Stir of Echoes
Whenever there’s a feeling of disappointment in the horror genre, either from a book that’s a letdown or a movie that doesn’t live up to expectations, it’s therapeutic to time trip and go back to a film or novel that rekindles one’s enthusiasm. I recently re-watched the film Stir of Echoes and recalled in wonderment what an extraordinary year 1999 was for horror movies. Consider: The Sixth Sense (which is generally regarded as the film that eclipsed Stir of Echoes in terms of esteem and box office), the groundbreaking The Blair Witch Project, and a Tim Burton take on Sleepy Hollow. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to celebrate Halloween by partying like it’s 1999.
Stir of Echoes is based on A Stir of Echoes by one of my favorite writers, Richard Matheson. In addition to modifying Matheson’s title, screenplay writer and director David Koepp took other liberties in adapting the novel, although the screen narrative does retain certain basic plot elements. The most obvious being a protagonist who discovers his untapped psychic abilities after being hypnotized at a party by an in-law. And Matheson’s motif of a deceptively benign veneer masking malign intent/action, is intact.
The movie commences with a foreground shot of young boy (portrayed by Zachary David Cope) facing the camera and seemingly talking to us, the audience. After he asks, “Does it hurt to be dead?” we understand that it is not a rhetorical question meant for us. Nor is it directed to his oblivious father (played by Kevin Bacon) seen in the background. Dad is a blue-collar worker who had musical aspirations but settled, in every sense of the word, into the responsibility of being co-provider for his family. We are meant to assume that he and his wife (a role essayed by Kathryn Erbe) have been unaware that their five-year-old son is manifesting paranormal capabilities. It’s only when post hypnosis visions start plaguing the father that the parents acknowledge that there’s a hereditary proclivity for the uncanny. The kid tries to offer consolation and counseling: “Don’t be afraid of it, Daddy.”
Daddy isn’t totally afraid. But he is febrile in his obsession to find answers as to why a teenaged female haunts him via his visions. He repeatedly says, “I won’t stop,” and regards his involvement as the most important thing in his life. Not surprising since he views his job as having no prestige. The kid, however, doesn’t think that the occult aspects of his life are extraordinary. He revels in graveyards because he perceives them as supercool places designed for communing with the other side. Both the child and his father creep out the kid’s new babysitter, who is another piece of the puzzle surrounding the apparition. In the course of solving the mystery, there are disturbing revelations about what one character called “the best neighborhood in Chicago,” a sentiment somewhat reiterated near the film’s end by the statement “This is a decent neighborhood.”
When discussing Stir of Echoes with others who appreciate it, the hypnosis sequence is frequently highlighted. The hypnotist is played with delightful quirkiness by actress Illeana Douglas. Her hypnotic voiceover suggestions appear to be conjuring the visuals which simultaneously get displayed on screen. The suggestions alter as she gives more specificity and elaborations: a rudimentary movie theater is changed to an old movie theater palace, and then that image is altered by painting the walls black, etc. Essentially, we are taken inside the mind of the subject undergoing the process. The cinematography by Fred Murphy and Jill Savitt’s editing work in tandem to create an eerie and, yes, mesmerizing mood. In 1999, the National Board of Review bestowed a “Special Recognition” award on the film, “for excellence in filmmaking.” And in 2000, the movie won the Grand Prize at the Gérardmer Film Festival, while the same year being nominated for four Fangoria Chainsaw Awards in the categories of “Best Wide Release Film,” “Best Actor” (Bacon), “Best Supporting Actress” (Douglas), and “Best Screenplay” (Koepp).
Watching the movie again indeed stirred echoes. 1999 was an amazing year for horror films. And a fine reminder of quality when unwanted despair for the genre happens to nestle its way into our heads.
