 What Lies Below is a fun, tense way to spend an evening. It won’t turn the horror genre on its head, but not every horror film has to be ‘elevated’ in order to have merit. The most important thing is that it be entertaining, and in this case it’s a big old Mission Accomplished. It can be tough for a kid when their parents split up. Your illusions of a happy childhood shattered, it’s hard to rebuild the bonds and trust that were once so strong between you and your parents. It can be worse when your mother finds a hunky new boyfriend to love. But sometimes that boyfriend isn’t all he appears, and that’s when things can take a turn for the sinister… What Lies Below is the feature debut of writer/director Braden R Duemmler, and a very strong debut it is too. We follow quiet shy teenager Liberty (Ema Horvath) as she comes home from camp to spend the rest of the summer with her mother Michelle (Mena Suvari) at their family lake-house. After her parents’ messy breakup Liberty is in need of some mother-daughter bonding time but unfortunately that’s not on the cards as Michelle reveals her shiny new boyfriend John (Trey Tucker), an absolute dreamboat of an aquatic geneticist who’s studying how freshwater life can adapt to saltwater or something like that, I wasn’t paying attention because I got lost in his eyes, hot DAMN. While initially attracted to John, Liberty starts to notice creepy things about him, like a tendency to drink his own sweat and a connection to a strange otherworldly phenomenon in the link. Could it be that something monstrous lies below John’s pleasant exterior? Eh? Eh? Geddit? If you’ve seen the trailer, it’s pretty clear that this is a creature feature. I don’t think it’s spoiling much to say that. The film takes its time getting to that reveal though, letting us get to know the trio as they try to awkwardly navigate around each other while the tension slowly builds. The story’s an interesting blend of genres, progressing from one to another as it goes. It’s a troubled-family drama first, with elements of a thriller creeping in then taking a huge leap forward as John crosses a line by touching Liberty inappropriately when alone. From there it’s solid pulse-pounding thriller, complete with ominous basement and a harrowing shower scene. So far all very The Stepfather. Once John’s secret is out we’re into full-blown horror territory, white-knuckling it through to the bleak ending. This approach works well, taking us by the hand and leading us through the twisty-turny terror with ease. By leaning on the thriller conventions and saving the reveal for just the right moment, Duemmler keeps us on the hook but also gets to use the special effects sparingly, making them all the more effective when they do pop up. There’s a bit of a naff CGI tongue moment near the end that we could have done without, but everything else is so well-done and kept to such small moments that it’s easily forgiven. One of the best effects is the simplest – a rippling patch of red light in the lake that John walks into. It’s such a creepy visual, one that’s bound to stay with you. What I found interesting was the way Duemmler and DOP Jimmy Jung Lu shot John. We first see him emerging from the lake like Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, all rippling muscles and perfect teeth. There’s even a shot that lingers for a moment on his speedo-clad groin. It’s easy to see why Michelle and Liberty are drawn to him when the camera caresses him in a way that’s normally reserved for women, if I understand the Male Gaze correctly. I may not, in which case please forgive me, I’m still learning! I’m a mostly straight man and I was hit with a wave of phoar that I won’t soon forget. All this serves to make his monstrous predatory nature all the more scary, as the danger concealed behind a pleasant smile is often the most threatening. Ema Horvath is a fine lead, playing Liberty in a quiet and understated way throughout most of the film. This fits the shy awkward teen girl role, though as with a lot of Hollywood casting it’s tough to picture a pretty blonde girl as an outcast. Her chemistry with Mena Suvari is good, it’s easy to see them as mother and daughter in a rocky relationship. Suvari does a great job too, playing Michelle with a cool-mom-from-Mean-Girls facade that soon crumbles to reveal her insecure roots when Liberty challenges her over John. Trey Tucker has arguably the hardest job, as he has to be charming enough to be disarming, adorkable enough to be believable as a geneticist and sinister enough to pose a real threat. He nails this, going from alluring to malevolent like a switch has been flipped. His charm is almost enough to disarm you after the boat incident when he plays it off as an innocent reflex reaction… almost. I do think it’s a shame that the Liberty’s friend Miley (Haskiri Velazquez) turns up for once scene and is unceremoniously dealt with almost as an afterthought. It felt like her appearance was going to ramp the conflict up and maybe turn the plot, but in the end it changed nothing and could have been cut entirely. As she’s the only person of colour in the film, the optics on this are unfortunate too. What Lies Below is a fun, tense way to spend an evening. It won’t turn the horror genre on its head, but not every horror film has to be ‘elevated’ in order to have merit. The most important thing is that it be entertaining, and in this case it’s a big old Mission Accomplished. By Sam Kurd What Lies Below stars Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Ema Horvath (Don’t Look Deeper) and Trey Tucker (The Space Between Us) and was written and directed by Braden R. Duemmler. Signature Entertainment presents What Lies Below on Digital Platforms 22nd February    |
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