Squelchy
Sophomore
@squelchy
Posts: 117
Likes: 125
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Post by Squelchy on Oct 24, 2018 9:11:27 GMT
Not got a list of insights to make here or anything, just that I liked this movie a lot. It came to the cinema here in maybe mid-2000 and I recall I pulled sickie from work that day and decided to go see a movie, settling on this knowing very little about it - I don't remember being very familiar with either Matheson or Koepp back then. I re-watched it last night for the October Challenge and it struck me how refreshing it was to watch a horror movie that isn't about teenagers, some affluent family of white academics or rednecks - the last of which are probably antagonising the former two. A blue-collar horror movie, if you will, but it doesn't condescend and doesn't hammer home their circumstances. Also, I dug that Bacon's character and his initially jaded, then obsessive behaviour make him not 100% likeable for the most part. And the ending isn't some huge showdown, the "hero" is screwed only for the actions of one of the villains with a guilty conscience . That's all.
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northernlad
Sophomore
@northernlad
Posts: 898
Likes: 620
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Post by northernlad on Oct 24, 2018 12:57:09 GMT
It's a really good movie. I watched it many years ago when it first came out, didn't expect much, was pleasantly surprised by it. Out of all the "ghost" movies out there, I'd say it's the best. I remember when I first saw it, the little boy really creeped me out.
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egon1982
Sophomore
@egon1982
Posts: 994
Likes: 268
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Post by egon1982 on Oct 24, 2018 15:07:11 GMT
One of my favorite horror films of the 90s
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Oct 25, 2018 0:34:33 GMT
This was such a pleasant surprise at the time, I should really see it again sometime.
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 26, 2018 1:07:51 GMT
9/10 Damn good horror film.
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Post by Marv on Oct 26, 2018 1:26:02 GMT
I liked it.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 27, 2018 9:59:58 GMT
Excellent movie.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Oct 29, 2018 2:11:26 GMT
I really like it, a good honest spooker with a strong resolution to the missing person part of the narrative. I still remember the first time I watched it and jumped out my skin at the "sofa" scene I reviewed it in 2012 > I see a red door and I want to paint it black! Stir of Echoes is written and directed by David Koepp who adapts from the novel of the same name written by Richard Matheson. It stars Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Zachary David Cope, Illena Douglas, Jennifer Morrison, Kevin Dunn and Conor O'Farrell. Music is scored by James Newton Howard and cinematography by Fred Murphy. Chicago phone engineer Tom Witzky (Bacon) submits to being hypnotised by his sister-in-law and finds that his young son's imaginary friend is not imagined after all... Undeniably lost in the slip-stream of the similar themed The Sixth Sense, Stir of Echoes screams out to be seen by more fans of supernatural mysteries. It's a near faultless production, with Koepp getting all the key ingredients right on both the page and in transfer to the screen. Pacing is often the problem with films of a similar ilk, but Koepp deftly structures it in three engrossing sections. First third establishes the main characters and the supernatural set-up, but the bonus here is that character reactions are believable, especially with Erbe's confused wife, and Koepp has a great sense of atmosphere whilst ensuring we are fully immersed in Tom Wizky's new world of disorientation by way of terrifying visions and red light shocks. Second third brings the chills and the odd boo-jump, again the director is aware that too many jumps can overkill the plot, so they are nicely spaced out and accompanied by a palpable fear of the unknown. Then the last third unravels in a whirl of Roy Neary like obsessions and ghosts of the past denouements. It's a standard formula, yet it's amazing just how often film makers get it wrong, especially in horror. Not a problem here. Film is further boosted by Newton Howard's score that blends the ethereal with rising thunder and Murphy's colour photography, the latter of which helps to paint a harmonious Chicago neighbourhood, soon to be turned upside down, literally at one end of the street. The acting is super, which in Bacon's case is a given to anyone who has followed his career, and Koepp shows some nice and creepy visual filming techniques to further enhance the great Richard Matheson's story. There's the odd little misstep, such as a thread involving a secret organisation that has the "gift" of being "open" to the supernatural, that feels like filler to over state Tom's torment. While the post reaction to a suicide attempt isn't given nearly enough screen time to really add impetus to the unfolding mystery. But small complaints and Stir of Echoes (great title) remains a truly involving and entertaining supernatural mystery. 8.5/10
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Post by them1ghtyhumph on Oct 29, 2018 2:14:36 GMT
Not the type of movie I generally like, But I liked this one.
With Illeana Douglas, step-grandaughter of Helen Gahagan
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Post by forca84 on Oct 30, 2018 17:37:27 GMT
Great film and soundtrack. Kind of shocked they could make such a mediocre sequel with good source material.
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