Review:
Why it happens, I have no idea. Maybe they just hope to capitalize on confusion. At any rate, it’s often the case that two movies with similar themes are released in the same time period. Think of Deep Impact and Armageddon or Dante’s Peak and Volcano. So it was with Stir of Echoes, which had the unfortunate task of following a certain Bruce Willis/Haley Joel Osment horror pic. For once, though, the second pic wasn’t a stinker. In fact both these pictures hold up well today, nearly a decade after their theatrical releases.
Kevin Bacon plays Tom, an everyman who lives a grounded, down-to-earth life with his wife, Maggie, and son, Jake. At a party, Tom’s sister-in-law hypnotizes him, and after that, he sees things…not happy things, either. As the film progresses, we find that Tom sees the ghost of a girl missing from his neighborhood. Tom is compelled to find out what she wants, which leads him into the dark recesses of his neighborhood and home.
David Koepp, who shares a writing credit, directs the film with a steady hand. Being no stranger to the horror/suspense genre, Koepp manages to avoid some of the pratfalls that other directors fall into. The film keeps moving at a brisk pace, never allowing you to grow bored. He also eschews gore for genuine tension. When Bacon’s character is having visions, I found myself leaning forward in anticipation, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
Another positive is that this film does not over-rely on flashy effects. From the same time period, Jan De Bont gave us a remake of The Haunting that was all style with no substance. With Stir of Echoes, Koepp lets his actors do the heavy lifting, and with the underrated Kevin Bacon starring, that’s a good thing.
I screened the film on Lionsgate’s recent Blu-ray release. I immediately was impressed with the transfer and DTS soundtrack. Grain was never an issue, and the print used must have been pristine. Rarely have I enjoyed blacks so rich and deep as in this transfer.
While not a flop, Stir of Echoes definitely was overshadowed by The Sixth Sense. As unfortunate as that is, now is a great time to pick up this spine-tingler and enjoy a spooky good time.