What Lies Beneath (2000)

Act I: _Rear_Window_. Claire thinks that the strange happenings in her house could be a result of some suspicious goings-on with her neighbors (James Remar and Miranda Otto), so she starts poking around where she shouldn't. Every once in a while, things predictably jump into frame accompanied by a stinger chord on Alan Silvestri's score. The only real shock of this section is what a long waste of time it is (if you've seen any of the advertising, you'll know exactly why).

Act II: "I see dead people." The supernatural bent comes to the fore, with Claire trading in amateur sleuthing for novice witchcraft in hopes of contacting whatever apparition is haunting her home. Zemeckis is able to create some moments of tension and creepiness, particularly in one sequence where Claire gets a bit too close to the ghost (again, if you've seen any of the commercials, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about). But as Norman voices his increasing disbelief, so will you.

Act III: Slice and dice. In a turn I was not at all prepared to take, the disco very of the rather down-to-earth truth transforms Claire into a helpless and idiotic B-movie scream queen, paying no attention to common sense and the rules of a horror movie. Again, Zemeckis pulls off some impressive moments and images. The extended _Diabolique_ reference works better than it rightfully should (a blatant _Psycho_ lift, however, far less so), and in one bravura camera move, Zemeckis swoops the camera from regular P.O.V. to right under the floor, as if it had magically become transparent. Still, this is your basic slasher movie climax, with Claire running for her life as evil things have their way of grabbing at her.

Everyone involved in this film is clearly above the material. As I have stated, Zemeckis is able to generate some suspense out of some very silly situations. Ford acquits himself well in a fairly small role. But the one who maintains the most dignity--and rather ironically at that, considering the ridiculous wringer she's put through--is Pfeiffer. Her character undergoes just as many radical shifts as everything else in the film, but Pfeiffer's conviction and innate likability go a long way.

But, ultimately, she and what good there is in _What_Lies_Beneath_ isn't quite enough to successfully bring together what is essentially three movies in one--and despite the ready-for-a-promo sound of that description, that is _not_ a good thing.

Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CinemaReview Magazine: http://www.CinemaReview.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23

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