Artisan Entertainment | Release Date: December 10, 1999
8.3
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Universal acclaim based on 182 Ratings
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157
Mixed:
13
Negative:
12
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10
Propensity862May 18, 2015
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Stir of Echoes is an intense atmospheric thriller with Kevin Bacon's best performance. He plays Tom Witzky, a regular guy with a wife and one underage son. He works as a lineman in Chicago, he is a day to day toiler earning his wages and supporting his family. One night at a social with his wife, her sister and his closest friend the unthinkable happens. He goes from being an ordinary man to having extraordinary visions he can't explain or comprehend. His wife's sister Lisa discusses hypnosis at the social. She describes how a person under hypnosis can't feel anything or realize what is going on because they're in another state of mind. Apparently she knows how to hypnotize someone, so Tom's best friend suggests to her that she hypnotize someone there. Tom suggests himself to her and she denies his request at first. He convinces her and then the audience sees what Tom sees as she guides him through the trance. He sees something during the trance but he doesn't know what it is. She opens a portal in his mind, and then his mind starts receiving supernatural visions. A girl is missing and she wants him to assist her in finding her body. Then she can be freed from being a ghost and rest in peace. She wants him to expose and punish the ones culpable for her demise. A man who is into some kind of witchcraft or supernatural activities tells his wife that she'll never leave him alone until he helps her with her predicament. The movie is ultra spooky and unpredictable. The mystery is tough to unravel and I'm sure most people didn't put the pieces together until the movie clarified what happened to the girl and who the culprits are. Stir of Echoes is one of my favourite horror thrillers by far. It was very underrated in 1999 and it deserved and deserves the kind of attention that The Sixth Sense garnered that year from audiences. It is a one of a kind movie that is a magnificent cinematic experience. The other movie that deals with hypnosis is Danny Boyle's Trance. However Trance isn't dark like Stir of Echoes is because it is an action thriller and not a horror thriller, Trance is great as well. These movies have similarities by sharing hypnosis plots but that is all they have in common. Expand
34 of 34 users found this helpful340
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9
RegOzApr 4, 2012
A 9 in its genre! The producers were somehow unlucky for, as many people have already observed, this movie was released a few weeks after Sixth Sense, which was unfortunate... because people were still talking about the latter. Quite frankly,A 9 in its genre! The producers were somehow unlucky for, as many people have already observed, this movie was released a few weeks after Sixth Sense, which was unfortunate... because people were still talking about the latter. Quite frankly, I think this film is better than The Sixth Sense. It is definitely more frightening, more intense, and much more enjoyable than the other latter one...and Kevin Bacon is of course much, much better actor than Bruce Willis...Kevin is an A and Willis oh well a... B-? Anyway...my purpose is not criticising Willis, there I am going off track, but I merely wanted to share my views about the movie. In a few words: It is a classic! Eerie atmosphere, smart plot, good performances, gripping, believable...and well...you may have a situation like that just next door! ;) If you haven't watch it before, you should definitely do it. Think about this: This movie has no negative reviews, isn't that a great sign? Expand
20 of 20 users found this helpful200
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10
ImpugnJan 12, 2020
Kevin Bacon's best performance. Forget Hollow Man, he owns this movie. The special effects & scares in this movie are top notch.
9 of 9 users found this helpful90
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10
Depose570May 16, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bacon 'Cooks' As An Unwilling Medium...

I have always admired and marveled at Kevin Bacon's versatility as an actor. From the likable fish-out-of-water guy who trips the light-fantastic through a piece of fluff like FOOTLOOSE, to putting everything on the line to play a pedophile in the unnerving THE WOODSMAN, there's hardly anything he can't - or won't do - to show his amazing range.

That being said, STIR OF ECHOES still holds what is for me one of his all-time Top Five performances.

He plays Tom Witzky, a regular mug living with his family in a working-class suburb of Chicago. Though he loves his family, hotter-than-hot wife Maggie (Kathryn Erbe) and precocious son Jake (Zachary David Cope), he's also a man becoming bored with his life. He wants to do and be something more than who and what he is.

Obviously, the old adage "be careful what you wish for" went right over Tom's head.

At a party for family and friends, Tom volunteers to be hypnotized by his flaky sister-in-law, Lisa (the always excellent Illeana Douglas), who makes a powerful suggestion to Tom that his mind takes literally. What happens next will change his life and everyone's around him forever.

A 'doorway' has been opened inside Tom's head that allows him to communicate with the dead, and for them to reach out and touch him...whether he wants to or not. When the "nightmares" that he's been having begin to intensify, Tom knows he must find a way to close that doorway for good before he loses his family...and his sanity. The urgency is heightened when he discovers how sensitive he was before the hypnotic suggestion, in the most chilling way possible...it seems that son Jake can see and talk to the dead as well.

In the tradition of THE CHANGELING, LADY IN WHITE and THE SIXTH SENSE, the focus of Tom's visions comes from one apparition in particular, who won't leave him or his family in peace until he can figure out what it wants and why. The situation provides fodder for one intense and terrifying performance, and with help from a strong supporting cast, Bacon comes through like a champ.

When movies like this are adapted from older works by classic authors, I usually proceed with the greatest caution. But Richard Matheson's creepy novel has been skillfully transformed by David Koepp, a man who knows a little bit about balancing thoughtful plotting and dialogue with outright terror, (as in APARTMENT ZERO) and the outstanding job he does here will make you think twice the next time somebody wants to 'put you out' at a party with something more than just shots of Captain Morgan...
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3 of 3 users found this helpful30
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9
Catenary44Jun 7, 2021
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3 of 3 users found this helpful30
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9
Aerialist277Jun 19, 2021
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2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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9
Pluto744Jun 20, 2021
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2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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10
Castor600May 12, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In the hypnotism flashback scene, there is a scene of a safety pin being stuck through Tom's hand. This was not a special effect - a stunt man was paid to come in and have a safety pin pushed through his hand for the scene. Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
ConsortApr 25, 2021
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°•°°°•°°°☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°•°°°•°°°
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
DefameApr 30, 2021
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1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
Chignon24May 10, 2021
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1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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9
Shroud189Jun 27, 2021
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1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
ExcommunicadoJan 19, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In the scene where Tom gets angry after digging in the backyard, and kicks the bucket towards the wall, it was not supposed to hit and break the window. This was a "happy accident", and it was used in the film, as Kevin Bacon stayed in character, and continued the scene. Expand
9 of 10 users found this helpful91
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10
Exemplify78May 18, 2021
⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙⊙
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2 of 3 users found this helpful21
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8
Tss5078Jun 23, 2016
In recent years, supernatural horror has become about gore and jump scares, these movies aren't scary anymore! Paranormal Activity, The Grudge, The Ring, are you kidding me?! Those movies were terrible! They don't make movies like Stir ofIn recent years, supernatural horror has become about gore and jump scares, these movies aren't scary anymore! Paranormal Activity, The Grudge, The Ring, are you kidding me?! Those movies were terrible! They don't make movies like Stir of Echoes anymore, this is a supernatural thriller, that was truly unsettling and creepy, the kind of film that defines what supernatural horror should be. Tom & Maggie are celebrating moving into a new house, and as the party is winding down, Maggie's sister claims to know something about the supernatural. Tom (Kevin Bacon) is a complete skeptic, so she offers to hypnotize him and see what happens. Reluctantly Tom agrees and after seeing some strange flashes, Tom wakes up unsettled but still a non-believer. Over the next few weeks, Tom continues to see strange images of a girl asking for his help and believes his sister in-law messed with his mind somehow. Once convinced that she had nothing to do with it, Tom decides to investigate and try to find out, who this girl is and why she's asking for help. This movie is truly scary because depending on what you believe in, this could be 100% real. Kevin Bacon is one of those actors who when he is in the right role is better than anyone, and this role is perfect for him. Bacon had me on the edge of my seat and it seemed as thou this movie just flew by. I wanted to know who this girl was and what happened to her just as much as he did. As for the paranormal stuff, it wasn't bloody, gory, and out of nowhere but it was just as creepy. This is the kind of film that left you jittery and uneasy for hours afterwards, the definitive horror movie. Bad reviews had me skeptical, but I am a skeptic no longer, Stir of Echoes will most definitely be included in my next Halloween movie marathon! Expand
2 of 10 users found this helpful28
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8
SpangleFeb 20, 2016
Stir of Echoes is a deeply unsettling film that is a master class effort in mood setting and atmosphere creation from director David Koepp. Kevin Bacon is fantastic here and the film willingly messes with your mind, creates scares, andStir of Echoes is a deeply unsettling film that is a master class effort in mood setting and atmosphere creation from director David Koepp. Kevin Bacon is fantastic here and the film willingly messes with your mind, creates scares, and delivers tension. While the premise is not overly original, it is so incredibly well done that it makes this one impossible to truly ignore. Even more, the film is quite tight. Everything it introduces has a purpose and everything has a point, which I love. There is simply no clutter here and every line means something more for the plot than it may initially seem. On the whole, Stir of Echoes may be a typical psychological horror film, but it is so well written and so effective at eliciting fear that it makes it impossible to ignore at all. Expand
0 of 8 users found this helpful08
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6
Compi24Aug 25, 2015
As cheesy as it may be, "Stir Of Echoes" still manages to conjure up a general sense of suspense, as well as a committed performance from Kevin Bacon.
0 of 20 users found this helpful020
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8
Meth-dudeApr 28, 2018
This movie was a very good surprise. With strong acting performances, an interesting and engaging story, a well balance amount of suspense and horror and a very good third act that holds well even after the great previous acts, Stir of EchoesThis movie was a very good surprise. With strong acting performances, an interesting and engaging story, a well balance amount of suspense and horror and a very good third act that holds well even after the great previous acts, Stir of Echoes is a forgotten cult classic. Expand
0 of 8 users found this helpful08
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8
tethysdustDec 1, 2016
A conventional kind of ghost story, but executed in a very entertaining way. The story was suspenseful, and the excess of Kevin Bacon's enthusiasm was funny in a way that did not detract from the seriousness of the ghost mystery.
0 of 8 users found this helpful08
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7
alejandro970Oct 31, 2020
In the same vein as The Sixth Sense, but without the same force, it has its ups and downs throughout the plot but has enough to keep the audience's interest alive. Just seeing it once is enough, specially in Halloween.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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7
DogeGamer2015Nov 5, 2020
Tiene una muy buena trama, excelentes interpretaciones y momentos de mucha tensión, la recomiendo.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
OrukayuJan 25, 2023
If we look at the horror/thriller films of the period, "matrix", "sleepy hollow", "fight club", "the mummy" and "the sixth sense". If we look at these movies, "stir of echoes" is more average.

In the movie, the change that takes place during
If we look at the horror/thriller films of the period, "matrix", "sleepy hollow", "fight club", "the mummy" and "the sixth sense". If we look at these movies, "stir of echoes" is more average.

In the movie, the change that takes place during and after the hypnosis stretches nicely at first, but then it cannot be promoted to fear. In fact, it is also nice for the child to talk to the invisible entity. But when that digging thing starts, the mode of the movie drops from that moment. It is another matter that water ghosts appear everywhere in such films and do not tell people where to dig, where to go or where to find them, and they torture people. And when they are found later, their souls find peace, or it really sets people up. The movie can be watched with the family.
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0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
Acquit77Jul 20, 2021
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