Synopsis:

Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) is sending her daughter off to college and with that it seems that her reason for being, has been pulled away from her. Not one to allow her depression to take hold, Claire plans to focus on the other riches her life has to offer. Her primary objectives are to spend huge amounts of time in her garden and to work on becoming a more active member of her "flower club". With her daughter gone and her husband at work, the house starts to feel a little empty and that's when the terror begins! The front door opens by itself the bathtub mysteriously fills with water and the radio comes on and goes off without any human intervention. Not surprisingly, these events lead Claire to believe that a "presence" has taken up residence in her house. As soon as Norman gets home Claire tells him all about the events of the day making sure to drill home the point that someone dead is definately hanging out in their house. Believing his wife to be a little too intensely driven on the subject, Norman (Harrison Ford) her husband, suggests she speak to a therapist. Expecting the therapist to talk sense into Claire, Norman is none too thrilled when Claire arrives home prepared to make contact with the Spirit per her therapist's orders. One thing leads to another and Claire becomes convinced that the spirit is that of her recently "murdered" neighbor. A little investigation and embarrassment concludes that it's not her neighbor but in fact the restless spirit of another who may have died in her home. With each passing day, the intensity grows stronger and the visitations more frequent until, …Well, I couldn't tell you the rest without totally ruining the experience for you! Suffice it to say you'll never know the meaning of these events until you confront the utter darkness of… What Lies Beneath!

Audio/Video:

The audio and video for this latest DreamWorks release is akin to its usual top-drawer treatment. The DD 5.1 platform is tremendously effective in sending shivers up and down your spine! Though not an aggressive soundtrack to be sure, it does provide enough aural bump and thud to make you twitch if not jump in a dimly lit room. The center was well delineated and the surrounds were rich in their reproduction of the various effects used to create an the needed sense of dread and fear that propels the film. Director's Commentary. The Director-Robert Zemeckis and Producers, Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke provide the commentary track. Not very high on technical information, it's more of a "gushing" if you will over the elements composed to create the final version of the film. As commentary tracks go, it's not the best but certainly not the worst. It's almost like watching the film with friends who are really into the whole movie making process. The level of interest and knowledge exuded by the contributors is so involving and encompassing it's almost like having a personal discussion with them on the topic of filmmaking. One of the cooler aspects of the commentary is the insight into Zemeckis's choice for the lead roles in the film as well as his choice of a script that had the kind of teeth needed to provide a "Hitchkockian" element to what could have otherwise been an average run-of-the-mill Ghost story. While I felt the "Hitchcock-esque" idea a bit far flung, I'll admit I sensed a bit of "Rear Window" in one of the earlier segments of the film. In addition to the DD5.1 platform, a DTS5.1 segment is also included. For my review, I listened to the DD5.1. One day I'll own a player capable of reproducing both but, until then, I'll just have to stick with my good ole' DD5.1!

The video was an artifact free anamorphically enhanced widescreen transfer that shined with clarity. I did notice one or two instances where the images where not as sharp as I thought they might have been but on the whole I was very pleased with the presentation. The colors were not very bright but they were accurate given the time of year the film is supposed to take place during.

Extras:

The extras consisted of : Creating the Perfect Thriller: Behind the scenes of What Lies Beneath This is essentially a 15-minute HBO-First Look documentary on the making of the film. It features interviews with the leads, Pfeiffer and Ford as well as the Producers and the Director. It also does a bit of a background documentary on the Director's earliest works to his most recent release.

Theatrical Trailer

The film's trailer is included in DD5.1/Widescreen And that rounds out the extras on this release.

Overall:

I have to say that I am not a fan of Ghost movies. Primarily because they tend to trod upon the same boring ground with few, if any surprises. What Lies Beneath was a pleasant surprise and truly worthy of the title "thriller". While, the notion that it's good enough to be included within the coda of Hitchcock films is not terribly accurate, it's certainly a good thriller and worthy of a look-see. Is this the same old "Old Dark House" kind of herk and jerk? well yes it is. However, Zemeckis knows a good thing when he sees one! And he can manipulate it and mold it into a believable experience. Some of the events within the film were definitely absolutes in the Horror genre but I think that's to his credit. He went out to make a great horror movie and came away with a good thriller! Highly Recommended