The Best Harrison Ford Thriller Still Terrifies Decades Later, Stream Without Netflix
Harrison Ford might be best known for Indiana Jones and Han Solo, but the veteran actor has so many other roles that he has played with perfection. The 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath serves as the best example of a Ford film that was able to be a massive box office success without the actor cracking a whip or helping to defeat an intergalactic empire. The movie is one of the most suspenseful of its time and is now able to be streamed without a Netflix subscription.
New Neighbors
What Lies Beneath begins with Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford), a seemingly happy married couple who have just sent Claire’s daughter off to college. Now an empty nester married to a busy scientist/professor, a bored and listless Claire comes off as lonely and maybe a little desperate for attention.
When new neighbors Mary and Warren Feur move in next door in their lakeside Vermont neighborhood, Claire becomes convinced that Warren is abusive and has killed off his young wife.
Visits From Ghosts
After Claire notices that Mary has disappeared without a trace, she begins to experience odd things that she believes are supernatural in origin in and around her house.
At one point, she sees the face of a woman submerged under the water of the lake. Other occurrences include a framed photo being knocked over from its place on her husband’s desk, the image of a woman in her bathroom mirror, and the message “You know” written on her steamed-up mirror.
Claire Thinks She’s Losing It
Of course, Harrison Ford’s character behaves just like any other science type and tries to convince Claire that she’s either imagining things or perhaps beginning to suffer a breakdown.
The latter is amplified when, after a confrontation with Warren Feur at a university party, Claire sees Mary in the flesh and realizes that her suspicions were way off base. But what happens soon after in What Lies Beneath makes Claire question her sanity even more.
It Keeps You Guessing
What Lies Beneath takes audiences on several rides throughout its 130-minute running time. While at first you’re sure that you’re seeing a film reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock‘s Rear Window, the film pivots and changes direction entirely.
And just when you’re sure of the inner workings of Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford’s characters, the storyline fills in a lot more of the backstory of their relationship, changing the plot in the most chilling of ways.
Stream It Now
GFR SCORE
Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer are both in top form in What Lies Beneath and it’s stunning to see just how their chemistry changes with each piece of the puzzle falling into place as the film progresses. The change in Ford’s character as secrets are uncovered was done masterfully, as was how Pfeiffer was able to transform from a meek and lonely housewife into a woman forced into survival mode.
You can catch Harrison Ford in the thriller What Lies Beneath with a variety of subscription services including Parmount+, stream it for free with Prime, or rent it On Demand with Vudu, Google Play, and AppleTV.
