Director Braden Duemmler offers up What Lies Below as an answer to two underrated horror sub-genres: aquatic horror and the mysterious stranger, but doesn't nail down the finer points of either, and ultimately sends his movie into an identity crisis. Starring Mena Suvari, Trey Tucker, and Ema Horvath, What Lies Below is a tightrope walk of thriller sensibilities, creature feature narratives, and is cemented by strong performances by its three lead actors. However small the cast, Duemmler's movie feels larger than life. What Lies Below pays homage to the classic '70s and '80s B-creature features with a healthy dose of realism that's mixed within the simplistic premise of "girl vs. monster," which has been riffed on by the horror genre since the silver screen days. What Lies Below offers a twist on two underrated sub-genres, but its identity crisis causes this aquatic horror creature feature to sink, not swim.
When 16 year old Liberty (Horvath) joins her mother (Suvari) at their inherited lake house after a brief stint at summer camp, she's introduced to mom's new boyfriend, the mysterious, handsome, and charming John Smith (Tucker). Though the lovebirds seem smitten with each other, Liberty can't help but think Mr. Wonderful is too good to be true from the start. As she 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 behaviors like drinking his own sweat and sleepwalking - by then, it's too late. John has latched his claws into her mother, who is overeager to be loved and concerned about her age lessening her romantic prospects. As she starts to get sicker and sicker from a mysterious illness, Liberty starts to wonder if they'll make it through their summer alive.
While Suvari puts in a strong, supporting performance as Liberty's mother, Michelle, it's Horvath and Tucker who serve as the movie's driving force. Because What Lies Below employs the classic elements of "girl vs. monster" plots, mysterious stranger/creepy boyfriend, and creature features, it's not only important that the narrative is centered around the building drama between Liberty and John - it's essential. Suvari's Michelle is essentially bait from the get-go, the pawn in the storyline that propels the plot and provides high stakes for both Liberty and John, in her own way. To Liberty, Michelle creates a reason for her to not only rush into danger headfirst to save her family, but gives her a reason to be wary of the new man in her mom's life from the start. It's quickly established in the movie's tight script, which was also written by Duemmler, that Liberty and her mother have been on their own for some time. They are closely bonded and have a great deal of trust in each other, even though Liberty recoils from her mom's sweet nicknames and tries to establish her independence as a young woman, not a "baby girl" anymore.
To John, Michelle is opportunity. His insidious plans for her are as calculating as one might expect from a mysterious stranger-styled thriller, where the new man in a woman's life has dubious intentions, but couples in the element of nature from its creature feature and aquatic horror roots. Tucker delivers an appropriately smarmy sense of charm that's 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. In some ways, this is an undisputed strength for What Lies Below - Tucker's portrayal of John is so effective that there's no way he couldn't be a villain. However, it's this same strength that ultimately opens the movie up to a big weakness: The twist that John is the bad guy falls flat and errs into predictable territory despite some truly unique aspects of the plot.
Horvath is incredibly convincing as the quintessential American teenager, who is shy about the boy she liked at summer camp, but clearly has come to terms with herself, based on her very physical interest in John, which develops at the start. Of course, it doesn't help that he's geared toward equal opportunity seduction of both mother and daughter; this adds an underlying layer of creepiness that leads into What Lies Below's greatest flaw - it doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be. From start to finish, What Lies Below fluctuates between numerous types of movies: mother/daughter dramas and coming of age stories, a Lifetime network stylized throwback where a mother is trying to save herself from the dangerous man she brought home, a home invasion thriller, B-horror creature features, and science-fiction horror all at once. It's not only confusing, but it's so much that attempting to guess where the movie is going results in further losing the point. In fact, What Lies Below could fit into so many different styles of movie that it never feels completely realized in what it actually is: a horror movie.
Though What Lies Below effectively delivers slow, creepy, atmospheric dread and some sleek thrills, the movie lacks 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 barely misses the mark. With minor tweaks here or there, What Lies Below could skirt past its identity crisis issues and develop a stronger sense of self - the performances supported a stronger film than the script allowed. However, 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.
What Lies Below is now available on demand and digital. It is 87 minutes long and unrated by the MPAA.
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