of seriously sweaty scares, What Lies Beneath is the perfect night out.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Awesome Jaw Dropper !!!Dec 09, 2000
By Ertan Ergil
First of all I want to say that this movie is wonderful.Its story is well writen as it has seen on movie.The relation between the Ford and Pfeiffer is well acted you can not imagine anything what was happenning in it.Also Its picture and effects are so perfect designed also the music is so well.Besides I want to mentioned that the last 30 minutes are so scary and bumping.It makes people jump 20 inches.Don't You Believe Me.See it with your own eyes and understand what I am talking about.Lastly everyone especially collectors should own one . Strictly Recommended !!!
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