Stir of Echoes 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Stir of Echoes 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

He is a lineman for the — never mind.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 11, 2024

Well, ladies and germs, I believe we have a new frontrunner in the exciting competition I've alluded to in several previous 4K UHD reviews, namely various studios' and/or labels' attempts to offload what I jokingly refer to as "remainder 1080 discs" as part of new and (hopefully) improved 4K UHD releases. Lionsgate has long been a purveyor of just such a strategy, though kind of hilariously I just mentioned that maybe Disney / Buena Vista had gotten wind of it considering their recent Willow 4K which did indeed include a somewhat older 1080 disc, but Stir of Echoes takes whatever the horror equivalent of a cake might be by offering a 1080 disc that is so outdated it was released in 2006 and sported an exciting MPEG-2 presentation, with equally "quaint" audio codecs (see my link to Martin Liebman's review of that release below the jump). This release offers a glut of previously unavailable supplements (including two newly produced pieces), and also offers Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Finally, in another "strategy" Lionsgate often employs with these 4K UHD releases, packaging features a rather smartly designed SteelBook.

As mentioned above, Stir of Echoes had a long ago 1080 release by Lionsgate, and Marty's Stir of Echoes Blu-ray review of that version provides a great plot summary and Marty's assessment of that disc's technical merits (or demerits, as the case may be). I will say even Marty's pretty low scores given at the time of the disc's release might be lowered even further by some in hindsight.

Stir of Echoes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The first four screenshots are sourced from Lionsgate's now ancient 1080 release, since I frankly feel as old and outdated as it undeniably is, it may still provide a (relatively?) more accurate accounting of color space in particular, given that our 4K UHD screenshots are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and SDR. That said, because this 1080 presentation is so old, I've included five screenshots directly from the 4K disc starting in position 5, with screenshot 10 showing the 4K UHD disc main menu. The screenshot in position 5 more or less repeats the frame from the 1080 release in screenshot 1, so that those interested can see differences. As mentioned below, the 4K UHD presentation corrects the aspect ratio to 1.85:1 from the 1080 release's 1.78:1.

Stir of Echoes is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1, correcting the just slightly inaccurate 1.78:1 framing of the older 1080 disc. This is a rather impressive looking 4K upgrade a lot of the time, though once again I'd caution those with an aversion of sometimes pretty heavy grain to steel themselves before watching this, especially since it has its fair share of old school composited effects, where grain can spike above its already pretty high levels. That said, while there is some slight splotchiness (especially in some of the blue graded material, but rather interestingly perhaps not quite so much in the red moments), I found the grain to be relatively tightly resolved throughout, and as longtime readers of my reviews know, while I don't exactly have an aversion, I frankly don't always like the look of heavy grain in the increased resolution 4K UHD offers. Detail levels are noticeably improved when stacking this up against the 1080 version, but I think it's going to be palette highlights courtesy of HDR / Dolby Vision that will really strike the eyes of longtime fans of this feature. A lot of the supposedly "normal" moments have a slightly yellow-green grading which is subtly different from the older 1080 version, but it's in those cutaways to dreams (and/or nightmares, and/or hypnotic visions) where the blandishments of HDR / Dolby Vision really are most noticeable. While many of these interstitials are extremely brief (intentionally so), there's still the opportunity to make out greater detail and at least somewhat better shadow definition. Somewhat unexpectedly, then, I wouldn't argue too strenuously that HDR / Dolby Vision provides substantial new shadow definition in some of the very heavily blue toned bedroom scenes, though where things can be seen (as in close-ups of faces), I think fine detail does probably see some improvement.

Stir of Echoes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Stir of Echoes offers a really nicely immersive Dolby Atmos track that announces it multichannel presence right off the bat as the various gears of the old style Lionsgate logo lurch into motion. Clear and pretty spooky engagement of both the "traditional" surround channels as well as the Atmos speakers then is evident in the first "stir of echoes", as ominous spectral sound effects start whirling around the listener. The film tends to deliver its "showiest" moments in some of the terrifying but still admittedly brief cutaways to the various visions being experienced, but there is also clear surround activity in some of the (relatively?) normal "everyday" moments, including Tom's work as a lineman outside, where ambient environmental effects can dot the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout.

Stir of Echoes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director David Koepp


• Visions of the Past: Making Stir of Echoes (UHD; 17:39) is a nicely done newly produced retrospective with some good interviews with Koepp.


• Establishing Shot with Fred Murphy (UHD; 8:22) profiles the film's director of photography.


• Archival Bonus Content comes with quality warnings (i.e., video is obviously upscaled):

  Flipping the Switch: Directing Stir of Echoes (HD; 17:28)

  
  

  Maggie's Memories: Inside Stir of Echoes (HD; 11:14)

  
  

  Opening the Door: Designing Stir of Echoes (HD; 15:59)

  
  

  Sights of Spirits: Channeling the Paranormal (HD; 10:36)

  
  

  Behind the Echoes (HD; 21:03)

  
  

  The Mind's Eye: Beneath the Trance (HD; 10:22)

  
  

  Special Effects (HD; 3:52)

  
  

  Production Design (HD; 3:52)

  
  

  Interviews with Cast and Crew (HD; 8:18)

  
  

  Behind the Scenes (HD; 5:53)

  
  

  Scene Comparisons (HD; 11:32)

  
  

  Screen Tests (HD; 6:46)

  
  

  Deleted Scenes (HD; 4:53)

  
  

  Promotional Material

  Original Promo (HD; 4:48)

  
  

  Original Short Promo (HD; 2:21)

  
  

  Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:31)

  
  

  TV Spots (HD; 2:03)

  Breathe Original Music Video (HD; 4:26)

The SteelBook packaging offers an arresting if slightly cartoonish looking depiction of Tom in red and, say, a "vision" lurking behind him in gray on the front panel, with the back panel offering a red tinged lightbulb and just the side of Tom's head in silhouette. The inside panels offers a photo of a certain red brick wall. Perhaps the most interesting thing for some collectors will be the mylar O ring, which offers a lenticular version of the main SteelBook's front imagery, where the spectral presence kind of comes and goes depending on how you angle the O ring. A digital copy is also included.

Stir of Echoes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Stir of Echoes probably deserves some reassessment, and this new 4K UHD release may be helpful in that regard. If the film doesn't really come close to Rosemary's Baby, a film David Koepp overtly cites as being one of his favorites and one that provided an inspiration for mood and style if not actual content, it does have its own distinctly unsettling ambience. Consider the 1080 disc in this release a horrifying vision of some bygone tragic age, to maybe relate everything to Tom's predicament. Otherwise, though, the 4K disc sports solid technical merits and some really excellent supplements. The SteelBook packaging should appeal to collectors. Recommended.