Stir of Echoes - David Koepp

[ravenus]

STIR OF ECHOES (1999) – David Koepp

Stir of Echoes, based on a book by Richard Matheson, is a ghost story very in the vein of The Sixth Sense, that being also its misfortune since, released shortly after Shyamalan’s spook venture, it was regarded as a me-too clone and ignored. Judged on its own merits, it’s a very fine film, well-written and with some genuinely good scares.

Tom (Kevin Bacon), a telephone lineman and amateur rocker in suburban Chicago, is undergoing midlife crisis: money is tight, he doesn’t know where his job is going and wife Maggie (Kathryn Erbe, an underrated goodness) is pregnant again. Also, unknown to Tom, his son Jake talks to ghosts. After challenging his catty sister-in-law to hypnotize him at a party, Tom suddenly faces a slew of disturbing visions…among them a ghost teen girl who Jake also sees. The frequency of visions increases, leading to some panicky situations, and Tom grows increasingly frightened and withdrawn…until he begins to see a pattern…and a mystery that he must solve to get the spooks off his mind.

David Koepp does a solid job establishing the milieu and the make-up of his characters. These are people we recognize from daily life – suburban middle-class folks with dilemmas and problems we identify with, and a sure bond is formed between us and them. This makes the shock scenes all the more effective. It also helps that the shocks are handled with taste and restraint…and imagination. The scene showing Tom settling into a hypnotized state is awesome and has a genuine dream-like feel to it. Same goes for another where he sees his neighbor’s son committing suicide. The ghost of the girl is also handled well with brief but effective appearances.

The supernatural angle is balanced by a credible depiction of Tom’s descent into obsessive madness. This makes SoE as much of psychological thriller as a ghost story, the credit of which must be shared between Koepp’s well-strung script and Kevin Bacon’s solid performance. Kathryn Erbe is also very likeable as the wife who is trying to keep her seemingly crazy family together. This is a very economical film and almost every scene and shot has a relevance in the narrative. The one exception of note is the presence of a black ‘Shiner’ who recognizes Jake and Tom’s gift and asks Maggie for Tom to meet him. This is a sub-plot that just hangs in mid-air since nothing is actually done with it and it could have been easily erased without any detriment to the script.

The conclusion while not in any way shocking, or bearing any ‘twists’ like The Sixth Sense is logical in he film’s context and well-executed. All in all, Stir of Echoes is a well-made ghost story that deserves to be seen on its own merit.

TRIVIA: In one scene Jake's babysitter is shown to be reading Matheson's The Shrinking Man

[littlemissattitude]

I will agree that Stir of Echoes is a very good film. "Scary" movies usually don't bother me at all, but this one did. Quite a bit.

[a|one]

I saw this when I was about 12, the parentals were a little unsure but it was definitely a good film.

BTW ravenus did you choose your name simply because you like the word or are you refering to the film Ravenus? (Which is great!)

[ravenus]

Never heard of a film Ravenus...my nick has a different lineage

[a|one]

Oh, well you should watch the movie then
Its about a queasy soldier sent to a remote outpost in the 1800s (I think)
Anyways one day some nearly frozen guy shows up in the middle of a storm with this story and it escalates from there, dont wanna say to much but its a great film.

[ravenus]

heh Ok. Sounds interesting, and the queasy soldier could be quite an apt character for me

[Circus Cranium]

Ravenous was a great film. Robert Carlisle at his finest! People either love it or hate it.