Stir of Echoes, written and directed byDavid Koepp, is a perfect movie for November because it combinesthe cozy, communal nature of late autumn– football games, parties with friends and family – and the chills of an atmospheric horror movie. The movie followsKevin Baconas a husband and father who begins to experiencesupernatural occurrences after a hypnosis sessionduring a party: he’s haunted by the ghost of a young girl (Jennifer Morrison) who won’t leave him alone until he does what she wants.Stir of Echoesrarely gets too intense, instead relying on an unnerving premise and the charisma of Kevin Bacon (who’s got plenty to spare, of course) to provide a creepy mystery that will keep you guessing.
‘Stir of Echoes’ Is Based on a Novel By Master of Suspense Richard Matheson
Released in 1999,Stir of Echoescenters ona blue-collar neighborhood in Chicago, with Kevin Bacon playing Tom Witzky, a telephone lineman. Along with his wife and son (Kathryn ErbeandZachary David Cope), Tom has a close relationship with his neighbors, going to local football games and block parties and generally feeling like a well-liked member of his community; if there’s one thing David Koepp does perfectly in this movie, it’srealistically portray the day-to-day of a close-knit neighborhoodthat’s imperfect but still charming.
During one of the parties, however,Tom agrees to undergo hypnosisbecause he doesn’t think it will actually work. Unfortunately for him, it does, and a post-hypnotic suggestion to “be more open-minded” leads tohorrifying visions of the ghost of a teenage girl.As Tom tries to uncover who the girl is and what happened to her, his sanity, his relationship with his family, and even the camaraderie of the neighborhood all begin to crack as he tries to uncover what’s happening before it’s too late.
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The plot of David Koepp’s supernatural movie is pulled from the novelA Stir of EchoesbyRichard Matheson; the author’s name might not ring a bell right away, but it’s almost certain you’ve watched movies and shows in which he had a part in the production.He’s not only responsible for iconicTwilight Zoneepisodeslike “The Invaders” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” but he also wrotethe short novel on whichI Am Legendwas based. Matheson was a master of creating a sense of dread and suspense in his works, andStir of Echoesbeautifully captures that tension without losing any of the definition of its strong characters.
Kevin Bacon Delivers a Frantic Performance in ‘Stir of Echoes’
Kevin Bacon is a huge contributing factor to whyStir of Echoesgets under your skin. He’s got enough of therough-and-tumble charm he launched on the scene with inTremorsandFootlooseto effortlessly pull off the likable working man Tom Witzky. But Bacon also has the right intensity for a character who is constantly plagued by unsettling visions and nightmares. As the supernatural occurrences worsen,Tom becomes more unhinged, best seen when he’s frantically digging holes in the backyard (and eventually the house itself) under the command of the ghost girl he’s been seeing.
He’s clearly getting close to the edge of his sanityand Bacon’s performance really makes that anxiety palpable to the audience. The movie also plays with some straight scares, too; apart from the jump-scares you might expect from a supernatural movie, there’s also a pretty upsetting dream sequence in which Kevin Bacon pulls out one of his own teeth.The filmmakers used practical effects instead of CGI,making the moment even more visceral and convincing.In an interview with EW, Bacon said the scene works so well because we’re “drawn to things that are chilling in their simplicity. [Horror often uses] bells, whistles, jump-scares… but when you can do it with such a simple, uncomplicated gesture, it’s f—ing creepy and horrific.”
Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes toStir of Echoes;it’s full of dread that creeps up on you, with the occasional in-your-face jumps. Although being one of many supernatural movies from 1999 (including huge hits likeThe Sixth SenseandThe Blair Witch Project)may have hindered the success ofStir of Echoes, it’s a tense ghostly movie that shouldn’t be overlooked by modern audiences, especially during this Fall season.
Stir of Echoesis available to stream on Prime Video.
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Stir of Echoes
