Rating: 
Summary: There is a story here somewhere
Review: The Sixth Sense caused a stir with its twisting plotlines and the occasional trip to visit with the dead. This DVD is a little different in the approach but the formulaic plotline endures.Kevin Bacon is a Chicago husband trying to provide for his family, a son and wife, with an accent that sounds more Bronx than Chi-town. Okay. But why the guitar and references to his band? It doesnt help the story and it doesn't develop the character. Anyhow, he gets hypnotized at a party and begins to have visions (yeah...not the Fatima type, but of dead, missing children). And that sets off an addiction (seriously) for Orange Juice. His son communes with the dead as well...why not? Nice neighborhood. Seems like two jocks killed a retarded girl (why she had to be mentally retarded I'm not sure), and the parents cover up her accidental death by sealing her in a basement wall (Poe anyone?). You guessed it...the basement is in Bacons home and he is obsessed with finding the body. An attempt to cover it up follows with some gunshots and a stabbing. Twists? Not really. Predictable. YOU BET. Just okay. This is an okay flick. Good second or third choice when you really want a movie but the good stuff is gone.
Rating: 
Summary: A great ghost story sadly overshadowed by the 6th sense
Review: In my opinion i always liked the older horror movies more than the newer ones out today. These newer movies like i know what you did last summer, scream, urban legend, ect. just seem to lack what older horror movies had. But this one is an exception. I was surprised because after i had heard everyone talking about how good sixth sense was, i saw it and hated it, and i thought this one was going to be the same. Surprisingly i loved it. I couldnt beleive when this movie came out that everyone was so into sixth sense and paid no attention to this much better acted and much better made horror movie. Any fan of Kevin Bacon or just a good ghost story should really check this one out.
Rating: 
Summary: Scarier Than Sixth Sense, and Well-Acted
Review: This film has its share of scary moments, and some excellent acting by almost all of the large cast. The movie is about what happens when Kevin Bacon's character suddenly becomes "open" to the supernatural elements that surround him. He struggles to make sense of them, and in the meantime feels as though he is receiving clues to a puzzle. In addition to the basic "thriller" premise, I like that director David Koepp takes time to establish relationships between the characters. For example, Bacon's character's relationship with his wife is clearly portrayed, and as a viewer, you understand why those characters behave the way they do. Koepps's pacing of the unfolding plot is also well-done. He manages to keep you engaged in the story while still imparting a lot of information through dialogue, and the breaks between "scary parts" give you a chance to catch your breath, and re-connect with the characters. The movie pays homage to a ton of great thrillers -- The Shining, and Close Encounters, most notably -- and Koepp acknowledges Brian De Palma's help and influence on this film. One scene that stands out in the film is the scene in which Bacon's character (Tom) is first hypnotized. Hypnosis scenes have been done to death in movies, so it was nice to see such an original take on it in the film. Instead of showing the cliche of the hypnotist staring into the camera, dangling a pendulum, Koepp decides to show his audience exactly what Tom is visualizing as he listens to the hypnotist. The result is that you see all the odd things that follow from Tom's perspective. This has two beneficial functions: First, there is real entertainment value in watching someone get hypnotized "from the inside out." Second, it helps you sympathize with Tom, who is the film's protagonist, and an occasionally otherwise unsympathetic character. Since this is a DVD review, I'll briefly comment on DVD-specific aspects of the video release. The video is usually clear, but sometimes grainy in the darker scenes. The audio mix is fine. Extras include a scene-specific commentary by director David Koepp. The commentary is usually interesting and insightful, and only occasionally cloying. He describes how he shot several scenes, why he made certain story decisions, and what it was like to work with some of the actors. So, all in all, if you like Kevin Bacon, or think you would like to see a scarier version of the Sixth Sense, you will probably like this movie.
Rating:
Summary: A Creepy Mystery
Review: This is a good movie to watch during the wee hours of the morning, when nobody is around to pester you and you're in the mood for some thrills and chills. Stir of Echoes has plenty of them. The movie starts off with the kid taking a bath. His father, Tom (Kevin Bacon), is talking to him from the bedroom. But the boy is clearly talking to somebody else. The camera angles around when he is whisked out of the tub. Nobody is there.Tom takes his wife and goes across the street to join a party, where his sister-in-law hypnotizes him. The special effects in that scene were very good. I won't spoil them for you. After he comes out the trance and goes home, thinking he can sleep off the weird experience.But then the ghost of Samantha, who disappeared about a year before, starts haunting him. The movie really takes off from there, catapulting Tom and his family into a surreal and scary nightmare, where he can see ghosts and foretell the future of his neighbors. Samantha continues to haunt him until he is forced to find out what happened to her. The ending was typical of Hollywood, but I was still satisfied.Stir of Echoes is based on the novel that was written by Richard Mattheson during the 1950s. Koepp had to change the plot quite a bit to modernize it to the 90s, but he did a good job. The story was still virtually the same. A ordinary man finds himself in a strange world he doesn't understand, has to solve a mystery he doesn't want to be a part of, and live to tell about it.
Rating: 
Summary: Comparisons are inevitable...
Review: ... this movie, like The Sixth Sense, is worth a second viewing. Unlike Sense, however, this film's secrets and ending are easily figured out, so if you are watching for the mystery of it all, it's a strictly middle of the road work. But if you want to see Kevin Bacon's best work to date, this an absolute MUST SEE. His maturity as an actor is evident in his emotional angst over his gift, and his borderline-deranged characterization as the obsession becomes more and more overpowering is reminiscent of the intensity seen in Brolin's Amityville Horror or Nicholson's The Shining characters. Directorially, this film holds its own against Sense, with clever interplays between this world and the next to keep you off balance, tense music and expert emotion-manipulation. Definitely worth a look.
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Summary: Creepy and Suspenseful!
Review: Before I had seen Stir of Echoes, I'd heard many comparisons to the Sixth Sense. I disagree. They are both unique and have different twists... Kevin Bacon stars as a 'regular guy' in a 'regular neighborhood.' After his weird/ditzy sister-in-law hypnotizes him at a party, strange things begin to happen. What seems to be hallucinations take over his mind... ...Meanwhile his son speaks to a Samantha, supposedly an imaginary friend. But when a babysitter learns something, then what follows spins his family into a deep rabbit hole... To give any more away would be to ruin it all. Kevin Bacon is great in this, and this is DEFINETELY NOT THE SIXTH SENSE! Everything in this movie is wonderful...it will keep you on the edge of your seat and you will jump...this is a must-see!
Rating:
Summary: very creepy thriller
Review: this movie was very creepy. it should not be compared to the sixth sense, but if it were, i feel this one wins out. it is a lot like the sixth sense in that it is about ghosts and has a little boy who can see them, it is unlike it in many ways. it is much scarier and very suspensful. enjoy the movi
Rating:
Summary: One of the year's best.
Review: A scary movie and Kevin Bacon...at first thought there is no way for this to work. Work it did! This movie was great, and Kevin Bacon made it great. From the chilling hypnotizism, to the final heart-stopping scene this movie is a buyer. A far cry from Footloose!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I saw this movie because I was desperately bored, and needed something to watch on pay-per-view. It did not even interest me - at all. However, the movie grabbed me from beginning to end, and I thought about it for days afterward. Really entertaining, eerie, just top notch.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: This was a creepy movie. It is set in a middle class city neighborhood that most of us could feel at home in. That's what makes it creepy. It all seems so normal. Kevin Bacon plays a "non-believer" in the supernatural that is hynotized by his sister-in-law. What happens when she hynotizes him startles all at the party they are attending. His hard bitten character reacts in terror scaring all that are there. He brushes off the incident as so much hocus pocus, but he is unsettled about it. He has strange recollections that he believes are not really his own. What ensues initially appears to be a trip into madness. Kevin Bacon a formally brat pack actor, does a magnificent job, showing his extending range as a more mature actor. His character unwittingly is in contact with individuals that have died. As in Sixth Sense, they wish their earthly contact to aid them to identify their killer(s). In the course of this contact, Kevin predicts some future events and uncovers a well hidden neighborhood secret. Unfortunately, for him, the neighbors catch on to the fact they are about to be exposed. He then becomes a liability. This is an excellent movie that will satisfy most viewers appetite for suspense. It is not gory or overly violent as some other movies are, but the few scenes that are can be disturbing. Nice job.
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