The way Claire gave up being a concert cellist, women who give up the passion of a successful career for an alluring husband and then end up pretending they are happily married often force themselves to keep the illusion going. The ghost is there to help Claire remember what lies beneath her idyllic life. In a masterful craft of cinematic symbolism, the clues Claire follows to learn more about the ghost really represent her eagerness to unlock her own delusions. Such is brilliantly illustrated as she dives to the bottom of the lake to bring up the locked box of mementoes. Finally, the real terror comes not from a ghost, but from knowing the truth.
Every element plays a crucial part, but many are underemphasized to look like mere exposition.
Note the side comment of Norman s lab assistant about a breakthrough discovery of a crippling anesthetic that allows for consciousness to be maintained. Note the frequent mention of a car accident. Note the story in the restaurant about Claire s past. When all of these details come together in the end, we can t help jumping in our seats from terror even when we anticipate what might happen next. Michelle Pfeifer and Harrison Ford s significant screen chemistry becomes the driving force of the later surprises and shocks.