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Stir of Echoes (1999)

tomatometer

67

Average Rating: 6.4/10
Reviews Counted: 103
Fresh: 69 | Rotten: 34

Kevin Bacon's acting is so genuine that it's creepy and director David Keopp knows how to create true suspense.

68

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 28
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 9

Kevin Bacon's acting is so genuine that it's creepy and director David Keopp knows how to create true suspense.

audience

68

liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 63,678

My Rating

Movie Info

In this supernatural thriller, Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) is a fairly typical working-class guy living in Chicago with his wife Maggie (Kathryn Erbe) and his son Jake (Zachary David Cope). One night at a party, Tom gets into a lively discussion with his sister-in-law, Lisa (Illeana Douglas), who believes in psychic communication and the power of hypnosis. He challenges Lisa to hypnotize him, and she plants in him a post-hypnotic suggestion to be more open-minded. But the results aren't quite what

R,

Mystery & Suspense, Horror

David Koepp

Aug 21, 2001

Artisan Entertainment - Official Site External Icon

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Cast

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All Critics (105) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (70) | Rotten (35) | DVD (24)

[A] serious, atmospheric, character-driven supernatural drama.

December 10, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The skillful shock cuts will make you jump out of your skin, but it's the digital visualisation of the ghostly Samantha which really makes the flesh crawl.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
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It has enough smarts to scare us, Sixth Sense or not.

January 1, 2000
Chicago Tribune
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The first two-thirds of the movie is engagingly spooky, more so than The Sixth Sense.

January 1, 2000
Film.com
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Stir of Echoes gives a classic ghost story extra zip by insisting on the reality of the characters and their place.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Detroit News
Detroit News
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Stir of Echoes might have worked just fine a few decades ago, but it now seems too simply schematic to spook us as much as it wants to.

January 1, 2000 | Comments (2)
Boston Globe
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...a stylish, sporadically gripping thriller that boasts a number of undeniably tense sequences and interludes...

January 14, 2010 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews
Reel Film Reviews

Stir Of Echoes is a scary, intelligent ghost story and thriller.

December 10, 2007 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

I did receive a few chills and some kicks from it.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid
Combustible Celluloid

It's nice to see he relied on more than heavy-handed filmmaking and a twist ending. I just hope audiences go for a supernatural thriller that's a little messier and doesn't feel the need to claw at their heart for two hours.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat
Film Threat

The cast is uniformly good, with Bacon giving the strongest performance as blue-collar Tom.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews
Reeling Reviews

Bacon's performance is what makes it more than just another dead-person-walking-the-earth story. Bacon is truly a man possessed.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online
Film Quips Online

Ultimately, it is Bacon's blue-collar conflict that resonates.

December 2, 2002 Full Review Source: Sight and Sound
Sight and Sound

A psychological thriller about the dark side of having highly developed psychic abilities.

August 21, 2002 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice
Spirituality and Practice

If only the movie had stuck to its ghost-story groundwork....

April 16, 2002 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis
Movie Metropolis

Disturbing imagery, great timing, and strong acting by the leads.

February 28, 2002 Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies

A startling film that is exacting and personal and resonant.

February 21, 2002 Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine
Matinee Magazine

Audience Reviews for Stir of Echoes

Stir of Echoes is easily David Koepp's finest work as a director and a film which also surpasses other supernatural thrillers like Sixth Sense easily.
In my opinion this film should have gained more audience than it actually did. It is a well made ghost story that has some really creepy and horrifying moments in it. There is especially one classic moment of horror which is staged so well that it truly will scare audiences socks off.
At it's core this is nothing more than a very well made entertainment but director Koepp is also known for his talents as a writer and he certainly knows how to raise tension. As a director he also trusts more of his characters than any special effects or gimmicks. This is as much a story about family in middle of crisis and something unknown as it is mystery or ghosts.
Kevin Bacon is reliable and good enough as a ordinary man Tom Witzky whose life takes full turn into something terrifying after he is hypnotized. Kathryn Erbe is still films best actor and makes her wife Maggie as an vulnerable and strong character.
Koepp adds nice surreal moments into his film and some of the set pieces are quite clever. Especially the way he plays with his characters psyche is very interesting. Viewer also is not entirely sure when they are seeing hallucination, dream or something that actually exists. That element give this film a nice eerie atmosphere.
Underneath all the horror elements this film is actually more of an murder mystery but works well both ways. If you are looking for a horror-thriller with brains then Stir of Echoes is a perfect choice for you.
January 7, 2012
emilkakko

Super Reviewer

This supernatural thriller from David Koepp concerns Tom Witzky- a typical working class resident of Chicago just trying to live a decent life with his wife and young son. When it comes to the supernatural, Tom is a skeptic, but agrees to play along when some friends want to engage in what should be some harmless hypnotizing.

Not long after this supposed bit of fun, Tom begins to feel the presence of evil, and see the spirit of a deceased girl who had disappeared earlier. This latter part sees him become determined to discover the truth about the girl, hopefully bringing her closure and allowing him to return to life the way he was used to.

This is based on work by Richard Matheson,and, though I'm not familiar with the source material, I really dug this when looking at it on its own terms. There's a nice, spooky atmosphere, a good sense of dread and mystery, and some decent performances. Kevin Bacon is good in the lead, Kathryn Erbe is okay as his wife (and I will admit that I didn't mind her brief nude scene), and I liked Illeana Douglas as the woman who gets it all started.

Give this one a look. It's a well made, moody, and entertaining thrill ride.
December 19, 2012
cosmo313
Chris Weber

Super Reviewer

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