A Little Too Open-Minded Stir of Echoes
By Ross Anthony
This film has been compared to "The Sixth Sense." While it has the similarity of a man and boy who see a ghost, the rest is quite different. In this case, the man (Kevin Bacon) is the boy's father and there is only one ghost -- haunting their home.
Bacon delivers a strong performance, sporting an picture-perfect working class Chicago accent. The build up of tension and suspense is sewn together well, but the conclusion has more of a TV mystery show spirit than that of a powerful feature climax.
The motions of the ghost (stirred by frame manipulation) create an excellently eerie feeling to her presence. I also enjoyed the chilling way Bacon's confrontation left him pale and out of breath. I could almost feel that chill. However, there was little point in contriving a way to make the ghost a threat to the living. (I'd have to fault the "Sixth Sense" for taking a few stabs in that direction as well). It's already scary dealing with a believable ghost -- there's no need to invent a threat to life.
Also, when the wife "accidentally" stumbles upon some information from another guy who sees ghosts (and knows how to deal with them), she doesn't share this information with her husband who is clearly less than stabilized by his knew found "open-mindedness." Additionally, this character (ghost-seer guy), though carefully introduced into the script; disappears from it rather promptly without a trace.
Intriguing and chilling most of the way through, "Stirs of Echoes" is a solid "B" film.
Stir of Echoes. Copyright © 1999. Rated R. Starring Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Conor O'Farrell, Illeana Douglas and Devin Dunn and Zachery David Cope (Jake) Writer/Director David Koepp. Produced by Gavin Polone and Judy Hofflund at Artisan.
Grade..........................B
-- Copyright © 1999 Ross Anthony, currently based in Los Angeles, has scripted and shot documentaries, music videos, and shorts in 35 countries across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more reviews visit: http://RossAnthony.com
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