|
Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Movies » Reviews » Stir of Echoes » User review

Stir of Echoes
Stir of Echoes

A movie directed by David Koepp

< read all 2 reviews

A supernatural flick that will get the skin crawling.

  • Oct 4, 2012
Rating:
+4
Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) is an ordinary guy whose life later becomes complicated. During a get together at a block party, he talks his sister-in-law Lisa (Illeana Douglas) into hypnotizing him. She pulls it off and places a post hypnotic suggestion in Tom to make him more open-minded. She doesn't realize this leads to opening a mental door that allows him to somewhat communicate with the dead. Tom is soon hounded by a spirit that wants something really bad.-summary

When Stir of Echoes was released back in 1999, it was immediately considered a clone of The Sixth Sense which starred Bruce Willis. For reasons I can't remember because it has been so long since I saw the other film. I remember enjoying this one a lot more, perhaps it had something to do with its simplicity. Directed by David Koepp and based on the book A Stir of Echoes written by Richard Matheson, Stir of Echoes is a supernatural horror thriller that delivers on suspense and creepiness.

The plot begins when Tom begins to hallucinate, then later learns that he possesses a precognitive sense which leads to some weird and very disturbing visions. There is some type of connection and the viewer will easily begin to guess what it is, but things are kept vague enough to keep you wanting more. Tom's 5 year old son Jake (Zachary David Cope) plays a role in this as well, since he can actually speak to the spirit as well as see it. This sets in motion a chain of events that results in a gripping, very well paced viewing experience.

I thought Koepp did a splendid job in blurring reality and dreams, along with taking the simplest of set pieces and getting the most out of them to produce chills. I haven't seen the movie in years, and the appearance of the spirit in combination with Tom's reality shifts still made my skin crawl.

The characters are well developed and they stood out to me mainly because of how ordinary they are. They feel like everyday normal people, who just got hit with something complicated out of nowhere, and they act the part very well. The performances by Illeana Douglas and Kathryn Erbe whom played Tom's wife Maggie were just as good as everyone else, but I enjoyed Douglas the most though.

Towards the end of the film, I kind of thought that the spirit was a little over-exposed, and I didn't really like the ending all that much. I would have preferred less of a thriller type ending, and I'll just leave it at that.

Overall, Stir of Echoes is a very solid horror thriller that I do recommend. It's still very good over ten years later and felt pretty damn refreshing to watch. There are a couple of squeamish scenes, and one little sex scene, but nothing I can consider damaging to the viewing experience. The movie has a 99 minute run time.

Pros:
-Delivers on atmosphere and chills

Cons:
-Ending could have been better

What did you think of this review?

Helpful
9
Thought-Provoking
9
Fun to Read
9
Well-Organized
9
Post a Comment
October 16, 2012
I enjoyed this one more so than "Sixth Sense" as well from what I remember.
October 17, 2012
A lot of people feel that way too. This film was better written, better acted, and just had a better story to it.
 
October 05, 2012
As much as I thought THE SIXTH SENSE was a capable thriller, during that time, I thought that this was the superior film when it came to plot. The way the characters drove the story was pretty well executed, and the groundwork was solid. I agree the ending wasn't as strong as it should've been, but still a good horror thriller.
October 10, 2012
I always thought this was the better movie, and the kid here wasn't the least bit annoying. Everything here ran smoothly and I thought Illeana Douglas was hot here.
 
1
More Stir of Echoes reviews
review by . June 17, 2008
posted in Movie Hype
Pros: moments of instant goosebumps, realism     Cons: that shudder-worthy fingernail scene!     The Bottom Line: "Does it hurt to be dead?"     Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie''s plot. Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) is just an average Chicago Joe working hard as a telephone lineman to make ends meet for his family. Wife, Maggie (Kathryn Erbe), and clever young Jake (Zachary David Cope) have settled in nicely, …
see all Stir of Echoes reviews (2)
About the reviewer

Ranked #2
Serious gamer and hardcore comic reader.      Currently in my Nintendo Wii U:                  Currently … more
Consider the Source

Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.

You
Madpenguin
Your ratings:
Alice Sweet Alice
Alice, Sweet Alice
Mother of Tears
Mother of Tears
28 Weeks Later
28 Weeks Later
Psycho
Psycho
rate more to improve this
Recent reviews by Madpenguin
Transformers: Regeneration One Vol. 1
Transformers Regeneration
a review of Transformers: Regeneration One Vol. ...
E801ABB65AF6B99848AFC479CC397B9
Conan PS3
a review of Conan [PS3]
Nova 1: Annihilation - Conquest
Nova 1: Annihilation - Conquest
a review of Nova 1: Annihilation - Conquest
see more reviews
About this movie

Wiki

Chicago telephone lineman Tom Witzkey (Bacon) is hypnotized at a party by his sister-in-law (Douglas) and begins seeing the ghost of a neighborhood girl murdered years before. He comes to the discovery that he is a Receiver--one who is able to see spirits. Now in possession of knowledge he never wanted to know, Tom struggles through his daily existence plagued by these newly-acquired supernatural visions while attempting to retain his sanity.
view wiki

Tags

Movies, Horror, Suspense
see all

Details

Director: David Koepp
Release Date: 1999
MPAA Rating: R
DVD Release Date: Artisan Entertainment (February 01, 2000)
Runtime: 1hr 39min
see all (6)
First to Review

"DIG!"
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.
()
This is you!
Ranked #
Last login
Member since
reviews
comments
ratings
questions
compliments
lists