In his book Danse Macabre, Stephen King cites horror master Richard Matheson as one of his main inspirations, and therefore it comes as no great surprise that nearly every film adaptation of Matheson's work has sucked just as hard as those based on King's horror novels -- until now. Fast on the heels of the 1998 Matheson-based debacle What Dreams May Come, the excellent Stir of Echoes deftly pays justice to the novel of the same name. It also stands as one of the most impressive horror films of the year, an engrossing, creatively directed ghost story full of terrific performances -- and I'm not just talking about Kevin Bacon's impressive body (of, um, work) either.
The film centers around Tom Witzky (Bacon) a refreshingly normal guy with a refreshingly normal, smart-mouthed wife, Maggie (Kathryn Erbe). Director/screenwriter David Koepp has described Stir as sort of a working-class rebuttal to supernatural yuppie films like Ghost, and it's an effective approach; the film's familiar, down-to-earth setting makes the story all the more frightening. At a party, Tom is hypnotized by his wife's New Age sister-in-law (Illeana Douglas), and in turn becomes a receptor to supernatural forces -- most notably that of a recently murdered teenage girl. Later Tom discovers that his son (Zachary David Cope) also shares the same gift, that he, well, "sees dead people." Anyone wondering what Cole Sear was up to at age five will find their answer in Stir, and comparisons to The Sixth Sense are inevitable. The similarities do not, however, mar the high quality of either film.
Tom experiences his newfound connection to the spirit world in nightmarish ways creatively conveyed by Koepp and cinematographer Fred Murphy. In the memorable hypnosis scene, Koepp takes full advantage of the setting of the actual audience, showing a movie screen within a screen on which the word "SLEEP" appears. The film's jarring, dreamlike imagery is truly unsettling, and when Tom wonders whether he is awake or dreaming, it is not an overused horror cliché but a plea of real emotional upset.
Which brings one to the film's true strength -- the acting, which on all accounts is near flawless. The ubiquitous but often under-appreciated Kevin Bacon is nothing short of incredible in Stir; his intense and nuanced performance stands as a reminder of why this guy seems to be cast in every film ever made. Erbe, so wonderful on the HBO series Oz, is equally brilliant in her first starring role. Almost effortlessly she and Bacon create characters that are so likable, so relatable that it becomes completely unnerving when their lives take a horrifying turn. While attempts to write "regular" people by Hollywood screenwriters often turn condescending and cliched, Koepp admirably makes his characters both unique and sympathetic. Frank Darabont may have cornered the market on Stephen King prison flicks, but if anyone is to do justice to his supernatural work, Koepp is the man for the job.
DROOL FACTOR: It may be only September, but we have a winner: Kevin Bacon is, hands down, the hottest guy you will see in a genre film this year. (Yes, he has dethroned the Almighty Antonio.) The voice, the leather jacket, the guitar, the digging... wow. He even has a power drill. Kevin puts the "man" in manual labor. Six thousand degrees of pure godliness.
GROSS-OUT FACTOR: More suspenseful than gory, Stir does have its share of ick moments -- like when all of Kevin Bacon's teeth fall out. And he still looks hot! (OK, I'm done with that now... I swear.)
STRONG CHICK FACTOR: Props to my new favorite actress Kathryn Erbe, a woman who can play death-row prisoners and working-class moms with equal assurance. As Maggie, she gets to both hit on husband Kevin Bacon and carry a knife -- my kind of gal.
-- Sarah Kendzior
