It is just so strange to me how people can accept properties given to them by deceased relatives without ever having met them. It’s a recipe for disaster! Add in a secretive town and some ghostly broadcasts, and you’ve got Echo Point.
A man inherits a secluded cabin from his estranged father, Inside, he discovers an old radio emitting strange, eerie signals. As he begins to unravel the truth, he realizes the voices on the other end belong to the victims of a killer.
Echo Point, IMDB
Sawyer (Evan Neal) drives to a small town to meet up with his late father’s estate handler. She gives him little information, but assures him that the rustic cabin he’s just inherited was worth the drive. Everything is normal, albeit quiet, until a voice comes from the radio — a voice that screams and begs for help. Sawyer is given no reprieve when the voices keep coming and the townsfolk act suspicious. He must find out why he is being tormented by apparitions from the dead before he too crosses over to the other side.
Echo Point has the makings of a bigger-budget project on a much smaller scale. The story of victims’ voices emanating from the radio is a nice touch, and Sawyer’s inability to not only understand what happened to them, but also how he plays into the situation makes for a sound psychological horror story.
There were two things that I want to point out specifically about Echo Point, both having to do with its independent production via Vibrolix Studios. The first is that this film offers a different quality than one you’d normally expect from a major streaming platform (note that I said different, not bad). Some of the hallmarks that I’ve come to know and love about indie horror is their unique roughness in cinematography, sound, and effects. While Echo Point wasn’t a found footage flick, there was likely no Steadicam used and occasionally I would see blips of the crew in reflections. The effects were there, but looked like a layer added on top of the film, rather than blended into it. Plus, I did notice some small continuity errors here and there. Normally these aspects would be clear indicators of a bad production, but considering the lower budget and runtime of just over an hour, I’d consider this a win.
The second is more about the filmmakers than the movie itself. Echo Point features a blooper reel at the end that I absolutely adored. Sure, films can warrant seriousness and sophistication, but let’s not forget that these are people who spent their hard-earned time and money to make a feature film; the least they can do is have fun with it. Echo Point felt like a callback to times that celebrated not only the movie, but the process of filmmaking. That blooper reel was a way to show the audience some behind-the-scenes work and shed some light on some of those errors I mentioned above.
While I want to say I enjoyed Echo Point for its story, mysterious setting, and slow burn, what will stay in my memories is actually the making of the film. Movies should bring people together, and this was a brilliant and fun way to connect the viewer to the crew. Movies like Echo Point might not win Oscars, but I have no doubt that this will convince the next budding indie horror geek to finally make something of their own.
Echo Point is available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
