WHAT WRITER/DIRECTOR
David Koepp
SAYS ABOUT HIS FILM
CONCERNING SIXTH SENSE AND BLAIR WITCH:
"I am glad that the 'Blair Witch Project' came along, and the 'Sixth Sense.' What would worry me is if a bunch of scary movies had come out lately and flopped because they were bad, and people were burned ont on the genre. ... So, I'm glad thgat people are going and they seem to be enjoying these films, because it means that the genre is still vital."
CONCERNING THE INTEREST IN THE AFTERLIFE:
'I think that there's some coincidence in the timing (of 'Stir of Echoes' with 'Sixth Sense' and 'The Haunting' and 'Blair Witch'). But it has always been a vital genre, and a vital kind of storytelling. ... It's just deep in human nature to want to believe in the afterlife, and to seem to have to tell some sort of scary story to get there. There are things in these stories that people want to believe and that they need to believe. It's just deep on our genes." |
Bulletin Board:
GOOD SCARY MOVIE
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000
From: kim
I have always loved good scary movies (with the exception of splatterpunk, that genre of gory sensationalistic flicks, Wes Cravenesque). Stir of Echoes is definitely a keeper. It's just a good solid ghost story, with good acting (Kevin Bacon is great as a working-class close-minded kind of guy), realistic and interesting dialogue, and a good mystery storyline that I found quite satisfying. The scary parts were good, and not overdone. I can't wait to see it again!
Kim
REMAKE OF CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Subject: thoughts
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999
From: Jon Zuck frimmin@exis.net
Stir of Echoes and The Sixth Sense, Armageddon and Deep Impact, The Matrix and The Thirteenth Floor, Seven Years in Tibet and Kundun. Hollywood is definitely going through a twin movies phase, and one twin is usually much, much better than the other. In my opinion, the Sixth Sense was definitely the one to see of the "little boy who sees ghosts" pair, but I'm sure that many would disagree with me. Stir of Echoes actually *is* a horror movie, while The Sixth Sense was really something unique, and truly special. But for those who prefer horror, Echoes is definitely the pick.
My take on Stir of Echoes was that it's basically a remake of Close Encounters as a horror film. I found myself cracking up at some of those references throughout the film, although I was the only one in the theater laughing! Consider: man has strange experiences, man becomes obsessed with understanding something previously out of his belief system, man becomes obsessed with a tune, man digs up his garden while his wife leaves him with the kid. The child, by the way, bears a strong resemblance to Barry in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and looks like he could've been the same actor a few years later. And as with Barry, boy is totally unphased by the strange experiences that freak out the adults around him.
Its worth seeing on video, but save your shekels till them unless you're just crazy about the genre.
Jon Zuck
http://surf.to/frimmin |
