Stir of Echoes (1999)

Director:

David Koepp

Writers (WGA):

Richard Matheson (novel)
David Koepp (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Some doors weren't meant to be opened.

Plot:

After being hypnotized by his sister in law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around her.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Chicago | Sister In Law | Party | Grave

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Zachary David Cope	...	Jake Witzky
Kevin Bacon	...	Tom Witzky
Kathryn Erbe	...	Maggie Witzky
Illeana Douglas	...	Lisa Weil
Kevin Dunn	...	Frank McCarthy
Conor O'Farrell	...	Harry Damon
Lusia Strus	...	Sheila McCarthy
Stephen Eugene Walker	...	Bobby
Mary Kay Cook	...	Vanessa Damon
Larry Neumann Jr.	...	Lenny
Jennifer Morrison	...	Samantha Kozac (as Jenny Morrison)
Richard Cotovsky	...	Neighborhood Man
Steve Rifkin	...	Kurt Damon
Chalon Williams	...	Adam McCarthy
Liza Weil	...	Debbie Kozac, the Babysitter

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Japan:PG-12 | Iceland:16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | Italy:VM14 (cinema rating) | Italy:VM18 (tv rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Ireland:18 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Artisan Entertainment

Trivia:

The hypnosis sequence in which Tom (Kevin Bacon) is hypnotized for the first time follows actual hypnosis techniques used by professional hypnotists. In order to ensure that the audience hasn't been put to sleep (and some susceptible people have been), there's a musical accent at the close of the sequence to wake everyone up.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Lisa tells Maggie the baby she is expecting will be a Gemini, and that "Einstein was a Gemini". In fact, Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, making him a Pisces.

Quotes:

Maggie Witzky: WHY ARE YOU DIGGING?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mirror Mirror

Kevin Bacon's Second Sight

Blue-collar lineman Kevin Bacon (as Tom Witzky) would have rather become a rock musician. Instead, Mr. Bacon has settled for a more ordinary life. He has just moved to a modest Chicago house, in a "decent" neighborhood. Bacon, and sexily pregnant wife Kathryn Erbe (as Maggie Witzky) have a mildly creepy (but innocent looking) young son, Zachary David Cope (as Jake Witzky). Young Cope can see, and talk to, dead people. Ms. Erbe looks good in denim. She has a witchy sister, Illeana Douglas (as Lisa Weil), who gets the story going, after hypnotizing Bacon into seeing dead people, too…

David Koepp's "Stir of Echoes" is a mostly effective ghost story. Bacon and the cast are terrific. Thankfully, the focus is on Bacon's protagonist, rather than kid Cody, who does not (also, thankfully) portray the usual annoying devil movie tot. The story is intriguing, well-paced, and nicely detailed. The "aborted kidnapping" of Cody, and "foreshadowed suicide" of Chalon Williams (as Adam) are two highlights.

The story starts to falter when Erbe goes to find mysterious Eddie Bo Smith (as Neil); you expect the film to advance to a higher level, but the sequence ends up giving away too much. Dig it.

For the "Talk About Good Taste" department: Bacon searches for the lost chords of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black" (a great version is sound-tracked, by Gob). Cody can't get George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" off of his television set. And, babysitter Liza Weil (as Debbie Kozac) reads dog-eared paperback writer Richard Matheson's incredible "Shrinking Man".

******* Stir of Echoes (1999) David Koepp ~ Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Zachary David Cope