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What Lies Beneath
Norman and Claire Spencer are a seemingly happily married couple who uncover a terrible secret… a secret so disturbing it threatens to destroy them.
2000 · Directed by Robert Zemeckis · 130 min · Drama · Horror · Mystery · Thriller · Screenplay in the scene database · 16 frames
Tagline
He was the perfect husband until his one mistake followed them home.
Plot
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 observes that their new neighbors, Mary and Warren Feur, have a volatile relationship. When Mary disappears for several days, Claire suspects that Warren may have killed her. She starts experiencing unsettling occurrences: she believes she sees a woman's body in the lake, their front door opens on its own, and she senses an eerie presence. When a framed newspaper article about Norman falls from his desk and shatters, Claire discovers an unusual key. Soon after, she finds the bathtub mysteriously filled with water and sees a woman's reflection in it.
Norman is dismissive of Claire's fear that their house is haunted and suggests she see a therapist to deal with her mounting anxiety. During a session, Claire mentions seeing a woman who bears a striking resemblance to her. Claire and her friend Jody hold a séance. Shortly after, she again finds the bathtub filled with water. A message reading "You're next" briefly, then "you know" appears on the foggy bathroom mirror, and her computer types the initials "MEF." Convinced that Mary's ghost is haunting her, Claire confronts Warren. Mary appears next to him, alive and well, shocking Claire.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Clark Gregg
- Cinematography: Don Burgess
- Edited by: Arthur Schmidt
- Music: Alan Silvestri
- Production design: William James Teegarden, Rick Carter
- Produced by: Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey
Cast
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Claire Spencer
- Harrison Ford as Norman Spencer
- Diana Scarwid as Jody
- Joe Morton as Dr. Drayton
- James Remar as Warren Feur
- Miranda Otto as Mary Feur
- Wendy Crewson as Elena
- Ray Baker as Stan Powell
- Micole Mercurio as Mrs. Frank
- Amber Valletta as Madison Frank
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: DreamWorks Pictures, 20th Century Fox, ImageMovers
- Budget: $100,000,000
- Box office: $291,420,351
- Themes: lake, therapist, haunted house, haunting, suspicion, ouija board, car accident, new neighbor, vermont, missing child
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