Screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Carlito's Way) directs this supernatural thriller that has many similarities with The Sixth Sense and a mood that echoes Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. And strangely enough, this film has hints of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and Field Of Dreams (though it's not as effective as any of those films).

This film features Kevin Bacon as a hard-working father from a blue collar neighborhood in Chicago who is put under hypnosis as a gag during a party. When he's brought out of it, strange things begin to happen. Meanwhile, his young son communicates with a ghost living in their apartment (sound familiar?). Soon, a local mystery begins to unfold . . .

Stir Of Echoes starts off as an engrossing thriller, but is bogged down by an all-too-predictable mystery. There is also one pivotal moment in the film that seems to be directly lifted from Stephen King's superior The Dead Zone.

What really makes this film worth watching is a convincing performance by Kevin Bacon. Koepp also includes some very unsettling moments in the film; but, unfortuantely there aren't enough of them. The Sixth Sense had stronger writing and there was no reason to suspect such an effective twist, whereas this film tries to build its plot around a very obvious twist.

Stir Of Echoes fares much better than Stigmata, but doesn't seem fresh enough (coming off the heels of The Sixth Sense). The underated Kevin Bacon is the real reason to check this one out.