What Lies Beneath (2000)
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A woman living in a lakeside Vermont home begins to suspect that the property is haunted by a female ghost.
The story
Former cellist Claire Spencer and her husband, Norman, a scientist and professor, live at their lakeside home in Vermont. Their relationship is strained, particularly after Claire's daughter and Norman's stepdaughter, Caitlin, leaves for college. Adding to the tension, it has been a year since Claire suffered a serious car accident. Claire begins to notice unsettling occurrences, including a woman's reflection in a bathtub and a sense of an eerie presence. When she notices their neighbors' volatile relationship and the disappearance of the neighbor's wife, Claire begins to suspect that the house is haunted by a female ghost, leading her to investigate the source of the haunting.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Claire Spencer and her husband Norman live in a Vermont lakeside home. Following a car accident a year prior, Claire begins experiencing supernatural occurrences, including a woman's reflection in a bathtub and a sense of being haunted. She discovers a newspaper article about a woman named Madison Elizabeth Frank, who looks like her. After a séance, Claire becomes possessed by Madison's spirit and confronts her neighbor, Warren. She eventually learns that Norman had an affair with Madison. During a confrontation, Norman admits he pushed Madison's car into the lake after she threatened to expose their affair. He attempts to kill Claire by drugging her and staging her death in the bathtub. During a final struggle in the lake, the wreckage of Madison's car shifts, and her corpse emerges, grabbing Norman and allowing Claire to escape. The film ends with Claire placing a rose on Madison's grave.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Zemeckis
- Writers
- Clark Gregg · screenplay; Sarah Kernochan · story
- Cast and characters
- Harrison Ford · Norman; Michelle Pfeiffer · Claire Spencer; Diana Scarwid · Mary; Miranda Otto · Jody; James Remar · Warren Feur; Joe Morton · Madison; Amber Valletta · Madison
- Genres
- supernatural horror; thriller
- Themes
- haunting; adultery; memory; mental health
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; eerie
- Premise and plot tags
- ghost; haunted house; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- A story by Sarah Kernochan, inspired by a real paranormal experience.
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Michelle Pfeiffer's performance but criticized the script. It was a box office success, becoming the tenth highest-grossing film of the year.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 51 · scale: 100 · review count: 35; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Horror Film · Nomination; Saturn Award · Best Director · Nomination; Saturn Award · Best Actress · Nomination; Blockbuster Entertainment Award · Favorite Actor – Suspense · Win; Blockbuster Entertainment Award · Favorite Actress – Suspense · Win; Blockbuster Entertainment Award · Favorite Supporting Actress – Suspense · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was produced by Zemeckis' production company ImageMovers after it rebranded from South Side Amusement Company.; The character of Madison was not originally written to be a lookalike to Michelle Pfeiffer.; The film was shot while the production of Cast Away was on a hiatus.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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