What Lies Beneath (2000)

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

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Clark Gregg (screenplay), Sarah Kernochan (story)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Katharine Towne

7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Claire Spencer
Katharine Towne	...	Caitlin Spencer
Miranda Otto	...	Mary Feur
James Remar	...	Warren Feur
Harrison Ford	...	Norman Spencer
Victoria Bidewell	...	Beatrice
Diana Scarwid	...	Jody
Dennison Samaroo	...	PhD Student #1
Jennifer Tung	...	PhD Student #2
Eliott Goretsky	...	Teddy
Rachel Singer	...	PhD Student #3
Daniel Zelman	...	PhD Student #4
Ray Baker	...	Dr. Stan Powell
Wendy Crewson	...	Elena
Amber Valletta	...	Madison Elizabeth Frank

Storyline

Norman Spencer, a university research scientist, is growing more and more concerned about his wife, Claire, 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, and a ouija board, Claire seeks to find out the truth of What Lies Beneath.

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Plot Keywords:

hitchcockian | death by drowning | small village | pick up truck | entity | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 July 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

What Lies Beneath

Filming Locations:

Burlington, Vermont, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,702,959, 23 July 2000

Gross USA:

$155,464,351

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$291,420,351

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Twentieth Century Fox, ImageMovers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At 9.40. Into the movie Claire is folding some clothes into her daughters bureau. One of the things that is put on the bureau is a small E.T. doll. Harrison Ford was once married to Melissa Mathison who was the screenwriter of E.T.

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Goofs

It seems unlikely that Norman or Claire would be able to dial 911. Only 30 of Vermont's 250 towns have 911 service. Residents in rural areas, like Norman and Claire's town, have to dial 7 or 11 digits to call for emergency services.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

When the movie title first appears on screen, the word 'Lies' appears just before the rest of the title.

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Connections

Referenced in Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

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Soundtracks

Gymnopedie No.1
Written by Erik Satie
Performed by Rowena Hammill

User Reviews

What lies beneath? A smarter movie struggling to get out...

Robert Zemeckis' homage to Hitchcock (funny how we always say 'homage' and not 'plagiarism') concerns a married couple, their spooky new house, a suspicious neighbor...and enough red herrings to weigh down any commercially-viable product. Still, I was hooked for about a third of the way (once the wife supernaturally took on the persona of a missing woman and seduced her husband with a little licking and biting, I began losing faith). By the finale, so many gimmicks are being thrown at the screen, it just becomes an upscale B-flick. All the inconsistencies aside, one has to applaud Michelle Pfeiffer for her gratifying performance; even though the entire subplot about Pfeiffer's neighbor leads nowhere, she is very appealing walking up to the man in public and calling him a "murdering son-of-a-b*tch". Harrison Ford is fairly solid as well, until the last act which leaves both he and Michelle completely rudderless. That's when the filmmakers go overboard and sink this suspense-thriller in a sea of slick desperation. **1/2 from ****