Stir of Echoes | | Cast : | Kevin Bacon | | Director : | David Koepp | | Studio : | Artisan Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Full Screen, Closed-captioned, Dolby | | Released Date : | September 10, 1999 | | DVD Released Date : | August 20, 2002 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 25, 2005 | | Summary | Better than The Sixth Sence and the Others | Content
 | This movie turned me on to Matheson. It came out about the time of The Sixth Sence and was overshadowed by it. In my opinion, Stir of Echoes was superior. Both were good, but Stir of Echoes was far more beleivable, which makes it scarier. The Others is not even in the same leuge as these two. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 18, 2005 | | Summary | Yes, Kevin Bacon goes shirtless, but that's not why I like this film.. | Content
| For those of us who were teenagers in the 80s, sometimes memories of our celebrity crushes make us cringe as we hit our mid-30s (Flock of Seagulls and Corey Hart come to mind.) Thankfully, that is not the case with Mr. Kevin Bacon who knocked my socks AND shoes off when I first saw him in FOOTLOOSE years ago. He took what was yet another dance movie and made it much better than it probably should have been. Unlike most performers from the 80s who have crashed and burned, Mr. Bacon still has what it takes to sizzle (sorry for the pun!) and he proves it again and again in everything from THE WOODSMAN to STIR OF ECHOES, a suprisingly quiet and thoughtful horror film.
A lot of critics have rightfully pointed out that STIR OF ECHOES got lost amidst all the praise for the highly-overrated and not-that-original SIXTH SENSE which also came out in 1999. David Koepp uses an understated approach in his film that does wonders for the viewer besieged by every ghastly gore fest most filmmakers try to pass of as scary these days. A large part of what makes STIR OF ECHOES so effective is that it relies on an actual story rather than an excuse to meander here and there with bits and pieces that never come together (think last year's DARKNESS with a shockingly bad performance by the normally talented Lena Olin.)
Based on the book by Richard Matheson, STIR OF ECHOES centers on Tom, a man disappointed by where life has taken him professionally. Even though he is a pretty decent husband and father, he is already tortured by his own doubts before the true crisis even begins. His wife Maggie (played with just the right touch by Kathryn Erbe) attempts to reassure him but he is still troubled the night they attend a neighborhood party. Little does he know how his life is about to change all because of a hyponosis performed on him by Maggie's sister Lisa.
Not too long after they get home from the party, Tom begins to see things he can't explain to himself or his family. As the plot progresses and Tom slowly begins to lose his sanity (or so it seems), he and Maggie each try to unravel what is happening. Tom's visions are subtle but cleverly worked in so that everything comes together at the end and the viewer (or at least this one) is pleased to discover that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Part mystery, part ghost story with an impressively humane side to it, STIR OF ECHOES will resound within you for a good while longer than the average horror film or slasher. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 23, 2005 | | Summary | Kevin Bacon gives a dynamic performance....one of his best | Content
| Kevin Bacon (The Woodsman, Mystic River) offers to be hypnotized by his sister in law, played by Illeana Douglas (Happy, Texas, Alive) and when he wakes up he doesnt know what the hell just happened to him but soon after he starts to see things, images, really creepy images and things that will happen and things that took place in the past. Bacon finds out that his son can see a girl, the same girl he saw. Truly creepy movie gives Bacon the chance to give one of his best performances of his career. Bacon finds out the clues along the way trying to figure out who this girl is, what she wants and what happened to her and he finds out as the mystery unravels at the end. Also starring Kathryn Erbe (Tv's Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Kiss Of Death), Kevin Dunn (Snake Eyes, Small Soldiers) and Conor O'Farrell (Tv's Buffy The Vampire Slayer). Probably the second best ghost story of 1999 alonside The Sixth Sense. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 13, 2005 | | Summary | 1.75 STARS: The kind of so called "horror movie" you watch only one time | Content
| WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING WATCHING THIS MOVIE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME...THIS REVIEW IS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE THE MERITS OF THIS MOVIE AS A HORROR MOVIE.
"Stir of Echos" is about this ordinary family man who is hypnotized and becomes able to receive messages and observe things of the supernatural, some things from the past and the future. Well, basically, this gift that the man has been given drives him crazy and he must uncover the mystery behind a ghost who haunts him to aid her in obtaining justice for her wrongful death. Acting and directing are average in this movie.
The movie "Stir of Echos" is definitely good for a chill or two when you watch it the first time, but after watching, the movie loses its horror element and the effect on the viewer is clearly lacking. Admittedly, a lot of horror movies have this problem, but not to this extent because the horror that is inherent is this movie is extinguished by the time the climax and end of the movie rolls around which is obviously a bummer if you are a pure horror movie extremist as I am.
In other words, the problem with the movie is that the ghost and haunting like atmosphere which is created by the movie is spoiled by the ending in which we discover that the true villain is nothing but some kid and his father. Indeed, the true villains in this movie are not supernatural at all and when one really considers this movie as a whole, the supernatural element is quite benevolent in nature therefore creating a sense of relief before the ending of the movie...hence what was supposed to be the climax turns into an ordinary murder mystery as the element of horror is extinguished. So, if you realize this much after a first viewing, the movie just is not as effective the second time around...in effect, by the time the end of the movie comes around, one already knows that the ghost is a good ghost who was wronged in her earthly life and therefore, the supernatural theme is rendered rather useless as a tool of inspiring fear at the end.
What I am essentially trying to say is that the supernatural and haunting element of this movie was the only thing that was capable of producing scares, but after you realize the ghost is benevolent, what's left to scare you? Basically, the movie would have been better if the ghost was of an evil or malevolent nature like the ghost in the movie "The Ring" as that would have made this movie much scarier and more effective as horror. Nevertheless, as a sophisticated horror movie fan, you might get "a little" entertainment out of it the first time you watch it, but it is certainly not worth an encore viewing. TWO STARS for this movie is really too kind, so I settled on an official HorrorMan review of 1.75 STARS. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 04, 2005 | | Summary | Not a classic like "The Sixth Sence" or "The Others"... | Content
| ...but entertaining absolutely. And, no, I didn't ruin the experience by watching it during daylight, me and a friend of mine watched this one late and rainy night eager to get "spooked".
Did we?
Despite its' predictable outcome (of almost every scene, this has been done many times before now), well, yes -it did manage to be convinsing and creepy at times, it sure wasn't a waste of time. But it's made out of rather used material to put it like that, so for people not being too much fan of this thriller-kind of the genre I guess some would call it "old". And boring being that.
Me myself, being a big fan of the genre -well, glad to have added this to my collection. Good acting, effective camera-work and sound-effects, mean-looking ghost -yes "spooky" indeed. Just a bit unoriginal. |
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