Why So Blu?

What Lies Beneath (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

25 years ago, I was 13 years old and getting into my cinema exploration.  I’d loved movies forever of course. Now, though, was my time to really get into my own types of films. I found myself really drawn to thrillers and mysteries.  Things that challenged me always got to the front of my movie queue.  When I saw the trailer for What Lies Beneath way back when, I was sold based on the star power of Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, and the creepy way the trailer toyed with my senses.  Now, after what feels like a lifetime, What Lies Beneath lands on 4K UHD Blu-ray, and I’ve had quite an education on thrillers. So, how does the film stand up today? And how does Robert Zemeckis’ creep-fest look and sound in a new format?

Film

In this riveting supernatural thriller, Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer play a married couple who uncover a terrible secret … a secret so disturbing it threatens to destroy them.

When Claire Spencer (Pfeiffer) begins seeing ghostly images and hearing mysterious voices in their home, her husband Norman (Ford) suspects it’s just her imagination — until the images turn horrifyingly real. Now, together they must uncover the truth, confront their worst fears, and find “What Lies Beneath” … with twisting and terrifying results.

Claire Spencer is about to send her beloved daughter off to college.  The thought of being an empty nester with her husband Norman is both exciting and daunting.  The couple has had some rough times but are settling into a cozy life in a newly renovated home in Vermont.  Claire, a retired symphony cellist is busy gardening and perfecting the homemaker façade while Norman is working as a pre-eminent scientist at a university.

We learn that Claire has struggled in the past with depression and has had trouble with sleep and anxiety.  Also, recently Claire has had a horrible car accident stemming from an incident that she can’t currently remember.  Norman has his suspicions about her sanity but tries to be supportive and he loves her.  Their issues don’t hide the fact that they are clearly made for one another.

Along with shuffling their daughter to school, Norman finishing his yearslong research and Claire navigating life as a housewife, there are new neighbors next door.  One moment they are screaming in the front yard.  In the evening, they’re having make up sex.  Claire being bored and unfulfilled is intrigued.  When she has a run-in with the wife, a Mrs. Fuher, she becomes concerned.  Mrs. Fuher says she’s afraid of her husband’s returning home. When Mr. Fuher comes driving up to the house, she flees.  This only makes Claire become even more of a snoop.

Amidst all the domestic drama at home, there is something else happening at the picturesque Vermont lake house.  Doors open on their own.  Claire is unable to sleep and when she does, there are visions of a dead woman floating underwater. The only person she seems to be able to relay this info to without judgment is her best friend Jody (Diana Scarwid) who listens but goes to humor when responding.

Claire begins to suspect the woman she sees is Mrs. Fuher and naturally that means Mr. Fuher (James Remar) is the murderer. Claire and Jody use a Ouija board and have a séance to try and contact Mrs. Fuher in some way, but this obviously doesn’t work. When Claire sees Fuher at the university and lashes out, she learns that Mrs. Fuher is in fact alive and very well and her fears are dashed once and for all… or are they?

The mystery takes a resounding turn when the spirit continues to leave clues including messages written in steam on bathroom mirrors.  Claire begins to lose grip with her sanity and is frustrated by the lack of belief from Norman. On her own, Claire begins to piece together her own memories to figure out what she’s forgotten since her car accident and find the missing pieces of the mystery in her mind. When she ties the loose ends together, the secrets she has forgotten begin to horrify her, and the confrontation awaiting her is a shocker.

Reconnecting with What Lies Beneath now is a lot different than when I was 13.  The film now reads as a blatant and obvious tribute and homage to Alfred Hitchcock.  From the brooding camera work, we get the contrast of angles, set pieces and mood.  We get the cool blond in Michelle Pfeiffer and in her mysterious floating dead woman.  We even get a stunning, often gorgeous score from Alan Silvestri that acts as a tribute itself to the iconic works of Bernard Herrmann. These homage points are fantastically played out and Zemeckis does these tributes in tasteful ways.

Pacing in What Lies Beneath is deliberate.  The film first moves at a slower pace, building at a pace that takes its time getting under your skin.  There is a big reveal that I don’t want to reveal just in case someone reading hasn’t seen the film yet that shocked the hell out of me then and still upsets and shocks me regardless of how many times I’ve seen the movie. Performance wise, Michelle Pfeiffer shines here going through the various stages of grief, fear, anger, depression and anxiety as she works through trauma and pain before succumbing to the horrors of the last half hour.  Harrison Ford does great work here too.  Quietly gruff, yet sensitive and turning in work that we haven’t seen him do before or since. The supporting cast is made up of people you’ve seen elsewhere that you’ll point at and say “hey, that’s so-and-so from…” whenever they pop up on screen.

What Lies Beneath is a very satisfying Alfred Hitchcock homage.  It’s a thriller with the heart to take its time and get to you.  The climax is surprising to new viewers and even if you’ve seen it before, it continues to entertain.  There is something so satisfying about a thriller that has this much class and prestige running through it.  They don’t make films like this anymore and seeing the film now and how well it’s held up after all this time shows the longevity of films made in this style.  One wishes that these types of films still drew big crowds because I for one would sure love to see them in fashion again!

Video

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 2160p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

HDR: Dolby Vision

Layers: BD-100

Clarity/Detail: What Lies Beneath has had an interesting run on physical media. Its DVD was a benchmark for early DTS audio for DVDs, but video quality was a not on par.  A Blu-ray followed much later in 2021 and it was sourced from the DVD master, meaning it was fine, but nothing to write home about.  Arriving on 4K UHD Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Studios/Scream Factory, What Lies Beneath has been given new life. The film’s deliberate color palette and shadowy look are intact with a tasteful grain structure.  The clarity is the best it’s ever been with black levels finally up to par for the first time. It’s safe to say that What Lies Beneath has never looked this good on home video.

Depth: Depth of field is a big deal for this film.  Since a piece of the plot has to do with things we think we may have seen, there are moments where focus must be soft on purpose to give us the idea of illusion.  Focus and movement are on point here, with softness only really being an issue for some negligible CGI work that unfortunately dates the film.

Black Levels: Black levels are finally dark and clean without a crushing or pixelating.  This is a first and I’m so glad to see this issue fixed finally.

Color Reproduction: The majority of What Lies Beneath takes place in gloomy conditions.  There are a couple of moments with sunny days, but otherwise, there are cloudy days and rainy ones.  This leads to muted tones of grey and blue.  The interiors of most spaces are also grey and blue.  Wood tones are dark browns, and the few instances of red, pink or orange have a definite pop to them.

Flesh Tones: Flesh tones have a nice well-rounded look to them without any unnatural looking instances going on.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Surround

Subtitles: English SDH

Dynamics: What Lies Beneath comes with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track.  I compared this with the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that comes with Paramount’s 2021 Blu-ray and noticed that there are subtle differences that edge out the TrueHD track by quite a bit.  Dialogue sounds better, but so does music fidelity and bass response.  Surrounds are still light in the mix, but ambience is ambience.  Overall, the track is just right for a movie like this and a welcome improvement over the TrueHD 5.1.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: Bass delivers for score and sound effects, digging deep in effective ways and not being shy when going for the occasional jump scare either.

Surround Sound Presentation: Surround channels are light with lakeside ambience and the sound of bugs and birds.  Rainfall and water from the bathtub also come through nice and clear. When the action picks up later, more sounds fill the speakers appropriately.

Dialogue: Dialogue sounds excellent throughout.

Extras

Extras for What Lies Beneath have always left a little to be desired, but this new edition from Shout!/Scream Factory has furnished a new Feature-Length Documentary that delves deep into the making of the film with new interviews from a ton of the film’s creators and collaborators.  They’ve also included the legacy features as well.  The same box art that has come with all the US Editions of the film on home media is here also.  No digital code comes with this release.

Bonus Features:

DISC ONE (4K UHD):

NEW 4K Transfer From The Original 35mm Camera Negative Approved By Cinematographer Don Burgess

NEW Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0

Audio Commentary With Director Robert Zemeckis

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

NEW 4K Transfer From The Original 35mm Camera Negative Approved By Don Burgess

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0

Audio Commentary With Director Robert Zemeckis

NEW “You Know: Uncovering What Lies Beneath” – A Feature-Length Retrospective Documentary Including Brand-New Interviews With Robert Zemeckis, Producers Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke, Writers Sarah Kernochan and Clark Gregg, Cast Member Amber Valletta, Director Of Photography Don Burgess, Production Designer Rick Carter, Costume Designer Susie DeSanto, Composer Alan Silvestri, Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Legato, Special Effects Supervisor Shane Mahan, and Puppeteer Jason Matthews

“Constructing A Thriller” Featurette

Theatrical Trailer

Summary

25 years on, What Lies Beneath still delivers the goods.  It’s an effective thriller set on giving you the creeps and delivering twists and turns.  Unsettling far more than being scary, the film boasts excellent performances from Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford and superb direction from Robert Zemeckis.  I always find it fascinating that this was the film he made while taking a break from filming Cast Away with Tom Hanks.  If this is how you take a break from making a film, this is one heck of a way to take it easy. The slow burn quality of the film may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it suits me just fine. The Hitchcock references are complimentary and like Easter Eggs for fans. They don’t make classy creep shows like this anymore, so if you haven’t seen this before or in a while, this is an excellent way to take the film in! Just don’t fall asleep in the bathtub!

Get a copy of What Lies Beneath HERE