Blue-collar family man Tom Witzky scoffs at supernatural phenomena until he lets his wife’s sister, Lisa, put him into a hypnotic trance. Upon waking, Tom realizes he has a psychic connection with his son, Jake. He also has alarming hallucinations of a missing teenage neighbor named Samantha. Tom, convinced his visions will lead him to the girl, begins a desperate search that puts him into a life-threatening situation.
Among the architects of Hollywood’s most gripping tales, screenwriter David Koepp may not be a household name, yet his fingerprints are all over iconic films like “Spider-Man,” “Mission: Impossible,” and “Jurassic Park.” His second time in the director’s chair yielded “Stir of Echoes,” a spine-chilling gem that, while living in the shadow of “The Sixth Sense,” earned its stripes as a remarkable supernatural film.
The story follows Kevin Bacon’s character, Tom Witzky, a modest Chicago phone lineman who lives with his pregnant wife, Maggie (Kathryn Erbe), and their young son, Jake (Zachary David Cope). At a friend’s party, everything changes when his sister-in-law Lisa (Illeana Douglas), who dabbles in mystical practices, puts Tom under hypnosis. This casual party trick opens a door to the spirit world, revealing that both Tom and his son possess an extraordinary gift—the ability to see the dead.
The tale takes a dark turn as Tom becomes fixated on solving the case of Samantha Kozak (Jennifer Morrison), a missing teenager with developmental challenges. Guided by otherworldly visions, his relentless pursuit leads to a manic excavation of his home, ultimately exposing a dark truth within his basement walls – one that certain people are determined to keep buried.
“Stir of Echoes” excels by weaving supernatural frights with genuine emotional depth. Under Koepp’s skilled direction, the film maintains an oppressive sense of dread, anchored by Bacon’s riveting portrayal of a skeptic confronting inexplicable forces. The working-class Chicago backdrop adds a layer of authenticity that makes the supernatural elements more believable.
While “Stir of Echoes” shares common ground with “The Sixth Sense” in its portrayal of characters who bridge the gap between the living and the dead, “Stir of Echoes” blazes its own trail. The film’s heart lies in Tom’s journey from absolute disbeliever to someone wrestling with supernatural forces, creating an atmosphere of unrelenting psychological tension.
Koepp demonstrates remarkable skill in maintaining viewer engagement even when the destination becomes clear. While the story’s conclusion suggests the potential for more, 25 years have passed without a follow-up. In our current era of revived classics, these supernatural stories might find fresh interpretations, though capturing the original’s visceral impact and brooding atmosphere would be no small feat.
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