Stir of Echoes

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Stir of Echoes

R

1999

1h 39m

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

70%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Blue-collar family man Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) scoffs at supernatural phenomena -- until he lets his wife's sister, Lisa (Illeana Douglas), put him into a hypnotic trance. Upon waking, Tom realizes he has a psychic connection with his son, Jake (Zachary David Cope). He also has alarming hallucinations of a missing teenage neighbor named Samantha (Jennifer Morrison). Tom, convinced his visions will lead him to the girl, begins a desperate search that puts him into a life-threatening situation.

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Critics Consensus

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

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Mar 6, 2018

As the plot kicks in, the hysteria mounts and the explanations start coming, the tension starts to dissipate. Like Bacon's strenuous attempt to sound working class, the movie tries too hard.

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

Dec 10, 2007

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

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Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

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.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Jul 22, 2026

8/10

Released in the shadow of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense, David Koepp’s Stir of Echoes crept in at the tail end of the 1990s to become one of its decade’s finest supernatural thrillers – and certainly one of its most underrated.

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Max Allen

Horror Movie Talk

Dec 4, 2025

7/10

While Stir of Echoes is not a very scary movie, the mystery did reel me in and by act 2 I was pretty invested in uncovering the truth. Kevin Bacon does a really good job of portraying a decent into madness...

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 12, 2025

3/5

Not 1999's best ghost story, but Kevin Bacon is incredibly watchable and the movie offers a handful of creepy sequences.

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Mark F

@MFegg 2 days ago

A well paced, cleverly told, well acted ghost tale/whodunnit that takes itself just seriously enough to be very, very effective.

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Oliver C

@OliverClose Oct 7, 2026

Stir of Echoes turns an ordinary home into a place of dread. Kevin Bacon gives the film its center as a man forced to confront a secret buried close to home. The writing keeps the mystery tight and lets the fear grow from what cannot be seen. The past wants to be heard. The dead want to be found. And once you open the door, you may not get to close it.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 16, 2026

Stir of Echoes = a 3.5 star Movie!

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Maria Q

@MariaQe Sep 4, 2026

Stir of Echoes is the kind of movie that starts with a perfectly ordinary suburban life and then casually informs you that your house has secrets, your neighbors have secrets, and apparently your brain has secrets too. Kevin Bacon is terrific as a regular guy whose curiosity opens a door he really, really should have left closed. The atmosphere gets under your skin, the characters feel wonderfully lived-in, and the tension builds without needing to scream for attention. It’s creepy, smart, surprisingly emotional, and just weird enough to make you stare at your own hallway a little differently afterward. A great supernatural thriller with a beating heart underneath all the goosebumps. Sometimes the things we uncover are better left buried. But where’s the fun in that?

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Randall F

@Randalltex Jul 16, 2026

Stir of Echoes is not scary in the traditional sense of the word, but it is haunting

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Brendan T.

@JackTheSipper712 Jun 10, 2026

Super super super good movie

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David Koepp

Director

Kevin Bacon

Tom Witzky

Kathryn Erbe

Maggie Witzky

Illeana Douglas

Lisa

Liza Weil

Debbie Kozac

Kevin Dunn

Frank McCarthy

Stir of Echoes: Official Clip - The Attack

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Stir of Echoes: Official Clip - Make Her Stop!

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Stir of Echoes: Official Clip - She's Taking Him Away!

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Stir of Echoes: Official Clip - The Horrors of Hypnosis

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Synopsis

Blue-collar family man Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) scoffs at supernatural phenomena -- until he lets his wife's sister, Lisa (Illeana Douglas), put him into a hypnotic trance. Upon waking, Tom realizes he has a psychic connection with his son, Jake (Zachary David Cope). He also has alarming hallucinations of a missing teenage neighbor named Samantha (Jennifer Morrison). Tom, convinced his visions will lead him to the girl, begins a desperate search that puts him into a life-threatening situation.

Director: David Koepp
Producer: Judy Hofflund, Gavin Polone
Screenwriter: Richard Matheson, David Koepp
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment, Miramax Films
Production Co: Artisan Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Horror, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 10, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 7, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $21.1M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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