Suspense in 'What Lies Beneath'

What lies Beneath is, in my opinion a drama thriller with a hint of paranormal activity.

Suspense is constantly created throughout What lies Beneath. In my opinion Hitchcock's bomb theory is used in the movie. The husband Harrison Ford (Norman) is the ticking bomb in the plot waiting to explode and the audience knows this. He has an evil and dark side which his wife does not know about but the audience does. Norman's true colours come to light when he actually tries to murder his wife, in order to keep her quiet about the murder of the young lady he had an affair with.

Suspense is created in many different ways in What Lies Beneath.

Sound effects and music are both used extensively throughout the movie. For example when Claire is going down the stairs backwards, towards the end of the movie, then she suddenly steps in a small puddle of blood a quick screech sort of sound is used (non-diegetic). This would make the audience jump, and give a little thrill to the audience, it also personally made me jump a little. No sound or music really drags on through any scene, we hear a freaky sound, then it softens away, then it suddenly comes back unexpected to suprise the audience and make us jump.

While Claire is in the bath helpless, with the water level steadily rising, there are contstant shot reverse shots from Claire's Point of view to the water tap she is desperetly trying to turn. This constantly goes on, whilst the water level is still rising. This gives the audience suspense and keeps us on the edge of our seats. The "Is she? or "Isn't she" kind of moment is portayed here. During the sequence Claire's emotions seem distressed and In pain, which also adds to the tension and suspense.