El último escalón

A slightly above-average ghost story without particularly dazzling performances and without a particularly intelligent point. However, all the components are fully functional and free of awkward shenanigans, which makes Stir of Echoes quite fun to watch. (03.03.2007)

Un thriller muy al estilo King con elementos de terror, a pesar de su sorprendente parecido con El resplandor (o El sexto sentido del mismo año), por lo que, en retrospectiva, tiene sentido que Koepp tuviera la oportunidad de dirigir una película basada en el cuento de Stephen King La ventana secreta unos años después. La historia es realmente trivial, en contraste con la estructura narrativa, que deliberadamente arroja a los espectadores a una confusión similar a la del personaje principal, equipado con habilidades psíquicas recién adquiridas. Hasta el final, a menudo no está claro cuáles de sus visiones son ecos del pasado, cuáles son destellos del futuro y por qué se le aparece un fantasma y qué quiere de él. La atmósfera es sólida, la película es lo suficientemente efectiva como un rompecabezas de fantasmas y todo en ella encaja. La escena hipnótica con el cine vacío es genial. Sin embargo, todo lo que gira en torno al tema de una crisis matrimonial que se profundiza gradualmente parece artificial y  artificioso. Con el tiempo, el número de lapsos lógicos aumenta y algunos de los motivos prometedores indicados permanecen sin usar. Los actores no son especialmente impresionantes, como tampoco lo es el trabajo con suspenso. Visto 25 años después del estreno, ha envejecido mínimamente en ese tiempo. (04.09.2024)

Nice ghost story. As a horror experience, it’s not very intense, it’s barely scary, actually, but it was nice to watch nevertheless. If only that ending wasn’t so traditional, but maybe the 10 years that have passed since this film came out are to blame for that. I reckon that a film like this today would get about 60%, and mainly thanks to Kevin Bacon’s great performance. (28.04.2009)

I had high expectations, enticed by glowing reviews and high ratings, and if not for that, I might have been more satisfied. Stir of Echoes is a genre average that neither offends nor excites, whether it's the script, casting, acting performances, or directorial work. The ending is quite predictable, and the beginning with the child motif seemed more promising than the actual development and resolution. At times, I felt obvious inspiration from other famous films, for instance, the black character in the park reminded me of a figure from Kubrick's The Shining. Overall impression: 55%. (20.05.2008)

A purely made-for-TV affair with a ghost in a mirror, ghost on a couch, speaking to the ghost in the dark, some mysterious murder, a mentally unstable father, hypnotism, gentle piano music to enhance the atmosphere, an old single-story apartment in a quiet neighborhood, and many other typical and exhausted attributes thrown at us by the unfamiliar David Koepp. He does have an ace up his sleeve in the excellent Kevin Bacon, but otherwise, this piece falls more into the average category. It cannot be compared qualitatively with The Sixth Sense, as Echoes of the Dead draws precisely from that. There is a plethora of situations that we have already seen somewhere before. And even the final twist doesn't strike me as original. If there is a layer of dust in the cover of the video rental store, don’t be surprised. (28.02.2007)

Kevin Bacon sees dead people, and the dead people want something from him. What is it? He'll have to figure that out before he goes completely insane... I'm surprised I previously missed out on Stir of Echoes. It has everything that a proper horror film should have, but above all an atmosphere that doesn't let you breathe from the first to the last minute. Watching the increasingly unhinged Kevin Bacon, one can't help but think of Richard Dreyfuss and what he did in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the son gives me chills, the hypnosis scenes are pretty good too, plus there's still that "something" that hangs in the air. Comparisons to The Gift come to mind, but it is weak compared to Stir of Echoes. David Koepp, would you like to do a King movie again? (25.06.2012)

This ghost thriller made a very good impression on me, both with the imaginative execution, which makes sense and leaves no holes uncovered, or the actors, led by my favourite Bacon, who do an amazing job. Although the premise looks very similar to The Sixth Sense, the final form is diametrically opposed. Stir of Echoes doesn't rely so much on the supernatural, but on quite realistic solutions to the rather strange and mysterious things our heroes are subjected to, and ultimately feels more like a suspenseful mystery drama than a true horror film. But that doesn't change the fact that David Koepp has done a great job and his contributions to the endless series of ghost films are among the best ever. (24.08.2012)

I mean, a pretty massive disappointment. There's absolutely no scary atmosphere, the acting ensemble is mediocre to the point of being painful, and on top of that Koepp rips off a lot of stuff like the biggest B-movie ever. I’m not only taking into account the unoriginal script, or for example the jerky movement of the (not to mention absolutely useless) girl's ghost in one scene, which we could have seen in Gothika or The Grudge (ugh, and there it was very... unpleasantly handled), but when he uses the eight-hundred-year-old jump scare with the closing mirror, you can’t keep from rolling your eyes. It's not a bad film on the whole, maybe the two scenes of hypnosis or the hero's dream about the neighbors were very evocative, but otherwise not really much. More like 2 and a half stars. PS: I saw Secret Window about a year ago, and only now I feel disappointment at how the director is ripping himself off in it... ah well :-( (30.07.2006)