Beneath (2007)

Director:

Dagen Merrill

Writers:

Kevin Burke (written by) &
Dagen Merrill (written by)

Release Date:

7 August 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror lives below

Plot:

Christy (Zehetner) returns to her hometown years after a car accident that disfigured her older sister. Haunted by the accident in which she was the driver, she learns that her worst nightmares have either come true ... or are about to.

Plot Keywords:

Car Accident | Vision | Buried Alive | Borderline Personality Disorder | Death Of Sister

Cast

Nora Zehetner	...	Christy
Brenna O'Brien	...	Christy - 14 years
Carly Pope	...	Vanessa
Don S. Davis	...	Joseph
Beatrice Zeilanger	...	Nurse at Vanessa's Funeral (as Beatrice Zeilinger)
Matthew Settle	...	John
Gabrielle Rose	...	Mrs. Locke
Timothy Paul Perez	...	Dr. Perry (as Tim Perez)
Jessica Amlee	...	Amy
Nicola Anderson	...	Debbie
Eliza Norbury	...	Stark Woman / Claire
Patrick Gilmore	...	Randy
Warren Christie	...	Jeff
Julian Christopher	...	Dr. Cestia (as Julian D. Christopher)
Lynsey Brothers	...	Young Nurse
Gillian Barber	...	Donna
John Emmet Tracy	...	Funeral Home Employee
Tom McBeath	...	Mr. Wells
Leedine Lah	...	Hurried Nurse
Bruno Verdoni	...	Coroner Hank
Heather Feeney	...	Vanessa Dark
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brian Mulligan	...	Zeke (uncredited)

Directed by
Dagen Merrill

Writing credits
Kevin Burke		(written by) &
Dagen Merrill		(written by)

Produced by
Michael Barlow	....	executive producer
Sean Covel	....	producer (as Sean C. Covel)
Troy Craig Poon	....	producer
Christopher Dalton	....	co-executive producer (as Chris Dalton)
John Fiedler	....	executive producer
David Gale	....	executive producer
Celeste Garcia	....	associate producer
Paul Hanson	....	executive producer
Victor Ho	....	co-producer
David Kaye	....	executive producer
Van Toffler	....	executive producer
Chris Wyatt	....	producer

Original Music by
John Frizzell
Frederik Wiedmann

Cinematography by
Mike Southon		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jeff Gullo

Casting by
Kerry Barden
Billy Hopkins
Suzanne Smith

Production Design by
Tink

Art Direction by
Rick Willoughby

Costume Design by
Heather Douglas		(as Heather Lee Douglas)

Makeup Department
Calla Syna Dreyer	....	key makeup artist (as Calla Syna Dool)
Corrina Holburn	....	special makeup effects assistant
Shauna Magrath	....	special makeup effects artist
Bill Terezakis	....	special makeup effects design
Maureen Terezakis	....	makeup effects producer
Vince Yoshida	....	fabricator

Production Management
Christopher Dalton	....	production supervisor (as Chris Dalton)
Victor Ho	....	production manager
Kiki Morris	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Heimbecker	....	third assistant director
Victor Landrie	....	second assistant director
Jennifer Lum	....	trainee assistant director
Matthias Mellinghaus	....	first assistant director
Chris Wyatt	....	second unit director

Art Department
Karie Adkens	....	property master
Tyler Jones	....	graphics
Dylan Patti	....	assistant property master
Jerry Staar	....	on set dresser

Sound Department
Matthew Sordello	....	sound
Peter Staubli	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Allen Benjamin	....	special effects coordinator
Brant McIlroy	....	special effects

Stunts
Carolyn Anderson	....	stunts
Laura Lee Connery	....	stunts
Kim Howey	....	stunts
Phillip Mitchell	....	stunts
John Wardlow	....	stunt coordinator
Jeffrey C. Robinson	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dan Basaraba	....	dolly grip
Glen A. Dickson	....	additional camera operator
Mike Fiedler	....	best boy grip
Mathias Herndl	....	director of photography: second unit
Jesse Keay	....	best boy electric
Morgan Lafleur	....	lamp operator
Martin Nicholas	....	key grip
Michael Wallbank	....	grip

Casting Department
Lynne Carrow	....	casting director: Canada
Melissa Perry	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jennifer Dawson	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Ray Boniker	....	assistant editor
Gregg Garvin	....	colorist
Cher Hanusiak	....	assistant editor
Grant Myers	....	first assistant editor

Transportation Department
Dean Fitzpatrick	....	transportation coordinator
Ian Thompson	....	picture bus wrangler (uncredited)

Other crew
Kelley Baker	....	production accountant
Dale Cornick	....	first assistant accountant
Alix Falkiner	....	assistant location manager
Heather Gittens	....	first assistant production coordinator
Michael David Kaye	....	assistant to producer
Douglas Kirkpatrick	....	production attorney
Blair Miller	....	second assistant coordinator
Eric Moro	....	unit publicist
Susan Nestibo	....	location manager
Darren Robertson	....	playback coordinator
Joyce Sawa	....	production coordinator
Damon Isiah Turner	....	assistant: Mr. Poon
Susan Williams	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Paramount Classics (present)
• MTV Films (present)

Distributors

• Paramount Vantage (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Film1 (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and disturbing images

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M | Germany:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Classics

Goofs:

Continuity: When Christy is at the computer searching for Claire Wells, she opens a cupboard door below the desk. Inside the cupboard is a 10-pack of Hydromorphone. In the first shot, the label is on the right-hand side, then it's on the left, and in the third shot it's back on the right again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Christy - 14 years:Why do we celebrate them dying?
Vanessa:We're not celebrating. We're honoring them. It's our responsibility.

Nothing new...

As a teenager Christy Wescot and her sister Vanessa are in a car accident. Vanessa becomes horribly burned before she eventually dies. Christy has a mental breakdown and leaves town. Six years later she returns when their old caretaker passes away. Memories and visions haunt her. Could Vanessa be trying to say something from beyond the grave?

We've seen the story before. A person who has suffered some childhood trauma returns home only to be confronted with demons past. Beneath never manages to do something new and creative with this concept, but in its unoriginality it still remains pretty watchable. One of the reasons for this is the mercifully short running time and general pace. There isn't anything excessive in the movie. We are told what's necessary and little else. Some movies need time to unfold, while others like Beneath, benefit on being concise and to the point. None of the actors really make a mark, but Nora Zehetner as Christy is likable enough. It was a pleasant surprise to see Don S. Davis (Twin Peaks, Stargate SG-1) in a minor role as the caretaker Joseph too. The technical aspects of the movie are generally decent, with a couple of great shots, like the tracking shot as Christy first comes home. There was one musical cue that was supposed to scare, but instead came off as forced ruining an otherwise decent scene. Speaking of scares there is very little suspense in the movie. The returning visions may yank those dosing on the couch back to reality, however it soon becomes tiresome. Only towards the end does Beneath manage to create some tension, but it's too little too late. The ending was an interesting mess making me wonder if they were unsure how to round it all off.

Ultimately Beneath isn't likely to scare horror fans, though a younger crowd may find it satisfying. The film is well made for being a straight-to-DVD release and everyone involved seem to have contributed the best they could. It looks alright and it kept my attention throughout. I only wish they had made a stronger effort in writing the script.