What Lies Below
Director Braden Duemmler volunteer upWhat Lies Belowas an response to two underrated repulsion sub - genres : aquatic horror and the mysterious unknown , but does n’t nail down the fine points of either , and finally send his moving-picture show into an individuality crisis . Starring Mena Suvari , Trey Tucker , and Ema Horvath , What lie Belowis a tightrope walk of thriller sensibilities , creature feature article narratives , and is cement by stiff performance by its three lead actors . However low the hurl , Duemmler ’s picture show feel larger than life story . What Lies Belowpays homage to the classic ' LXX and ' 80s Bel - creature features with a healthy dose of Platonism that ’s fuse within the simplistic premise of " girl vs. monster , " which has been thumb on by the revulsion genre since the silver screen door days . What Lies Belowoffers a twist on two underrated Cuban sandwich - genres , but its identity crisis causes thisaquatic repugnance tool featureto sink , not swim .
When 16 year honest-to-god Liberty ( Horvath ) joins her female parent ( Suvari ) at their inherited lake sign after a brief stint at summer camp , she ’s preface to mommy ’s new boyfriend , the mystifying , freehanded , and charming John Smith ( Tucker ) . Though the lovebirds seem smitten with each other , Liberty ca n’t help but think Mr. Wonderful is too skillful to be genuine from the start . As she starts to learn more about him , from his inquiry regarding rare aquatic specimens that are local to the lake , to the way he arbitrarily appear and disappears around the house , she finally land on his more and more strange demeanour like fuddle his own sweat and somnambulate - by then , it ’s too late . John has latched his claws into her mother , who is overeager to be loved and implicated about her age lessening her romantic panorama . As she starts to get sicker and sicker from a mysterious unwellness , Liberty starts to question if they ’ll make it through their summer active .
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While Suvari place in a strong , supporting operation as Liberty ’s mother , Michelle , it ’s Horvath and Tucker who serve as the movie ’s driving force . BecauseWhat Lies Belowemploys the classic elements of " girl vs. monster " plots , mysterious stranger / creepy beau , andcreature feature , it ’s not only of import that the narrative is centered around the build drama between Liberty and John - it ’s essential . Suvari ’s Michelle is fundamentally bait from the get - go , the cat’s-paw in the plot line that impel the plot and provide gamy stakes for both Liberty and John , in her own way . To Liberty , Michelle make a cause for her to not only rush into danger headfirst to carry through her family line , but present her a reason to be wary of the new man in her mom ’s life history from the start . It ’s quick base in the motion-picture show ’s mean playscript , which was also written by Duemmler , that Liberty and her female parent have been on their own for some prison term . They are nearly bond and have a keen passel of trust in each other , even though Liberty recoils from her mom ’s sweet cognomen and tries to establish her independency as a young woman , not a " baby girl " anymore .
To John , Michelle is opportunity . His insidious programme for her are as forecast as one might expect from a deep stranger - title thriller , where the fresh man in a woman ’s life has doubtful intentions , but twosome in the constituent of nature from its creature feature and aquatic horror roots . Tucker delivers an appropriately fulsome sentience of magic spell that ’s off - putting from the start , so no amount of over - the - top reactions from Liberty can derail the consultation ’s sense that he is not a good cat . In some ways , this is an unchallenged durability forWhat rest Below -Tucker ’s portraying of John is so effective that there ’s no way of life he could n’t be a villain . However , it ’s this same strength that ultimately open up the movie up to a bounteous weakness : The crook that John is the bad guy rope fall flat and errs into predictable district despite some genuinely alone prospect of the secret plan .
Horvath is improbably convincing as the quintessential American stripling , who is diffident about the male child she like at summer clique , but clearly has hail to full term with herself , based on her very physical interest in John , which develop at the jump . Of of course , it does n’t help that he ’s geared toward equal opportunity seduction of both mother and daughter ; this tot up an underlying layer of creepiness that leads intoWhat Lies Below ’s greatest flaw - it does n’t know what kind of movie it require to be . From start to cultivation , What Lies Belowfluctuates between numerous type of movies : mother / daughter dramas and come of age stories , aLifetimenetwork stylized throwback where a female parent is attempt to bring through herself from the dangerous man she brought home , a home invasion thriller , B - horror creature features , andscience - fiction horrorall at once . It ’s not only puzzling , but it ’s so much that attempting to approximate where the movie is going answer in further losing the spot . In fact , What lie in Belowcould fit out into so many different style of movie that it never feels wholly realized in what it actually is : a horror movie .
ThoughWhat Lies Beloweffectively delivers tiresome , creepy , atmospheric dread and some silky thrills , the movie miss in any sort of substantial scares . Everything that has been done , from sinister boyfriends to undersea monsters , lacks potency here partially because it ’s been done before - and sometimes , done to death - and partially because it just hardly leave out the mark . With minor pinch here or there , What Lies Belowcould skirt past its identity crisis matter and develop a stronger sense of self - the carrying out supported a warm picture than the hand allowed . However , even its weaker moments still cater ample opportunities for fan ofaquatic and Lovecraftian repulsion , who do n’t bear in mind elements of psychosexual thrillers mixed in , to find pieces to love .
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What Lies Belowis now usable on demand and digital . It is 87 minutes long and unrated by the MPAA .
What Lies Below is a horror-thriller directed by Braden R. Duemmler. The film follows a socially awkward 16-year-old girl who returns from summer camp to find her mother dating a charming and mysterious man. As the relationship unfolds, the girl’s suspicions grow, revealing a dark and unsettling truth. Starring Ema Horvath, Mena Suvari, and Trey Tucker, the film delves into themes of trust and deception.
What lie Below is a horror - thriller calculate by Braden R. Duemmler . The film follows a socially awkward 16 - year - old girl who hark back from summer camp to find her mother date a wizardly and mysterious serviceman . As the human relationship unfold , the girl ’s suspicions grow , disclose a dark and unsettling truth . Starring Ema Horvath , Mena Suvari , and Trey Tucker , the moving-picture show dig into themes of faith and magic trick .
