Review: What Lies Below

When you watch as many movies as Shawn and I do, you come to appreciate the ones that do something a little different with a formula you've seen time and time again.

What Lies Below is one such movie.

On the surface, if you'll excuse the pun, this comes across as a routine psycho-stalker flick, with Mena Suvari and her daughter coming under the spell of hunky Trey Tucker, who quickly goes from awkward to weird to bat-crap crazy. OK. Been there. Done that. Bought the shirt.

But things slowly unravel into a completely different kind of movie, one I don't want to spoil for those who want to give it a watch. But I kinda have to in order to do this review justice. So be warned, spoilers ahead...

This is a monster movie! Yup, What Lies Below is really a creature feature that's a little bit Humanoids From the Deep, and a little bit Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It's a slow-burn reveal, one that moves a little too slowly at times, but has a payoff that's well worth the trip.

Credit writer/director Braden R. Duemmler with pulling all this off on a low budget, and making a compelling film that doesn't need a lot of effects. This becomes a fun, scary ride because he takes the time to build to the good stuff, and invests us in the story and characters. Thank you, Braden!

If you're in the mood for a different kind of creature feature, then What Lies Below is for you. It's a good idea that's well executed, and a Good.

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