IT'S that time of year, the season when film distributors believe cinemagoers want a good fright when they go to the movies.

What Lies Beneath (15) tries to be a serious chiller thriller think Fatal Attraction meets The Sixth Sense and you're on the right lines.

Brilliant scientist Dr Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) and his wife Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) would seem to live an idyllic existence.

They own a beautiful lakeside home and Norman is making a name for himself in the world of genetics.

But their peace is gradually disrupted. Claire, at home alone for long spells, claims she can hear voices. And when she starts seeing things, she decides to investigate the house's recent past and uncovers a secret that turns her world upside down.

What Lies Beneath attempts to be tense and atmospheric like an Alfred Hitchcock movie with a ghost.

But the early promise particularly an effectively creepy moment in the bathroom gives way to melodrama. Many of the so-called shocks are telegraphed and the only real surprise is why two talented actors should accept a distinctly average script.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Stephen Webb