6.8
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Horror, Mystery, Thriller • 1999 • 99 min • Adults (18+)
Stir of Echoes (1999)
Stir of Echoes (1999)
Overview
Stir of Echoes follows Tom Witzky, a blue-collar Chicago man who, after an accidental hypnosis session, begins receiving visions from a murdered girl's ghost. His young son shares the gift, and the two quietly anchor a story about family, obsession, and uncovering buried truth. The Leans Traditional label fits without much strain. The film centers a heterosexual nuclear family under pressure, treats the supernatural as a moral force demanding justice, and carries no interest in progressive cultural commentary. Its working-class setting, conventional gender roles, and apolitical framing all pull in the same direction. It is a ghost story in the Richard Matheson tradition, where the haunting serves a fairly old-fashioned moral purpose.
Starring Cast
Kevin Bacon • Zachary David Cope • Kathryn Erbe
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Political: Center
Diversity: Low
Family Values: Leans Traditional
Viewer Rating
6.8
Overview
Stir of Echoes follows Tom Witzky, a blue-collar Chicago man who, after an accidental hypnosis session, begins receiving visions from a murdered girl's ghost. His young son shares the gift, and the two quietly anchor a story about family, obsession, and uncovering buried truth. The Leans Traditional label fits without much strain. The film centers a heterosexual nuclear family under pressure, treats the supernatural as a moral force demanding justice, and carries no interest in progressive cultural commentary. Its working-class setting, conventional gender roles, and apolitical framing all pull in the same direction. It is a ghost story in the Richard Matheson tradition, where the haunting serves a fairly old-fashioned moral purpose.
Starring Cast
Kevin Bacon • Zachary David Cope • Kathryn Erbe
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Primary
Political: Center
Confidence: High
The film is an apolitical supernatural thriller focused on a personal mystery and its resolution, without promoting or critiquing specific political ideologies. Its core narrative centers on individual discovery and the pursuit of justice for a hidden crime.
Diversity: Low
Confidence: High
The movie features traditional casting with a predominantly white ensemble, and there are no apparent instances of intentional race or gender swaps for established roles. The narrative does not critique traditional identities, instead focusing on a supernatural thriller plot without explicit DEI themes.
Secondary
Family Values: Leans Traditional
Confidence: High
The film portrays a heterosexual nuclear family unit with a committed, albeit strained, marriage and parents focused on protecting their child. While not overtly celebrating traditional values, it depicts them as the default without critique or endorsement of progressive alternatives.
LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High
The film "Stir of Echoes" does not feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The narrative centers on a heterosexual family's encounter with a supernatural mystery, focusing on the psychic abilities of the protagonist and his son as they uncover the truth behind a young woman's disappearance. LGBTQ+ identities or issues are not part of the plot or character development.
Trans: N/A
Confidence: High
The film Stir of Echoes does not feature any identifiable transgender characters or themes. The plot focuses on a man's psychic awakening and his quest to solve the murder of a cisgender teenage girl, Samantha. There are no elements within the narrative that depict or relate to transsexual identity.
Female Combat: N/R
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High
The film is an adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1958 novel. All significant characters, including Tom Witzky, Maggie Witzky, Jake Witzky, and Samantha Kozac, retain the same gender as established in the original source material.
Race Swap: No
Confidence: High
The film is an adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1958 novel. A review of the primary characters from the novel and their portrayal in the 1999 film reveals no instances where a character's established race from the source material was changed for the screen adaptation.
Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: High
Not depicted in the film.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
6.9
6.7
Critic Ratings
7.0
6.7
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