Stir of Echoes (1999)

3 out of 4

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas, Kevin Dunn, Zachary David Cope, Jenny Morrison

Director: David Koepp

Time: 99 mins

Of all the horror films that invaded the North American summer and early autumn of 1999, Stir of Echoes was one of the major victims of the stampede. It doesn't have the showiness of The Haunting, the marketing nous and audacity of The Blair Witch Project, or the repeat-viewing twist of The Sixth Sense, but it does have some genuinely effective creepy scenes. The story (from the novel by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the stories behind such films as The Omega Man and What Dreams May Come) shares some similarities with The Sixth Sense, in that the main protagonist from each film can see ghosts, but Stir of Echoes doesn't take as long to get where it's going and delivers chills consistently through the film. It is marred only by the ending, where the motivations of two of the characters are not quite believable, but is still a commendable effort from the filmmakers.

The story is set in a "nice" Chicago suburb. Tom Witzky (Bacon) is an ordinary family man with a loving wife Maggie (Erbe) and a young son Jake (Cope). At a party thrown by neighbour Frank (Dunn), he is challenged to have more of an open mind by his new age sister-in-law Lisa (Douglas). A bit drunk, Tom agrees to undergo hypnosis. While under the spell, he receives flashes of horrific images, and then wakes in a sweat. Soon after, he starts seeing weird visions of a dead girl (Morrison) in his house. To complicate matters, Jake is also able to see and talk to the apparition. Tom becomes obsessed with finding out who and where the dead girl is, which almost drives his worried wife away. When he discovers the truth, he finds his life and that of his family are in danger.

Director and screenwriter Koepp (The Trigger Effect, Jurassic Park) shows a deft touch in handling the suspense and shocks. If the ending had been better, the film would probably have rated higher. In terms of acting, the ubiquitous Kevin Bacon (heard of the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon?) is fine as the man driven to unlock dark secrets, though not as memorable as when he plays villainous types (The River Wild is a good example). Erbe is attractive and quite good, but her character is not convincing during one sequence where she seeks help for her husband, learns what is happening, and then doesn't follow it any further. The supporting cast is adequate, including Cope as the son who also sees ghosts (shades of Haley Joel Osment's excellent turn in Sixth Sense).

Though released by Artisan Entertainment, the same folks responsible for The Blair Witch Project, Stir of Echoes failed to find much of an audience in North America, probably due to the overabundance of horror films in that congested three-month period during July-September last year. Its lack of star power and similarity to The Sixth Sense didn't help, either. It is, however, one of the better horror films from the batch released last year, and would be a better choice for viewing than a mess like The Haunting.

(c) Joe Wong