view_and_review It's actually quite fascinating that "Stir of Echoes" and "The Sixth Sense" came out the same year being that they are so similar. Of course "The Sixth Sense" garnered more attention and rightfully so, but "Stir of Echoes" was still an excellent movie. I'd go so far as to say that if "The Sixth Sense" had not been made then "Stir of Echoes" would be one of the more iconic ghost movies to date."Stir of Echoes" was a masterful blend of the paranormal world with the normal world as an apparition tried to communicate with the living. Of course specters can never just outright say what they want (that would make things too easy) so the movie became a mystery that needed to be solved.Kevin Bacon is Kevin Bacon so you know you're going to get good acting there. I also thought the contributions by Illeana Douglas, who played is sis-in-law, and Kevin Dunn (his best friend) were just as good. The story and the suspense kept me drawn in even though they added a few scenes that were unnecessary in which they spelled out something we already knew. Besides that the movie was spectacular and I only wish I'd seen it sooner.

Python Hyena Stir of Echoes (1999): Dir: David Koeppe / Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Kevin Dunn, Illeana Douglas, Jennifer Morrison: Similar to The Sixth Sense with a title that represents crimes unsolved that will not die. Illeana Douglas plays a hypnotist who gathers a group of friends including a couple played by Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Erbe. She hypnotizes Kevin Bacon but he begins to see images of a missing teenage girl. His son talks to the girl as if she is present, and on top of that Bacon comes to realize that his neighbour's son is about to shoot himself. Intriguing plot with many surprises and effective humour. The conclusion is conventional and too rushed. Directed by David Koeppe who presents a natural quality in the marriage relationship generated by fine chemistry between Bacon and Kathryn Erbe that is the best element of the film. Bacon is bent on solving a crime, and Erbe is trying to understand what is happening until she is in a position where she needs to rescue him. This is the best part of the film while supporting players are an odd mix of morons and crazies. Douglas has a role that is key but way too familiar and predictable. Kevin Dunn is also featured as a neighbour but the role really doesn't come to life until the third act. The result is a film that is inferior to The Sixth Sense but will still stir those seeking an interesting approach to an old paint job. Score: 6 / 10

corsonb I voted a 4 for this film and the only reason it arrived there was the cast and the quality of their work. They were all marvelous with a low- quality and repulsive script. The scenarist decided that the middle class of Chicago are dumb and kept them that way for the entire film. The original story was more in the suburbs of the films of Stephen Spielberg mixed with "Desperate Housewives".Don't get me wrong; the casting was great and so were ALL of the actors' work, but the script was a perversion of the work of a great film, television, short story, and novel writer. (The author of the original book was, among other things, one of the major authors of many classic episodes of the original "Twilight Zone".)The story was ruined by that change, but all of the "grunts" (actors, crew, director of photography, etc.) did great work. ALL of these actors are worth watching in this film... even if the "powers that be" ruined what could have been a good, new variation on "6th Sense".I realize that the producers need to make money with this story. So, they lowered the class and the IQ's of all of the characters so that a "middle American" audience would "identify with it". That's a sad fact for the film industry (especially in our epoch), but it's common for at least 30 years. That's why comic books (the same story several times over!) and even boardgames and toys are being transformed into "blockbusters". Writers in Hollywood have had almost no original ideas in the last 30 years, but since producers have no idea what "writing" or "originality" are, they produce and make money with middle America with stories that are the lowest common denominators in the field. Welcome to the industry of "art".I have a large DVD collection (more than 500 titles), but this one won't be added. ... However, I will write to the actors' agents so that I can pass the message that they did great work, nevertheless. (I'm a voice actor and I know we as actors are not responsible for the scripts: we just need to keep working like any employee and do our best.)

Nitzan Havoc As always, allow me to start off by saying that I am not a movie critique and not even a cinema student, but a humble average Horror addict. That is why I'm always on the lookout for good, thrilling, scary movies from around the early nineties to present time.Regardless to its popularity and consistent substantial number of fans worldwide, the Horror genre has always been slightly (and for us fans painfully) underrated. Don't get me wrong, horror films are still produced on a yearly basis and some even win Oscars, so I'm not complaining. I am, however, pointing out that Dramas, Comedies and Action films tend to be considered as "higher class" cinema, and tend to make more money.In regards to the Psychological/Supernatural sub-genre - Stir of Echoes was, in my opinion, excellent. Based on a novel by Richard Matheson, it told a great story in a compelling way. The visual/audio effects were right on the spot, and the crowd was kept curious and intrigued until the very end. Certain films of the genre keep us intrigued and curious because we have no idea what is actually going on until the last 5-15 minutes. Others artistically and magnificently give original and surprising (sometimes even shocking) answers to questions we didn't even know we had until the story told in them begins coming to a closure. Stir of Echoes was slightly inferior in this regard, as the audience had been informed of everything that'd been going on (no guessing / paying attention to clues involved). That, however, didn't reduce the movie's quality even one bit. Being sort of an underground genre, we usually don't see our favorite top celebrities starring in Horror films. In this case - we did! Kevin Bacon played the role of the disturbed neurotic haunted in a convincing manner we could all relate with. His acting was by far the best in the movie. Along with him, the fans of the late show "Oz" by HBO were in for a real treat - as we got to see the gorgeous Kathryn Erbe (aka Shirley Bellinger) playing the sexy distressed wife trying to cope with the new oddity that had befallen her family. As for Zachary David Copes, who played their son, I must say I was less than impressed... then again I might have been a little biased. You folks might remember another Psychological/Supernatural Horror/Thriller that premiered the same year Stir of Echoes did. In a great (maybe even suspicious) resemblance, it also featured a top celebrity, and even some of the ideas and effects we've seen in SoE. That movie, M. Night Shyamalan's big break to the cinematic consciousness, will forever be more famous, more successful, and more remembered. I must admit that "The Sixth Sense" (if you haven't guessed) had one of the best ending twists I've seen to this day, and its ending surpassed and exceeded everything about Stir of Echoes' ending. However, that is no reason to completely neglect and even disregard David Koepp's creation. It's 2012 and I've only first found out about this film from IMDb a couple of days ago...In summary - the ending could have used a little more work, and the boy actor could have been somewhat better. One point deducted for each - still leaves 8/10 with some great acting, a great story, and not to mention a brilliant soundtrack. Guaranteed thrilling fun!