HOW WELL DOOYOO KNOW SOMEONE (What Lies Beneath (DVD))

Member Name: jingles

Product:	What Lies Beneath (DVD)
Date:	18/09/01 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Spine tingler thriller

Disadvantages: Very long - over 2 hours

We rented this video from Xtravision over the weekend – we were having a lazy one so renting a video was easier than going to the cinema! It was a special 2 new releases for 2 nights for £5 – not bad!! I choose What Lies Beneath. Why – l don’t know – Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer are actors of a certain stature and do not usually make bad movies l suppose.

It is a Robert Zemeckis film and from what l can gather a bit of a change of style for him – his previous big hits being the likes of Forrest Gump and Back to the Future – both comedy feel good films. Well feel good this ain’t!

What lies beneath is a psychological thriller – similar to The hand that rocks the Cradle etc etc. I watched this movie in certain parts with a cushion covering my face and my eyes wide and peeping over the top! The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end l can tell you!

Without wanting to give away too much l will give you the basic plot.

Dr Norman Spencer is a brilliantly gifted scientist who specialised in genetics, his dazzlingly beautiful wife Clare Spencer is a housewife who once had a promising career playing the cello. She gave all this up for her man – and it was a fairytale romance – single mum meets brilliant doctor, they fall in love, they got married. Clare was previously married but her first husband died, leaving her a single mum of Catlin. The year previous to when the movie was set, so we are told Clare was in a serious car accident and is only beginning to recover.

The film opens with shots of the Spencer’s next door neighbours the Furer’s arguing passionately. Cut to Clare in bed, dragging herself up – it’s the day she was dreading – Catlin is flying the nest and heading to college. She finds herself alone and suffering from empty nest syndrome. Norman is busy preparing a new paper, which is critical to his work
and so is ignoring his wife, somewhat.

Clare begins to imagine things – sounds, voices, doors opening them, pictures smashing, or things turning off and on. At times she is so freaked out she rushes to Norman’s work. Norman eventually convinces her to seek help. Clare is convinced that something is going on at her neighbour’s house (lm telling you no more than that!).

At a counselling session she admits that she thinks there is a ghost in her house. The councillor tells her to ask her what they want. This leads Clare to purchase an oujia board and we see her in the bathroom with her friend Jools holding a séance. Of course it’s a waste of time. Only when Jools leaves does the spirit make itself known to Clare.

As things get so out of hand, Clare confronts her neighbour Mr Furer – only to find out that she is totally way off track. The noises and ghostly goings on do not disappear though.

When the same picture falls and the glass shatters for a second time, Clare gets a lead, which will eventually lead her to a truth that she could never, imagine. Her whole life is turned upside down. In truth she is lucky to escape with her life intact.

For me to carry on with the story plot would really ruin the movie – l hope l have given you enough information to whet your appetite and so convince you to rent it!

Harrison Ford plays Norman Spencer – the loyal and devoted husband willing to do anything to keep his wife and his job. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Clare Spencer – the stay at home wife of the hugely successful genetics scientist – the trophy wife. As usual Ford and Pfeiffer give of their best and are very believable in the roles of Mr & Mrs Spencer. The film is a certificate 15 as violent scenes and strong language are present – not much sex though – sorry! The running time is 125 minutes – just over 2 hours – so get plenty of popcorn in!


I’ll leave you with a quote from the movie trailer:

“He was the perfect husband until his one mistake followed him home.”

Are you intrigued yet?

Heather

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