Stir Of Echos

December 12, 2004

Rated: R Runtime: 110 min Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

DVD Quick Take

The only real problem with this movie is that it was released in theatres alongside The Sixth Sense, which has a very similar premise, but was an absolute juggernaut at the box office. Viewed without the inevitable comparison to Sixth Sense, this is a darned good movie.

This may very well turn out to be a good, but forgotten, movie at the box office that turns into a strong seller on home video if it gets some good worth of mouth. And it does deserve it. In fact, this may be one of those movies that I would actually prefer to watch at home. The surround effects on the DVD are absolutely excellent, I dont think the subtleties could be reproduced in a theater. If you didn’t catch this movie at the theater, then at the very least rent it. And given the quality of the DVD, if you’re into the genre, this one belongs in your collection.

Original Review of the Theatrical Release

Kevin Bacon always seems to have a knack for injecting extra dimensions into characters where most actors would not be able to find room for any. Even as the cartoonish Val McKee in “Tremors”, Bacon finds a way to display some very down-to-earth qualities as well as a few insecurities. In “Echoes”, he is given free reign and he succeeds marvelously.

Tom Witzky (Bacon) is a lineman for the phone company in suburban Chicago. He has a wife, Maggie (Erbe), and a young son, Jake (Cope). As with so many of us, Tom’s dreams and ambitions have been squashed by the responsibilities of family life. As one of his neighbors puts it, “Tom’s never been more than 6 blocks from this place in his whole life.”

Maggie is the loving wife and is quite happy with her life. Jake seems happy, too, although he frequently talks to an “imaginary” friend named Samantha.

All is well…that is, until Tom convinces Maggie’s sister (a new age, crystal-hugging bliss-ninny played marvelously by Illeana Douglas) to try and hypnotize him. Tom is skeptical, but soon awakes to find that hypnosis is all too real.

Soon after, he begins having visions of violence and murder. He also sees Samantha who, as it turns out, is not imaginary at all; she’s the dead spirit of a young teenage girl who died months earlier. When Jake notices that his father can see Samantha, he tells him not to be scared. Yeah, right!

Tom is not only scared, he begins to unravel over the next few days. I won’t say much beyond that except that it isn’t hard to figure out what must ultimately happen. The performances here are top notch and I enjoyed the directors treatment of the characters. The natural and inevitable conflict between Tom and Maggie over these events is quite well done. My only real complaint with the movie is the somewhat slow pacing. Even so, it’s not a fatal flaw for this rather enjoyable ride to the brink of insanity and back.

Posted by Billy Bob | Filed Under 3 Stars, DVD, Horror, Kathryn Erbe, Kevin Bacon, R, Zachary David Cope