Stir Of Echoes (25th Anniversary 4K UHD Blu-ray Steelbook Review)
Have you ever heard of twin cinema? I don’t know if this is the proper term, but this is what I’m calling it. Twin cinema is where two movies come out and are similar enough that one does better than the other. It’s a phenomenon that happens only so often but it’s always the same way. Notable twin cinema films are Girls Trip and Rough Night or Dante’s Peak and Volcano. These films were both released in the same years, 1997 and 2017 respectively, and one always performed better than the other. In 1999, The Sixth Sense and Stir of Echoes debuted. Both took place in mid-west/east-coast settings in the fall. Both dealt with spirits who talk to young children. Both had a James Newton Howard score… But what ever happened to Stir of Echoes? It’s one of those films I heard about in 1999, but forgot about shortly after, while The Sixth Sense went on to become a huge cultural hit. Read more about Stir of Echoes here. You’ll be glad you did!
Film:
Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) is a blue-collar worker, a family man, the most ordinary guy in the world…who is about to be plunged into a shattering encounter with another world. And it doesn’t matter that Tom doesn’t believe in the supernatural. Because something supernatural has started to believe in Tom. After he is hypnotized at a neighborhood party, Tom changes. He sees things he can’t explain and hears voices he can’t ignore. As the horrific visions intensify, Tom realizes they are pieces of a puzzle, echoes of a crime calling out to be solved. But when his other-worldly nightmares begin coming true, Tom wants out. He desperately tries to rid himself of his eerie, unwanted powers – only to be seized by an irresistible compulsion to dig deeper and deeper into the mystery that is consuming his life. When at last he unearths the truth, it will draw him into the long-buried secret of a ghastly crime, a vengeful spirit…and the lethal price of laying that spirit to rest.
There’s something very special about David Koepp’s filmmaking and writing. Koepp does not play around with his audience. Not with their time, anyway. The films he makes are commercial, usually easy to follow and aren’t long and drawn out. This is refreshing, and reflective of his ability to be versatile with what he’s wanting to write and direct. As a writer you may remember him from Jurassic Park, Panic Room, Spider-Man, Carlito’s Way or Death Becomes Her, among a lot of others.
I’m sure David Koepp would want you to forget he also wrote the worst Indiana Jones film and the worst Mummy film, but they can’t all be gems, right? As a director, Koepp’s films are smaller, but somehow can be more rewarding. Premium Rush, a thriller about a bike messenger is a blast and totally underrated. The same can be said for his Secret Window and The Trigger Effect. There Is just an air of suspense that goes into Koepp’s directing. The films don’t often do well in terms of getting butts into the seats, but those who watch the films know they’re different and fun, as well as quick and to the point!
Stir of Echoes does its thing in 100 minutes. As we meet Tom and his family, we immediately see they’re at a strange place together. Tom’s son Jake talks to himself as if he has an imaginary friend. His wife Maggie is an overworked nurse and Is tired of Tom’s blue-collar ways – He is withdrawn and drinks too much. At a party with Maggie’s sister Lisa and their neighbors, Tom allows Lisa to hypnotize him. After waking up thirsty and disoriented, Tom begins to see things and especially hear things that sound like they’re coming from another world. He then learns that Jake is hearing the same things. Jake’s communications are mostly innocent and non-threatening.
One night Maggie and Tom want to go to a game and hire a babysitter their neighbors use. When Jake tells the babysitter he talks to “Samantha”, the babysitter takes Jake and Tom sees this happening. He rushes home to find Jake gone and the sitter missing too. When Tom feels that Jake has been taken to the train station, he runs there and gets his kiddo back quickly. This is when Jake and Tom begin to communicate with Samantha, who they believe is dead and buried somewhere in the neighborhood. The stir of echoes then begins to drive Tom crazy, pushing Maggie further away and bringing Jake into a world far to scary for his little mind to wrap around.
Stir of Echoes is a taught supernatural thriller. Firmly grounded in pre-Y2K Chicago, an accented Kevin Bacon is reliable as Tom, whose brush with the dead brings him clarity and sobriety while he begins to suspect those around him. Maggie is a tough foil for Tom, and she is full of support even with the feeling that Tom is pushing her away. She knows that Jake and Tom have a special bond and skill she doesn’t and even though she is jealous, she tries her best to understand. You never feel that Tom and Maggie will split up. It’s a beautiful thing that she is so ride or die for Tom.
I found myself fully immersed in the world of Stir of Echoes. Seeing the tight-knit neighborhood, the funny sense of togetherness makes the creepiness of the film shine. There is a mystery to unfold here, and as an audience member, it’s easy to find yourself on the edge of your seat as the clues come through. The film is subdued in rainy nights and cold days digging holes in the muddy backyard. You begin to go crazy with Tom, and just when you think another layer is going to peel off the mystery onion, it does and it’s another surprise. This is the magic of a unique film like this, and one we don’t see much in 2024.
Video:
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Layers: BD-100
HDR: Dolby Vision
Clarity/Detail: Stir of Echoes comes to 4K with a handsome looking transfer. Some stability issues come in the opening moments, probably due to the credits, and you see a few other shaky moments that seem to be baked into the experience from film processing. Besides a few hiccups, the dark looking transfer is spot-on to the filmmakers’ intent.
Depth: The film looks like 1999, with an emphasis on tracking shots that move the scenes from room to room of Tom’s house, especially apparent as the film progresses. There is a nice focus on the majority of the film, with nothing too soft or out of focus on display.
Black Levels: Black levels reach nice peaks without anything disintegrating into black blobs.
Color Reproduction: Colors are presented in a to-the-point manner. Nothing here screams “color pop!” but these colors weren’t meant to be presented that way.
Flesh Tones: Natrual and clean
Noise/Artifacts: Clean.
Audio
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Dynamics: Dolby Atmos adds even more depth to Stir of Echoes. Sounds swirl around the listener, with voices coming from all over the place. Music and jump scares contribute to the creepy with dialogue being a priority too!
Height: Height channels swirl echoes around you, while also highlighting the occasional jump scare or creepy music cue.
Low-Frequency Extension: Bass comes in the score, as well as some effective sound effects throughout, including a raucous sporting event that will have you feeling the bump in the floorboards.
Surround Sound Presentation: Surround channels carry over the creepy ambience, and make parties, train stations, stadiums and block parties come alive.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is reproduced perfectly.
Extras:
The majority of the extras for this 25th Anniversary of Stir of Echoes come from the vintage 2006 Blu-ray release. That same poorly executed release has been repackaged here with the new 4K release, right down to its lossy DTS surround track. This 4K edition is an Amazon exclusive and comes with a lenticular slipcover that goes over the steelbook packaging. A digital code is also included. The new extras are highlighted in bold below and are excellent additions to an already stacked list of vintage extras!
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary with Director David Koepp
Visions of the Past: Re-visiting Stir of Echoes (2024 NEW featurette)
Establishing Shot with Fred Murphy (2024 NEW featurette)
Flipping the Switch: Directing Stir of Echoes
Maggie’s Memories: Inside Stir of Echoes
Opening the Door: Designing Stir of Echoes
Making of Stir of Echoes
Sight of Spirits: Channeling the Paranormal
Behind the Echoes
The Mind’s Eye: Beneath the Trance
Special Effects
Production Design
Interviews with Cast and Crew
Behind the Scenes
Scene Comparisons
Screen Tests
Deleted Scenes
Promotional Materials
Breathe Original Music Video
Theatrical Trailer
Summary:
I missed Stir of Echoes back in 1999, and it’s a shame because I missed 25 years of loving the film. It’s new 4K release is an excellent upgrade for those seeking one, and the story is engrossing, thrilling, creepy and very well directed, written and acted. I hope as I do with all anniversary editions that the film finds a new audience and gives the fans a reason to buy another version of a movie they enjoy. As it stands for me, this edition of Stir of Echoes is essential for fans of any thriller, and one that I’ll be happy to revisit again and again!
Get your copy of Stir of Echoes 4K Steelbook HERE
Adam Toroni-Byrne
Adam is a lifelong physical media collector. His love of collecting began with a My First Sony radio and his parent's cassette collection. Since the age of 3, Adam has collected music on vinyl, tape and CD and films on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray. Adam likes to think of himself as the queer voice of Whysoblu. Outside of his work as a writer at Whysoblu, Adam teaches preschool and trains to be a boxer although admittedly, he's not very good.
