Somebody's knockin', should I let 'em in?  Does anybody remember that song?  The Echo (Sigaw) was made in the Phillipines.  Is it dark?  Oh yeah!  Is it creepy?  Hell yeah!  deadmanwalkin suggested I watch this one in the dark, so I listened.  And WOW what a film!

A little slow going at times, it is obviously meant to build suspense. It does this, even though it attempts to stretch it too far here and there.  But even with the periodic lulls, The Echo proves to be one of the creepiest, moodiest films I have laid eyes on in a while.

Marvin moves into his new apartment and is glad to be away from his guilt-tripping mom (she is very good at it by the way).  His girlfriend, Pinky is considering moving in with her.  But something isn't quite right about the place.  Marvin's neighbors argue all the time and he loses a lot of sleep because of the noise.  So does everyone else in the building, so he is soon the only remaining tenant on the seventh floor.

Calling the police won't help because his possessive, wife-beating neighbor IS a cop.  Complaining to the Super does no good as Dante is a drunk.  But Marvin is suffering at home and at work due to the continuous lack of sleep so he must do something.  The constant disturbances trigger Marvin's finding out the history of his apartment.  This is where the fun really begins.  Once he knows, a deluge of harassment is rained down on his head involving some former tenants and the horrific events of three years earlier.  He then moves back home for a few days until he can figure out his next plan of action.

In his absence, Pinky visits his unit unaware that he is no longer there.  She falls victim to the abusive element within the building and Marvin can take no more.  He goes back in for one final battle with the evil memories that have taken hold of the house.

The Echo is a dark and chilling look at the deadly side of domestic violence and the need for the past to rectify itself.  Marvin is the only one who can set the spirits to rest.  But is he brave enough to do it?  Is he brave enough to "meddle?"

Filled with atmospheric darkness and  an old-fashioned, mood-inducing score, this film reaches into the spooky corners of your mind and forces you to put yourself in Marvin's place.  The dialogue is a mixture of Filipino and Tagalog with a smattering of English.  The subtitles are sometimes a little too literal, but the message is clear and the performances are outstanding.  Richard Gutierrez makes a petrified look that pulls you into his nightmares right alongside him.

It is a lower budget film with the heart of a big-time thriller.  Don't go looking  for technical perfection here.  You won't find it.  What you will find is a wonderfully scary film.  So turn off the lights and have a good time.