Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

What Lies Beneath

Play trailer 2:27 Poster for What Lies Beneath PG-13 2000 2h 6m Mystery & Thriller Horror Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
49% Tomatometer 130 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
It had been a year since Dr. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) betrayed his beautiful wife Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer). But with Claire oblivious to the truth, Norman's life and marriage seem so perfect that when Claire tells him of hearing mysterious voices and seeing a young woman's image in their home, he dismisses her terror as delusion. Claire moves closer to the truth and it becomes clear that this apparition will not be dismissed, and has come back for Dr. Spencer and his beautiful wife.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Robert Zemeckis is unable to salvage an uncompelling and unoriginal film.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/29/2010
2/5
Cross between Fatal Attraction, Poltergeist. Go to Full Review
Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films 05/08/2002
D+
Most of the “boo” moments are obvious a mile off, which makes it hard to be properly frightened, or even startled. Go to Full Review
Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine 05/02/2001
1.5/4
Pfeiffer almost single-handedly lifts the picture above mediocrity. Go to Full Review
Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal May 19
3/5
Robert Zemeckis's filmmaking is precise but also a bit too precious and passionless. Still, Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer are perfectly cast & the melodramatic heat of its final stretch — featuring one of Zemeckis's all-time great bits — saves it. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy May 10
2/4
As schizophrenic as any film that comes to mind -- I reasonably wondered if elements from Wuthering Heights or Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood wouldn’t somehow find their way into this crazy patchwork quilt of a movie. Go to Full Review
Michele "Izzy" Galgana ScreenAnarchy May 8
A twisty, supernatural thriller with a good dose of melodrama. Think Hitchcock with a bit of Douglas Sirk. It’s a very well-made film. ... A very enjoyable, fun thriller, the kind that you want to watch on a dark, stormy night. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
David H @DavidQHarris 11h Not a bad film. It entertained me and kept my interest for a couple of hours, but there are definitely better thrillers out there. See more TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch 23h What Lies Beneath is a suspenseful psychological thriller that proves how powerful atmosphere and strong performances can be. Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a standout turn, carrying the film with vulnerability, fear, and emotional depth, while Harrison Ford adds quiet tension and complexity to their relationship. Their chemistry makes the mystery more believable and gives weight to every twist. Director Robert Zemeckis carefully builds suspense through lighting, sound, and pacing, choosing slow-burn tension over cheap jump scares. The film keeps viewers engaged by focusing on character first, letting the mystery unfold naturally. While the screenplay has a few predictable moments and minor flaws, it remains gripping and well-structured. Overall, What Lies Beneath is an entertaining and underrated thriller that balances romance, mystery, and psychological horror. It may not be perfect, but its performances, atmosphere, and emotional storytelling make it worth revisiting See more Ryan W @CataloniusDyphon Jan 17 I feel like this movie is underrated. The star power, glossiness and a few clunkier moments/elements may make it seem like a sort of run-of-the-mill cheap thrill-fest, but it gets under the skin for me. The pacing and direction are excellent, delivering genuinely chilling moments, a thick atmosphere and a few satisfying surprises. There are some great shots as well. I saw it in theaters when it first came out and just rewatched it 25 (!) years later, and both times I felt immersed in its world. It's got some weight, thanks partly to the way it touches on the dark edges of relationships, gender dynamics, social status, aloneness and fear, but not in a heavy-handed way. It manages to be scary, unsettling and fun, and it lingers in the mind after the credits roll. See more Mark B @Mbindon Jan 6 It really loses steam throughout the movie. Premise was pretty good but the last 35 minutes go on and on and is very unsatisfying. See more Kalissa H. @kali_416 Dec 13 Slow but a cool premise See more Benjamin G @BxDxGx Dec 5 Classic film. Classic setting. Excellent progression that keeps you guessing with enough clues to let you figure it out for yourself. I remember when I first watched it in theater, I was hooked the whole time. Watching it decades later, it still holds up well as a standalone original murder mystery with Ford as an unexpected but great casting for the part, Pfieffer does an excellent job, too. The East Coast lake scenery is outstanding, such an incredible home and area to film around. I would argue that it’s one of the better films of its genre that implements supernatural elements without going too overboard. Can’t help but notice how the lack of high definition helps add a little more mystique and nostalgia to this era of filmmaking (90s, early 2000s). I’ve heard quite a few people talk about how too much high definition is ruining modern films. I’ve noticed it throw things off at times but, more often than not, I appreciate HD quality when cinematography is executed well. See more Read all reviews
What Lies Beneath

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - Channeling the Dead What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - Channeling the Dead 2:09 What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - What Do You Want? What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - What Do You Want? 2:01 What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - You Killed Her, Didn't You? What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - You Killed Her, Didn't You? 2:04 What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - Drowning in the Bathtub What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - Drowning in the Bathtub 2:13 What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - I Think She's Starting to Suspect Something What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - I Think She's Starting to Suspect Something 2:13 What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - I Know You Killed Her What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - I Know You Killed Her 2:03 What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - The Woman That Lies Beneath What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - The Woman That Lies Beneath 2:12 What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - Setting up a Suicide What Lies Beneath: Official Clip - Setting up a Suicide 2:13 View more videos
An American Haunting 12% 35% An American Haunting Watchlist The Haunting 17% 28% The Haunting Watchlist The Ring 72% 48% The Ring Watchlist TRAILER for The Ring The Others 84% 77% The Others Watchlist Paparazzi 17% 38% Paparazzi Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis It had been a year since Dr. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) betrayed his beautiful wife Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer). But with Claire oblivious to the truth, Norman's life and marriage seem so perfect that when Claire tells him of hearing mysterious voices and seeing a young woman's image in their home, he dismisses her terror as delusion. Claire moves closer to the truth and it becomes clear that this apparition will not be dismissed, and has come back for Dr. Spencer and his beautiful wife.
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Producer
Steve Starkey
Screenwriter
Clark Gregg, Sarah Kernochan, Clark Gregg
Distributor
DreamWorks SKG, 20th Century Fox
Production Co
20th Century Fox, DreamWorks SKG, ImageMovers
Rating
PG-13 (Sensuality|Brief Language|Terror|Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Horror, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 21, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$155.4M
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Most Popular at Home Now