Scoop's notes: A spooky story which came
out just a month after The Sixth Sense, and explored many of the same
ideas. It seemed like a "me, too" film at the time and was a box office
mediocrity. In its opening weekend it was actually competing against The
Sixth Sense, which was in its sixth week and still kicking ass. (TSS was
an absolute phenomenon, and had no drop from weekend 1 to weekend 5!)
The Sixth Sense took in $16 million that weekend. Stir of Echoes seemed
like an afterthought, and grossed $5 million. After all, how many movies
do you want to see in one month if they're all about precocious kids who can see dead
people?
But here's the worst part. That same weekend, yet another
supernatural story, Stigmata, also opened and took away the #1
spot which The Sixth Sense had held for five weeks. Stir of Echoes was
thus fighting against two giants for its share of the supernatural
thriller market, which is limited to begin with. Unfortunate timing.
Over time, the film has developed a loyal following and it is rated a
most acceptable 7.0 at IMDb (below Sixth Sense, but well above
Stigmata). I've often wondered how it would have fared if it had come
out before The Sixth Sense and how, in turn, The Sixth Sense would have
performed if it had been the one which had seemed like the copycat. I
reckon The Sixth Sense still would have been a big hit, but probably not
to the tune of $300m. Stir of Echoes may not have been a hit, but I'll
bet it would have done far better than its eventual total of $21m.
Kathryn Erbe ("Law and Order") did some pretty good nudity,
seen
here in glorious 1920x1080 resolution. Collages follow below.