What Lies Beneath Parent Guide

Finally, a movie about a happily married couple—at least for the first few minutes. But when the wife, Claire Spencer (Michele Pfeiffer) begins to hear noises that turn into ghostly sightings and strange happenings in their old seaside Vermont home, her husband Norman (Harrison Ford) is forced to send her to a psychiatrist for help.

The doctor advises her to find out who is haunting her and why. After keeping a close eye on her new neighbors, Claire becomes convinced that the man next door has murdered his wife, and believes she has found the identity of her ghost. Unfortunately Norman, who is a noted geneticist, proves that her theory is false.

Still determined to sort out the mystery, Claire seeks answers in the occult. Claire’s best friend Jody (Diana Scarwid), troubled by her strange behavior, decides to lend support by participating in a seance using an Ouija board. She also gives Claire a book about basic witchcraft, in case of an emergency. Eventually Claire discovers she is being haunted by a woman who has been missing for a year, and who is obviously highly motivated to make her presence known.

Few thrillers of this nature fall into a PG-13 category, and even this one is a tight fit. Although slow at times and relying on antique techniques like scary music and sudden appearances of gruesome faces to shock the audience, this film would still terrify most young children (and even some bigger people) leaving them worried about who can be trusted.

Sexual relationships are also discussed and depicted in a forward manner. The Spencers for instance, enjoy making love while listening to their neighbors do the same. When the spirit finally possesses Claire’s body a sexually aggressive scene results with Claire wearing a seductive red dress while demanding her husband’s physical attention. (Nudity is limited to a topless Harrison Ford.)

Leading to an extremely violent ending, parents concerned about portrayals of murder, violence, inappropriate sexuality, and the occult will likely want to avoid what lies beneath this thriller.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.