Spooky, Smart, and Criminally Underrated

bayardhiler

"Stir of Echoes" is more than just your average ghost story; it's a thriller that weaves together mystery, intrigue, murder, and love of family into a very memorable film. Adapted from the novel by the late, great Richard Matheson, the story centers around everyday man Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon), his wife Maggie (Kathryn Erbe) and their young son, Jake (Zachary David Cope). They seem to have the perfect life in their Chicago suburban home until one night at a neighborhood block party Tom, ever the supernatural/otherworldly skeptic, agrees to be hypnotized by his mystic-minded sister-in-law. He doesn't remember much about what happens during the hypnosis, but what follows next is anything but child's play as strange images involving a ghostly, teenage girl and past events of the house they live in start appearing in his mind. It turns out Tom has become a receiver, someone whose mind is open to visions of the future and communication with the dead, and that's not all. Tom's son, Jake, already has this sixth sense, if you will, and he too has visions of the girl he calls Samantha. It doesn't take long for Tom to discover that Samantha was a real person who disappeared from the neighborhood but no one in the community knows why or seems to care. From there, it's a race for the truth as Tom tries to uncover what really happened to the young girl who haunts his mind before it tears him apart.

I had heard of "Stir of Echoes" through this site long before I saw it. It was not until recently I finally got my chance to see it and needless to say, I was not disappointed. The story is beautifully crafted right from the beginning, where we first meet Jake taking a bath and seemly talking to his father in the next room. It's only after his father leaves the room and he's drying off that we find out (I won't reveal exactly how we know as to not spoil it) he's talking to someone else. The scene gives me chills just thinking of it and there are plenty more to come. Writer and director David Koepp should be congratulated for being to combine scenes that scare and disturb with a good, strong story. As for as characters, each of the actors give solid performances, be it Kevin Bacon as skeptic turned (almost dangerously) obsessed believer, Kathryn Erbe as Tom's devoted wife, Illeana Douglas as the sister-in-law, Kevin Dunn as Tom's friend and neighbor Frank, or Zachary David Cope as young Jake Witzky. Mr. Cope's performance has to be one of the most brilliant I've ever seen from a child actor or in general due to his ability to be sweet but also a bit other worldly due to his ability to see things we can't. Plus there's a whole lot of amazing supporting actors and actresses, such as Jennifer Morrison as young Samantha, that should be congratulated for their work. I'm not sure what Mr. Matheson thought of this film but as for me, I can't praise it enough. "Stir of Echoes" is a film that works, not only for the reasons above but in addition, it will make you wonder how well do you really know your neighborhood or the house you live in? And on that note, don't let this gem of a film pass you by. Watch and be prepared for some unsettling truths.

score 9/10

bayardhiler 12 October 2014

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3103246/