What Lies Below
Ratings: 1.5/5
Duration: 133 Minutes
Language: English
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: Braden R. Duemmler
Writer: Braden R. Duemmler
Producer: Kristina Esposito
Music: Gavin Keese
Cinematography: Jimmy Jung Lu
Editing: R.J. Daniel Hanna, Marc Sedaka
Released On: 04 December 2020
Star Cast: Ema Horvath, Troy Iwata, Danny Corbo, Mena Suvari, Trey Tucker, Olan Montgomery, Haskiri Velazquez
Plot: Liberty (Ema Horvath) is a socially awkward 16-year-old who returns from two months at a science camp. And it all begins from there with some promise, thanks to Michelle (Mena Suvari) and Horvath’s easy, credible mother/daughter chemistry. Michelle has come to pick up Libby from her science camp. She is as giddy to see her as Libby is to be left alone. On their way some good-natured, but canned discomfort ensues, with Libby turning off the car radio as fast as Michelle can put it on. Libby is to join Michelle at their inherited lake house where a pleasant surprise is waiting for her.
Michelle introduces Libby to her new boyfriend, the mysterious, handsome, and charming John Smith (Trey Tucker). From there it gets wild. As it starts with a young girl awkwardly crushing on her Mother’s new fiancé, and then quickly turns more uncomfortable when he seems to be interested as well. But things get even crazier and her desire for Mr. Handsome soon turned to fear.
Though the lovebirds, Michelle and John, seem smitten with each other, Liberty can't help but think Mr. Wonderful is too good to be true from the start. That makes her dig a little deeper into John and what she unwraps is startling.
Liberty eventually starts to learn more about him, from his research regarding rare aquatic specimens that are local to the lake, to the way he randomly appears and disappears around the house, she eventually lands on his increasingly strange behaviours like drinking his sweat and sleepwalking - by then, it is too late.
Mr. Charming has latched his claws into her mother, who is overeager to be loved and concerned about her age lessening her romantic prospects. Over the time, Michelle suddenly starts getting sicker and sicker from a mysterious illness. With no light at the end of the tunnel, Liberty starts to wonder if they will make it through their summer alive.
Who is John? Will Liberty be able to save her mother? All such questions unfold later in the movie.
Review: One more horror movie got added to the list of movies that fails to scare the audience. The movie ‘What Lies Below’ throughout its run time fluctuates between numerous types of movies: mother/daughter dramas and coming of age stories, a home invasion thriller, B-horror creature features, a Lifetime network stylized throwback where a mother is trying to save herself from the dangerous man she brought home and science-fiction horror all at once. The attempt of the viewer to put his/her finger on the type of genre results in further losing the point.
Director Braden Duemmler has tried hard to club two underrated horror sub-genres: the mysterious stranger and aquatic horror. Unfortunately, he failed to nail down the finer points of either and ultimately sends his movie into an identity crisis. The movie pays homage to the classic '70s and '80s B-creature features with a healthy dose of realism that is mixed within the simplistic premise of ‘girl vs. monster’.
Starring Mena Suvari, Ema Horvath and Trey Tucker overall the movie is a tightrope walk of sensibilities, thriller, creature feature narratives and is cemented by strong performances by its three lead actors.
Talking about the performances by the main leads, both Ema and Mena delivered strong and emotionally powerful performances. Ema’s character was uncomfortably awkward and sometimes hard to watch, which shows how great of an actress she is. Mena had to adorn a character, which was broken but very hopeful and genuine. Michelle’s role is essential as it creates a reason for Ema to not only rush into danger headfirst to save her family but also gives her a reason to be wary of the new man in her mother's life from the start.
John’s insidious plans for Michelle are as calculating as one might expect from a mysterious stranger-styled thriller. This new man in Michelle’s life has dubious intentions and that gets coupled with the element of nature from its creature feature and aquatic horror roots. Tucker delivers an appropriately smarmy sense of charm that is off-putting from the start, so no amount of over-the-top reactions from Liberty can derail the audience's sense that he is not a good guy.
Tucker's portrayal of John is so convincing and effective that there is no way he couldn't be a villain. The same twist that John is the bad guy falls errs into predictable territory despite some truly unique aspects of the plot.
The movie is full of twists and turns with some swing-for-the-fences chutzpah, but never enough to prepare viewers for its ultra-grim conclusion. The conclusion features a memorably harsh concluding image and some disturbing interstitial details.
That anticlimactic ending shows how quickly an eccentric man bearing gifts can transform from an awkward eccentric into an otherworldly monster. If only there were some signs, or better yet, some things for home viewers to sink their teeth into before everything inevitably goes wrong for poor Libby.
The movie fails to keep the viewers on the edge for most part but at the same time, even its weaker moments still provide ample opportunities for fans of aquatic and Lovecraftian horror, who don't mind elements of psychosexual thrillers mixed in, to find pieces to love.
Overall, if you are a hard-core horror movie lover, this movie might interest you but otherwise, there are better movies on the block!
