Reviews: What Lies Below (2020) Movie Review
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Subgenres: Creatures, Twisted Mystery, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Single Moms, Teens
Our take on What Lies Below (2020) explores its plot, scares, and horror highlights to help fans decide if it deserves a place on their watchlist.
What Lies Below sets up an intriguing premise: Liberty (Ema Horvath), a socially awkward teenager, returns home to find her mother (Mena Suvari) engaged to a mysterious scientist (Trey Tucker) with an unsettling presence. As she observes his bizarre behaviors and inhuman tendencies, Liberty uncovers dark secrets about his true nature.
What Lies Below (2020) – A Sci-Fi Thriller That Sinks Under Its Own Mystery
Plot, Themes, and Character Development
The film flirts with sci-fi horror, psychological thriller, and body horror elements, exploring themes of trust, manipulation, and the unknown. However, instead of fully committing to any one genre, the movie remains vague and frustratingly ambiguous, relying more on eerie visuals than actual storytelling. Liberty, as a protagonist, is relatable but underdeveloped, and her interactions with John (Tucker) often feel forced rather than suspenseful.
Acting and Cinematography
Ema Horvath delivers a solid performance, effectively portraying the confusion and paranoia of a young girl thrust into an unsettling situation. Trey Tucker, as the eerie and almost inhuman stepfather figure, is charismatic yet off-putting, which works in favor of the film’s uneasy tone. However, Mena Suvari’s performance feels underwhelming, making her character’s choices difficult to believe.
Visually, the film makes great use of its isolated lake house setting, creating an atmosphere of claustrophobic dread. The cinematography is moody and sleek, using dim lighting and underwater imagery to enhance the film’s themes of deception and the unknown.
Directing Style, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Director Braden R. Duemmler aims for a slow-burn mystery with sci-fi horror elements but struggles with narrative clarity. The film’s deliberate pacing and cryptic storytelling create suspense but never deliver a satisfying payoff.
Strengths:
Strong lead performance by Ema Horvath.
Eerie, atmospheric cinematography enhances the sense of unease.
Intriguing premise with sci-fi horror undertones.
Weaknesses:
Unclear storytelling, leaving too many questions unanswered.
Unconvincing character motivations, particularly from the mother.
Abrupt, unsatisfying ending that sacrifices coherence for shock value.
Final Verdict & Score: 4/10
While What Lies Below has an intriguing setup and a tense atmosphere, its underdeveloped narrative and ambiguous resolution make it more frustrating than thrilling. The film’s slow-burn approach never fully pays off, leaving too many loose ends and an ending that feels rushed rather than thought-provoking.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- What Lies Below Rating Scores
- Our Score: 4/10
- Overall Score: 4.13/10
- IMDB: 4.4/10
- MetaCritic: 3.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 4.7/10
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