Good or bad, I hate to say that the most prominent thing I can say about David Koepp's STIR OF ECHOES is that it left me with no impression whatsoever. It's not necessarily that the movie was horrible or incredibly boring; it's just that I find it to be one of the most forgettable film's I've ever seen. I've watched it a few times and for some reason I never remember much about it. I remember the premise of the film and that it stars Kevin Bacon, and that's about it. So I gave it another chance to see if maybe I just hadn't paid attention in the past and
nope. It's just forgettable. It's enjoyable enough while you're watching it thought. It's not a bad little ghost tale, with a few moments of decent suspense. In the movie, Kevin Bacon is Tom Witzky, a phone line maintenance tech that isn't content with the direction his life has taken. He lives with his wife and son in a small Chicago suburb where everyone knows everyone. One night at a party, Tom is hypnotized by his sister-in-law as a gag, but the fun is over when Tom finds himself plagued with terrifying hallucinations. He is haunted by visions of a teenage girl and feels the need to dig. His flashes lead him to believe that the hypnosis has opened a new door to his mind, and his investigations might lead him to uncover a secret that would shatter his peaceful neighborhood.
I guess it just might've been overshadowed by some of the bigger titles released in 1999, but I just don't remember STIR OF ECHOES getting much attention. I hadn't even remembered it myself until I grabbed it on DVD as part of a two-DVD set. It's a fine little thriller with some moments of genuine creepiness buffered by a bunch of scenes with Kevin Bacon and a shovel. There aren't a lot of big names in the film, with the obvious exception of course being Bacon. Illeana Douglas (who was slightly more popular at the time of the film's release than she is now) is in the movie as Lisa Well, the protagonist's sister-in-law/amateur hypnotist. Douglas is a cute face but I've never seen her as much of a dramatic actor and her scenes in the movie don't feel too genuine. The rest of the film is filled out with recognizable faces and forgettable names (including the father from the TRANSFORMERS series) that normally would relegate a film of this stature to direct-to-DVD status. Everyone does a fine job but I feel some blame falls on director David Koepp, an accomplished screenwriter with limited directing experience. Bacon provides the strongest performance while others falter, and I wish the scares had been a little stronger. Granted, this is just as much a mystery as a supernatural thriller but it felt cheap. The thrills are pretty barren and I would have liked a little more torment from the tortured soul of the teenage girl (played by a young and almost unrecognizable Jennifer Morrison).
I would recommend STIR OF ECHOES as a decent viewing option on a rainy day when it's playing on cable. It's not really worth spending any cash on but, if you catch it for free, it doesn't disappoint. It's tense at times with a mystery that keeps your interest engaged until the final reveal. I wish they would've built more upon the whole "psychic" abilities the movie hints at with Bacon and his son. I wonder if these elements were built upon further in the novel the movie is based upon. I should also mention that, while I normally hate child actors, the one in this movie isn't as aggravating bad as most. So kudos to Zachary David Cope for that. Overall, the movie has a heavy vibe of a made-for-cable piece, and it's a shame because I think in the capable hands of a director with a real vision this movie could've rivaled THE SIXTH SENSE. Instead we're treated to a mildly entertaining one-off film that most people probably don't remember. I barely did.
I guess it just might've been overshadowed by some of the bigger titles released in 1999, but I just don't remember STIR OF ECHOES getting much attention. I hadn't even remembered it myself until I grabbed it on DVD as part of a two-DVD set. It's a fine little thriller with some moments of genuine creepiness buffered by a bunch of scenes with Kevin Bacon and a shovel. There aren't a lot of big names in the film, with the obvious exception of course being Bacon. Illeana Douglas (who was slightly more popular at the time of the film's release than she is now) is in the movie as Lisa Well, the protagonist's sister-in-law/amateur hypnotist. Douglas is a cute face but I've never seen her as much of a dramatic actor and her scenes in the movie don't feel too genuine. The rest of the film is filled out with recognizable faces and forgettable names (including the father from the TRANSFORMERS series) that normally would relegate a film of this stature to direct-to-DVD status. Everyone does a fine job but I feel some blame falls on director David Koepp, an accomplished screenwriter with limited directing experience. Bacon provides the strongest performance while others falter, and I wish the scares had been a little stronger. Granted, this is just as much a mystery as a supernatural thriller but it felt cheap. The thrills are pretty barren and I would have liked a little more torment from the tortured soul of the teenage girl (played by a young and almost unrecognizable Jennifer Morrison).
I would recommend STIR OF ECHOES as a decent viewing option on a rainy day when it's playing on cable. It's not really worth spending any cash on but, if you catch it for free, it doesn't disappoint. It's tense at times with a mystery that keeps your interest engaged until the final reveal. I wish they would've built more upon the whole "psychic" abilities the movie hints at with Bacon and his son. I wonder if these elements were built upon further in the novel the movie is based upon. I should also mention that, while I normally hate child actors, the one in this movie isn't as aggravating bad as most. So kudos to Zachary David Cope for that. Overall, the movie has a heavy vibe of a made-for-cable piece, and it's a shame because I think in the capable hands of a director with a real vision this movie could've rivaled THE SIXTH SENSE. Instead we're treated to a mildly entertaining one-off film that most people probably don't remember. I barely did.