Composed and Conducted by Alan Silvestri
Produced by Alan Silvestri, David Bifano
Executive Producer: Robert Townson
Released by Varese Sarabande August 2000

Q-Review

Alan Silvestri's latest effort, What Lies Beneath, is just what one might expect given the subject matter of the film.  Silvestri's score is foreboding, and, well, downright scary.  This is not the stuff you play when you are wanting to be cheered up; however, it does demonstrate some of Silvestri's unique talents.  The amount of music contained in this release is minimal (under 30 minutes) but is sufficient.  There are just some types of music you don't want to hear an hour of.  The majority of this score as released by Varese Sarabande wanders quietly and menacingly and is occasionally interjected with some heart stopping screeches of the strings and at other times blasts of brass and percussion.  Yes, your typical recipe for horror film.  Silvestri seems to have been inspired by the mesmerizings of a Jerry Goldsmith, and, at the same time, by the terrorizings of a Bernard Hermann.

The Bottom Line

With such wonderful works as Judge Dredd, Contact, and Forrest Gump to his credit, Alan Silvestri is certainly one composer film music fans keep an eye on.  Unfortunately, What Lies Beneath is not the sort of film that is going to deliver such a memorable score.  In fulfilling his job Silvestri composes a fitting dark and sometimes terrifying score.  What Lies Beneath  can scare the bejeebies out of you, but isn't the sort to provide long threads in your favorite message board.

Score

Rating: 5/10

4/10

6/10