My quick rating – 3.4/10. Echoes from the Void begins with a ringing phone, which Dr. Murphy (Amie Henry) answers before being called in to deal with a psychiatric patient at the Miskatonic Psych Eval Center. I’m not entirely sure H.P. Lovecraft appreciates the nod, but at least the movie knows what neighborhood it wants to play in. Before heading inside, Murphy also takes a quick hit from her flask, which is probably the most sensible decision anyone makes in the entire movie.
She’s there to analyze Bob or, as he insists on being called, Bob. He immediately begins telling her a story. At this point, I started wondering if I had accidentally picked an anthology movie. The premise certainly sounds like one. A psychiatrist investigating a missing girl interviews a mysterious prisoner whose stories blur the line between fiction and reality. As the tales unfold, she supposedly uncovers a terrifying truth about the storyteller.
The first story involves a woman who appears to have killed someone, and she certainly isn’t finished. She also takes out the security guard who comes looking for her. At least the practical blood effects are welcome. Then we get an otherwise fairly uneventful story about a patient and psychiatrist before we head back to Bob. Apparently Bob and Murphy are going to be our wraparound story.
Next up are two drunks talking at a bar. It becomes pretty obvious which drunk we’re supposed to care about. He did something wrong 20 years ago and may finally have to deal with the consequences. This one actually has a somewhat unique take on its premise, and, remarkably, it ended up being the one story that earned all of my points.
Back to Murphy, and now it’s time for her story. I’ll give you the abridged version because that’s about as much time as it deserves. Bob then launches into another tale involving an older man and a younger woman named Sky, who are running a grift to rob an old woman. Naturally, it doesn’t go according to plan. Unfortunately, neither does the acting. The performances are pretty rough across the board.
Back to Bob and Murphy, where she appears to be entering some sort of trance. The next story involves a family moving into a new house, possibly to flip it. The daughter is fascinated by the place while the son would rather hang around outside. Then the parents walk into a room and simply vanish, leaving the kids apparently unable to venture beyond the entryway. Makes perfect sense. Well, sort of. Actually, no, it really doesn’t.
Eventually, Bob’s stories start affecting Murphy in ways she can actually feel and smell. Finally, it’s time for Bob to reveal himself.
And honestly, if I’m going to hell, I expect the Devil to tell me far better stories than this. Echoes from the Void has a couple of interesting ideas buried in here, but the uneven stories and weak acting make it a pretty rough trip into the void.
