PopHorror Let's Get Scared
It’s been twenty years since the premiere of Stir Of Echoes (1999), which was released on September 10, 1999. We thought it was about time we take a look back on the film while digging up some fun facts. So, sit down, and turn out the lights and feel the ghostly whisper of Stir Of Echoes on your neck.
Stir Of Echos follows Tom Wizky (Kevin Bacon: Tremors franchise) who, after being hypnotized by his sister-in-law, Lisa, (Illeana Douglas: Goodfellas 1999), begins seeing haunting visions of a girl’s ghost (Jennifer Morrison: Once Upon A Time TV series) as a mystery begins to unfold around him.
Did You Know..?
1) In the hypnotism flashback scene, there is a shot of a safety pin being stuck through Tom’s hand. This was not done with special effects. Writer/Director David Koepp (Jurassic Park 1993) actually got a stunt man to come in and jam the metal pin into his own paw for the scene.
2) In the scene where Tom gets angry after digging in the backyard and kicks the bucket towards the wall, it was not supposed to break the window. This was a happy accident, and it was used in the film because Kevin Bacon managed to stay in character and continue the scene.
3) The sequence where Tom is put into a trance for the first time follows actual techniques used by professional hypnotists. In order to ensure that the audience wasn’t put to sleep – as some susceptible people have been in the past – there’s a musical accent at the close of the scene to wake everyone up.
4) On the couch, the babysitter is reading The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson, author of A Stir of Echoes, the novel that is the basis for this film. Another book by Matheson is I Am Legend, which has been recreated onscreen in 1964 as The Last Man On Earth starring Vincent Price, as The Omega Man (1971) starring Charlton Heston and I Am Legend with Will Smith in 2007.
5) When the crew was setting up for the scene where Maggie (Kathryn Erbe: Law & Order: Criminal Intent TV series) leaves Jake (Zachary David Cope) at her relative’s house, they realized that they had gone over the number of hours the child actor could work. Crew members had to run from house to house in the neighborhood to find a child who looked enough like Zachary to appear as a background character so they could complete the shot.
6) Back to the scene where Tom is digging in the backyard. Kevin Bacon was in a lot of pain as he had pulled a muscle in his neck. Several prop lightweight picks were tested to try and ease his suffering, but in the end, he opted to use the real, heavier pick, as the swings and impacts of the props didn’t look real enough on-screen.
Watch Stir Of Echoes Right Here!
We here at PopHorror hope you enjoyed these fun trivia facts in honor of the 20th anniversary of Stir Of Echoes. Stay tuned for more horror news, reviews and interviews coming your way!
