Stir of Echoes

REVIEW
From the screenwriter of Apartment Zero and Jurassic Park comes this often intense psychological thriller which falls apart by story's end. Sure to draw comparisons to the superior The Sixth Sense (though this was first), the story concerns a family man (Bacon) who is haunted by the spirit of a recently murdered woman. So she may rest in peace, he must bring to justice those responsible for her death. The film is at its best when delving into the supernatural, effectively creating a few chilling set pieces that are atmospheric and even spooky. But it is the human element which is underdeveloped, and by the end of the film, Koepp has nothing up his sleeve but a tired Death Wish-type ending. Bacon tries a little too hard to convey mannerisms of an Average Joe, though Douglas is quite good as his sister-in-law who first unlocks this window to the other world.