Stir of Echoes [2000]

Bacon plays a blue-collar guy who laments his ordinary life, only to learn, when his sister-in-law (Ileanna Douglas) hypnotizes him, that he is a "receiver" capable of seeing spirits and split-second glimpses of past and future events. It's a torturous gift to have--especially since his friendly Chicago neighbourhood possesses a dark secret--and Bacon plays the role with an appropriate mixture of obsession and internalised torment. Similarity to The Sixth Sense applies only to the basic premise and the character of Bacon's young son. Otherwise, this is more of a hard-edged journey of self-discovery, marital crisis, and recovery, with Bacon's wife (played by the highly underrated Kathryn Erbe) involved in an underdeveloped sub-plot about a group of people who share Bacon's gift as paranormal "receivers". Furthering his career as a writer-director of intelligent thrillers, David Koepp makes a few mis-steps in pacing and thematic overkill, but overall Stir of Echoes is a sharp, sensitive thriller that unfolds to reveal a dramatically satisfying solution to its mystery. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Kevin Bacon stars as Tom. Tom is an ordinary man who loves his family and is devoted to his job. The only thing he wishes is that he wasn't so ordinary. Everything drastically changes at a neighborhood party when Tom is hypnotized for a brief period of time. After that unforgettable night, Tom starts seeing things; haunting and violent images that he can't stop or ignore. He hears things that he cannot block from his eardrums. Later on, he discovers that what he is witnessing are possible puzzle pieces to an unspeakable crime that took place a while back. As Tom starts losing it and is determined to solve the unbearable puzzle that haunts him day and night, the more danger he puts him and his family into.

In a way, this was the movie that "Sixth Sense" was trying to be. I felt that this movie was a lot more shocking and haunting. The movie has great acting and a fabulous screenplay. This is a movie you may not want to watch late at night, unless you don't mind a nightmare or two. It's too bad that this movie came out the same time that "The Sixth Sense" did, otherwise it would've gotten more recognition; well deserved recognition at that.

This is a great thriller that should've received a hell of a lot more recognition. Rent or buy this one as soon as you can. If you love a dark thriller, then you will not be disappointed. Be warned; there are some shocking and disturbing images that may be hard to stomach for some; not for those who get disturbed easily. "Stir of Echoes" is filled with thrills and surprises that you won't want to miss. It also has an excellent plot with a surprising climax. An easy 5 out of 5 stars, without question.


A mesmerizing, intelligent supernatural thriller   February 16, 2003
Daniel Jolley (Shelby, North Carolina USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Stir of Echoes has something that most movies do not have-a story adapted from a Richard Matheson novel. I haven't had a chance to read this particular novel as of yet and thus cannot say how closely the movie follows it, but the fact that we have this movie as a result of director David Koepp's chance reading of the highly talented Matheson's 1958 novel is a powerful argument for keeping the works of the truly great writers in print and readily available to all. Certainly, there is a Sixth Sense quality to this movie, quite by accident and somewhat to its misfortune in terms of the timing of its theatrical release, but this movie stands on its own quite nicely. Kevin Bacon gives a remarkable performance as Tom Witzky, a man haunted by visions he can neither understand nor escape from. These disturbing visions first come to him after he is hypnotized by his sister-in-law at a party, and almost immediately they begin to consume him. His wife Maggie (Kathryn Erbe) grows frantic with worry, while his son Jake (Zachary David Cope making his feature film debut) eases his transition into this strange new mental world. Jake has been talking to ghosts throughout his childhood, especially Samantha, the teenager Tom unexpectedly encounters on his couch that first night and seeks to "find" again. Samantha wants him to do something, and Tom's struggle involves finding out just what that something is. There are plenty of creepy scenes to be enjoyed, and the visual presentation of Samantha is especially well done; the unnatural way she moves was captured by having Jennifer Morrison walk especially slowly and filming her using a different frame rate than normal. It's remarkably effective. The visions are also impressive-we see what Tom sees and can understand the frustration he feels at not being able to interpret them. All he gets are scattered images, and it is up to him to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. The mystery of Samantha's disappearance is not obvious, thank goodness, and this fact allows for a truly spectacular end to this movie.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking film, one more than capable of pleasing stalwart horror lovers like myself as well as more mainstream viewers who wander into the realm of the cinematic supernatural only on special occasions or by accident. The acting is superb on all counts, from Bacon on down the line to Cope, and the rather subdued special effects really work marvelously and help reinforce the believability of the otherwise fantastic story. There is a definite air of realism and plausibility here, and that helps maintain a crucial connection between the audience and the film.

The special features offered on the DVD are good things to have, but they don't really increase your enjoyment of the movie itself. The featurette is actually rather short in length and mainly features short interviews with the cast and crew. The behind the scenes featurette seems rather strange; you just get very short looks at cast and crew preparing or doing their work, and there is no effort to explain anything that you are seeing. Of course, the DVD also features a commentary by director David Koepp for those who really want to dig deeply into the genesis of this action-packed thriller. I was disappointed to find no deleted scenes included on the DVD, though; normally, I'm not that high on deleted scenes because most of the time it is quite easy to see why they were deleted. In the production notes for Stir of Echoes, though, Koepp refers to a scene featuring Samantha which he found too creepy to include in the final cut; I would really have liked to have a look at that scene.

Stir of Echoes is a great example of realistic suspense done right. Foregoing blood and heavy-handed horror tactics, director David Koepp has succeeded in giving us an electrifying, deliciously creepy, intellectually stimulating supernatural thriller every bit as exciting and memorable as The Sixth Sense.


Gives Sixth Sense a run for it's money!   August 28, 2002
MRS J A GLENISTER (Reading, Berkshire United Kingdom)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

If you, like me, are bonkers about psychic/paranormal thrillers then you'll love this. You'll also love it if you are a fan of the much under-used and under-rated Kevin Bacon who is superb in the role of an ordinary guy tormented by psychic visions.
The film has a dark feel to it so it has you in more suspense than Sixth Sense, which came out at the same time and kind of overshadowed this (in many ways superior) film. It has far more action and scary moments than Sixth Sense so you don't have to wade through almost 2 hours for a plot twist to make the viewing worth while.
It's also a good "who-dunnit" which will have you guessing til the end and some of the complex scenes where Kevin's visions are played out in reality are so well done that they are most eerie.
You'd be better to compare this to Cate Blachett's "The Gift" both in terms of quality and style and it's certainly one worth owning for repeat viewing.
Enjoy.


Oh my God! How Scary is this?   August 14, 2002
Louise Garrahan (Wigan, England)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

Just like my title says, Stir of Echoes is one hell of a spine tingler. Set in downtown New York the film sees a rather narrow-minded Kevin Bacon under hypnosis which makes him a receiver to spirits from the after-life. But plot wise, that's as much as I'm letting on, I wouldn't want to spoil the fun! I believe this is Bacon's best role as we see his character Tom Witzky go through every emotion as he comes to terms with his new found sense. Kathryn Erbe perfects the role of Tom's wife Maggie who struggles to understand her husband's strange behavior (and trust me, to an outsider who doesnt know what's happening, he does act quite bizarrely.)

Many have compared this film to The Sixth Sense but the only real connection between the two films is the fact that in both, a little boy is able to see dead people. But the similarities ends there as far as I'm concerned, as they both deal with this factor in diffrent ways and the plots surrounding the two kids are very dissimilar. Just like Cole Sear, Tom's son Jake is also a receiver in case you were wondering.
David Koepp's film embarks on a chilling tale where the after-life collides with reality with substantial side-effects on the main characters.
The direction is of a high quality and uses some clever effects- particularly in the intense, dramatic scenes.
Grab a cushion before the film starts as you'll be too scared to move from the word go- well, almost. The main emphasis of the film lies with Tom's encounters with the other world, which will certainly send more than a shiver up any viewers spine.


An excellent 'Supernatural' movie   August 11, 2007
Ronald Shaw (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I love movies similar to the 6th sense, the gift, the hole, or anything to do with clarivoyants or mediums. This movie is one of my favourites and is based on Kevin Bacon being hypnotised at the beggining of the film, and from there the story slowly unravels and will keep you guessing till the very end. Its amazing how it all comes together, I have probably watched this movie 10 times over the past 5 years. Watch it!