What Lies Beneath

By EWAN McDONALD

(Herald rating: * * )

Michelle Pfeiffer as Claire Spencer is the happily married wife of scientist Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford).

They're renovating his old family house beside a lake. But when she's home alone, the place seems haunted.

In that gruff, no-nonsense way which husbands have in horror movies, Dr Spencer rubbishes her fears and sends her to a psychiatrist.

But, as is also often the case in horror movies, maybe she's not the one with the problem.

Pfeiffer is convincing; Ford plays himself, almost on autopilot (he's very convincing in the home handyman scenes), and the plot builds well until it lets itself down about an hour into the story.

Director Robert Zemeckis (Back To The Future, Forrest Gump) says he's always wanted to make a suspense film.
Done it now. Back to the day job.

Running time: 130 mins
Rental: Now