It was understandable that Stir of Echoes would struggle to shine in the shadow cast by The Sixth Sense. Sharing the similar theme of family problems and a psychic child, but without the star draw of Bruce Willis or critically acclaimed Haley Joel Osment, it seemed doomed to slip by unnoticed. However, Stir of Echoes arguably has more narrative depth than the one-shot smoke and mirrors trick that worked so well for its more successful cousin.
Kevin Bacon is the electrician whose son has an unusual line in invisible friends, but the story quickly switches emphasis to his own burgeoning power which is uncovered after he is hypnotised at a party. His determination to put an end to his visions and find out why a missing local girl keeps appearing in his house rapidly develops into an obsession, putting a serious strain on his relationship with his wife.
The parallels don�t end there � ominous bathroom scenes similar to What Lies Beneath, haunting apparitions not wholly unlike Sadako in Ring (although nowhere near as bowel-emptying), a house wrecking obsession like in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and a psychic power straight out of The Shining � all result in a feeling that a lot of this has been done before. However, several of these films came out in quick succession, and Stir of Echoes is based on a novel, so it can�t be all copied. And the whole thing is put together very well, never predictable and keeping everyone guessing right up until its satisfying ending, all of which makes passing it over as a shameless rip-off a missed opportunity of some quality entertainment. |
