What Lies Below (2020) An inventive, visually fresh horror finish that deserves better (Review)

A trope of the 90s thriller was born out of films like Single White Female, Fatal Attraction, Misery and the like – films that turned possessive women into vehicles for violent thrillers. Moving the goalposts away from that idea for a moment, many directors use the model of taking an old or forgotten style of movie and mash it together with something else to dream up something new. While not a new director, last year, Leigh Whannell took an old universal monster movie like the invisible man and implanted the possessive-ex thriller to make wickedly fresh. Another example. Take Robert Zemeckis’s 2000 supernatural thriller What Lies Beneath of a man who isn’t as perfect as he seems and implant themes of aquatic horror and you have Braden R. Duemmler’s feature debut, What Lies Below – out now on digital platforms.

Picked up from camp by her mother, Michelle (Mena Suvari), Liberty (Ema Horvath) returns to the family lake-side Cabin, only for her to be blindsided by the introduction of her mother’s fiancé, John Smith. A charming, intelligent and beautiful man, who is introduced emerging from the lake, six-pack and all, in a reminiscent of that iconic Pride and Prejudice Lake scene. Initially, Liberty is intimidated by his appearance, acting shy around her Mother’s seemingly perfect beau, at least initially. Eventually, the mask starts to slip revealing that he isn’t quite as perfect as he appears to be. For much of the film, Liberty sneaks around the cabin and lakeside, hoping to crack the mystery of why her mum’s new boyfriends is such a “freak” – her words. When she finally discovers “what lies below”, the complexion of the film is completely upended. I know I have suggested that the DNA of the aquatic horror sub-genre is flowing through the veins of this film, but that is as far as I will go. The surprises of the third act are where Duemmler’s film is at its best.

When I was a kid I had a hard time with the horror genre, as a kid born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s, horror was quite popular on the playground – age-inappropriate, sure, but popular no less. It wasn’t until my dad said that most of the spookiness in horror comes from their use of music. Of course, I’ve since gone on to discover that my dad’s comment covers only half of the picture – a good horror film blends together visuals, effects and audio. The reason I bring this up is that it is relevant to What Lies Below. Much of the first half-hour focuses on Ema being a teenager looking lustfully at John without trying to be caught in the act. There are little hints of drama within the family that do pop up from time to time, but not enough to make the awkwardness of the first 30 compelling. Then, in the middle third, once the jig of normality is up, it focuses on Ema wandering around the dark hallways of the cabin – maybe there is some moody lighting or synth adjacent music – but not much to build up the tension for the third act release.

That’s not to say that this is a bad film, on the contrary, it’s slickly made and well-acted when opportunity allows. Outside of the few episodes where John reveals his true nature, scenes where the creepiness is undercut by either holding a shot too long or by awkward dialogue. For sure, this is explained away by the character claiming to have social anxiety, but honestly, it’s a rather cheap way out of a poor script. However, the film takes a sharp turn to the promising in the final act, which, in turn, gives an incredibly insidious meaning to all the little awkward previous interactions. I’m still keeping the aquatic horror vibes vague, still, when that element arrives the use of otherworldly costume is subtle and neatly avoids the fate of so many other low budget horrors with delusions of grandeur. We’ve all seen them, small films with big ideas without the budget to match, they show the creature far too much and it shatters their illusion. Duemmler does no such thing. All we see is a foot here and there and some mysterious creatures in the darkness, its the best possible outcome – not only that, it produces a cracking third act full of menace. I’ll go further, the ending 5 minutes are fantastically bleak, so much so, you’ll never see it coming. Now is it worth sitting through all the trudgery for a 20 minute stretch of fantastical, economical and ecologically leaning horror – actually, yes, it is… but patience is definitely required.

There is promise in what lies below, unfortunately there’s nothing that elevates it above the overcrowded indie horror genre. Depressingly, I am saying that more often than not these days. I’m grateful that indie horror is in the middle of a boom period, but as good as that is – too many movies are getting lost in the shuffle and this, the latest.

Thanks for reading Rob’s review of What Lies Below

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