What Lies Beneath (2000) - Parents Guide Movie Rating

MPA: PG-13 BBFC: 15 Maturity Rating 16+

MPAA Reason: Rated PG-13 for terror/violence, sensuality and brief language.

Sex & Nudity

mild

There is a scene where a woman is in the bathtub. She is naked but you can't see any of her private parts. There is no nudity in this movie. Some sexual sounding moans from the neighbours can be heard Some sexual innuendo and a few kisses; in one scene a husband nuzzles his wife's neck and cheek. A woman spreads her legs suggestively in front of her husband (her skirt hangs between her bare legs), licks his chin, kisses him so passionately she bites his lip, pushes him onto a desk, rips open his shirt, unbuckles his belt, kisses him roughly again, and then kisses down his chest before he pushes her off. A woman wearing a cleavage-revealing nightgown gets into bed with her shirtless husband; they talk, she caresses his chest, they kiss passionately, they hear a female neighbor moaning (she's obviously having intercourse), and then they presumably have intercourse (the scene ends before we see anything). Twice, we see a woman's bare shoulders, arms and upper chest (her breasts aren't visible) when she's in a bath tub; also, we see a shirtless man and a woman wearing a nightgown.

Violence & Gore

moderate

In the beginning of the film, Claire zaps herself with the electrical outlet for the hairdryer in the bathroom. It's implied that a man lying in a bath tub has been electrocuted by a hair dryer (he eventually regains consciousness). A man pushes a woman who's lying on top of him, causing her to fly backwards and hit her head on the floor (she isn't hurt). A man playfully grabs a woman's neck (it's played for laughs). Several jump scenes: a woman screams when she touches an electrical outlet that sparks, a stereo turns on loudly, a person comes up behind another, a dog pushes open a door, and a woman sees another woman's reflection in a water-filled bath tub. A woman gets a small, slightly bloody scratch on her arm from a thorn and a woman steps on a shard of glass and then pulls it out of her foot (no blood is visible). We see blood on a floor, wall and bath tub; a few times we see what looks like a drop of dried blood on a shoe; and we see a body lying on a floor with a very bloody face and bloody hands. A person grabs another from behind and puts a liquid-doused cloth over the person's mouth, causing the person to become paralyzed (the person does manage to elbow the other, break free, and crawl across a floor before becoming completely paralyzed). The paralyzed person is then placed in a bath tub that eventually fills with water (there are some tense moments when the person's face is completely submerged before the water begins draining).

Profanity

mild

Several blasphemies with uses of Christ and Jesus. One F-word, an anatomical reference, a couple of scatological references, a few mild obscenities, and an insult.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

mild

Frightening & Intense Scenes

moderate

Various jump scares throughout the film. Ghostly apparitions (particularly one in the bathtub) may be frightening to some viewers and young children. A woman dives and is pulled into a lake and reaches the bottom before a man pulls her back up to the surface. Someone puts what could be a plastic-covered body in a car trunk; also, a corpse's gray face is visible under water for a few seconds.