"What Lies Beneath" has a few moments that actually keep you on the edge of the seat, but for the most part, it's corny. One thing I will say, is that at the wake for Harrison Ford, as we all bemoan what a great actor we have lost, there will be at least one caveat "well, there was What Lies Beneath."

The story concerns Michelle Pfeifer as a woman named Claire, who is married to an almost brilliant professor named Norman. We know he's almost brilliant since there are a number of times when we hear that his father was better than he.

But he's doing well enough to keep Michelle in a magnificent house on the lake where she doesn't have anything bettter to do than grow roses. So Norman must do okay.

Poor Claire, however, is not doing so well, there's something wrong with her, we don't know what it is, but everyone treats her with great fragility. When the story opens, her daughter goes off to college, and Claire is left with even more time on her hands, so she discovers that her house is haunted. Which keeps her nicely engaged as she solves the mystery of the haunting, all rather easily too.

Now, there are many a clue that this film is a major league dud. Two of the most telling are the ending, which has at least 5 Carrie moments, you know, where the bloody hand, corpse, or whatever suddenly comes to life for one more attempt on the victim.

The foreshadowing is so oppressive is weighs like a thick cloud over the movie, and I'm quite sure the "boo" moments could not be any more carefully set up.

So, yes, I found the stereotypes to be really overwhelming, but lest I seem too critical, there were moments that I was engrossed in the film. Not many, but some. I will say that the night I saw the film, there was random outright laughter at various moments throughout the film, none of which were aiming for comedy, and when the film finally ground to a halt, one man yelled "thank god it's over." So, keep away from What Lies Beneath. Keep it for a video cult night.




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