…How come movie characters are so scared of grudge/imprint villains? Seriously, if I saw a slow-moving little girl crawling around – with the intention to kill me – I’d kick her in the face. Problem solved, movie over.
Here’s a quick story about a woman named Kitty Genovese. Kitty was a 28-year-old woman walking back to her home one night when she was stabbed twice by an attacker. Being that she lived near several apartment complexes, her screams for help aroused one neighbor to yell at the attacker, who then scurried off. He returned around ten minutes later and continued his attack, stabbing Kitty many more times and then raping her. Kitty died en route to the hospital. Afterwards as police and detectives interviewed neighbors, it was determined that an estimated 38 people heard her attack and cries for help but did nothing because they “couldn’t be bothered” or “didn’t want to go to court to testify.” Had someone reacted – even just calling the police – Kitty may have still been alive today. This true life event relates directly to the plot.
This finally brings us to The Echo.
In The Echo, Bobby (played by Jesse Bradford) moves into a dingy apartment formerly inhabited by his mother. Almost immediately the problems begin – nightmares, shadows, and the almost daily domestic violence he can hear happening next door through his wall. He confides his troubles to his sort-of girlfriend, Alyssa (played by Amelia Warner), and the apartment building landlord, but they are a little less than supportive. Eventually, bodies start to pile up and even those who deny there is a problem get caught up in an evil, supernatural force’s cycle of abuse. The Echo is written by Eric Bernt and Shintaro Shimosawa and directed by Yam Laranas.
If you’re looking for a bloody horror film with lots of nudity, then The Echo isn’t really for you. It contains low amounts of gore and no nudity except shirtless Jesse Bradford. However, what The Echo does contain is lots of terrifying supernatural elements, lots of suspense and intrigue, and a complicated but workable plot that will keep things interesting. This really fits in well nicely with movies such as The Grudge and The Ring, ya know, before the sequels came along and ruined their credibility. In this day in age with supernatural films like Paranormal Activity and Insidious aiming for the whole “shock and awe” tactic, it’s refreshing to see a supernatural, ghostly horror film that doesn’t rely solely on quick scares and fake jumps.
While this wasn’t exactly my type of movie, there isn’t much that I can that’s negative about it. The Echo is a perfect little entry into a specific niche of horror film. You’re either going to love it or hate it, but I definitely think it deserves a chance. Check it out if you get the chance, but don’t break the bank over it. And how exactly does my little anecdote at the beginning relate to this film? You’ll just have to watch The Echo to find out!
