Back in 1999, screenwriter David Koepp partnered with actor Kevin Bacon to make Koepp's directorial debut, Stir of Echoes. The film was lost amidst the horror crazes that were The Blair Witch Project and The Sixth Sense, and didn't receive the recognition many fans believe it deserves. Not so now. Stir of Echoes is regarded as a modern genre classic, and a damn fine adaptation of Richard Matheson's story. So there was, at least on my part, some serious expectations for the writer/director and star's latest team up, You Should Have Left. Sadly, what we end up with is a film that's fine while you watch it, but easily forgotten once the credits roll. You Should Have Left is efficiently made and full of atmosphere, but light on scares. In fact, it's not scary at all. And once you figure out what's going on, you're left underwhelmed. Bacon plays a wealthy banker who is married to a successful, and much younger, actress. The couple, along with their da...

The summer of 1999 was a hell of a good one for horror. We got The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project, Stigmata, Deep Blue Sea, The Haunting (well, maybe not The Haunting) and Lake Placid. Oh, and Stir of Echoes, of course. See, that's the sad thing about David Koepp's little masterpiece; it keeps getting forgotten amongst the better known releases of that fateful summer, but it is a little masterpiece.  The film is a perfect exercise in slow-burn tension that doesn't rely on special effects, but focuses on a compelling mystery, creepy visuals, and an old-fashioned ghost story. And it was based on a tale by the late, great Richard Matheson, which is always cause for celebration. Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Erbe hold the film together as a blue collar couple. Bacon is hypnotized by Erbe's sister, played by the always reliable Illeana Douglas, and becomes "more open minded," which puts him in touch with the spirit of a dead girl who very much want...