Stir of Echoes (1999)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

David Koepp

Writers (WGA):

Richard Matheson (novel)
David Koepp (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Some doors weren't meant to be opened.

Plot:

After being hypnotized by his sister in law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around her.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Chicago | Party | Sister In Law | Girl

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Zachary David Cope	...	Jake Witzky
Kevin Bacon	...	Tom Witzky
Kathryn Erbe	...	Maggie Witzky
Illeana Douglas	...	Lisa Weil
Kevin Dunn	...	Frank McCarthy
Conor O'Farrell	...	Harry Damon
Lusia Strus	...	Sheila McCarthy
Stephen Eugene Walker	...	Bobby
Mary Kay Cook	...	Vanessa Damon
Larry Neumann Jr.	...	Lenny
Jennifer Morrison	...	Samantha Kozac (as Jenny Morrison)
Richard Cotovsky	...	Neighborhood Man
Steve Rifkin	...	Kurt Damon
Chalon Williams	...	Adam McCarthy
Liza Weil	...	Debbie Kozac, the Babysitter

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Japan:PG-12 | Iceland:16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | Italy:VM14 (cinema rating) | Italy:VM18 (tv rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Ireland:18 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Artisan Entertainment

Trivia:

The flashback scene where the girl is murdered is almost exactly the same as the psychic flashback scene experienced by Christopher Walken's character in The Dead Zone (1983).

Goofs:

Continuity: The number of Tom and Maggie's house changes during the flashbacks.

Quotes:

Tom Witzky: I never wanted to be famous. I just never expected to be so...
Maggie Witzky: What?
Tom Witzky: I don't know, ordinary.

Movie Connections:

References "Big Bad Beetleborgs" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Hello

Thrilling and interesting

Actually, I found this movie more satisfying than "Sixth sense". It doesn't have a stunning payoff like "sixth sense" (what film does?), but until the, in some ways hasty, conclusion, it's well made, scary and, since I have a knowledge of occult things through a good friend, rather believable. Kevin Bacon is credible in his part and so do Illeana Douglas. Kathryn Erbe however is stuck with nothing to do for large chunks of the movie. Effectively and atmosphericly shot, with some effective jolts that made me jump. To some, the conclusion may be a little simple and drawn-out, but I thought it was satisfying and filled to the brim with suspense. I find that the digging in the cellar/garden is a nice build-up for the finale, not that it goes on forever as a previous reviewer stated. It's only one thing that bothers me about the ending, and it is that too little is explained and a few threads of the story are totally abandoned. But that's only a minor complaint. For the most part, this is a creepy, interesting, well-made, scary and well played little thriller.