They had a Perfect set up for the sequel with the kid and they go and make this. I like Rob Lowe to but damn this looks like trash

National Guard Ted Cogan sees a van speeding up toward his watch ignoring the warning plates. He orders to fire, but discovers that there was an Iraqi family in the van. He tries to save a young girl, but the vehicle explodes and his group are attacked.When Ted recovers from his injuries, he returns home to his family, but he is haunted by the death of the innocent family, and another spectre.When his son Max is severely wounded in a car crash where his girlfriend Sammi and their friend Luke die, Ted discovers who the tormented soul is and tries to do the right thing.........Like many of the straight to DVD sequels that no one asked for in the early noughties, Stir Of Echoes 2 just rehashes all the best bits of the original, and just adds a different story around those key sequences. And don't forget to add a star who was, or was going to be quite big once.It's surprising to see Rob Lowe in something like this, he is a wonderful actor, but I'm guessing the smarmy yuppie type roles dried up after Bad Influence, and a certain home made movie.But it's pretty watchable stuff the rationale behind as to why the ghoul is haunting him is quite intelligent, but the same couldn't be said for the very strange and totally bonkers ending.It's not particularly scary, but as direct to DVD sequels to films you never thought would get one in a million years, this is perfectly perfunctory.

I really liked the first "Stir of echoes" movie and after reading some bashing here I thought I'd also give the second a try because too much praise and bashing indicates that its most of the time way out of line... and once again I was right.The movie is wrapped around a more up to date story revolving around an Iraq Soldier having to deal with his wrong decisions leading to an Iraqi family's death and his coming home to face demons which soon turn out not to be those you expect. Of course the basic premise from here on is 100% the same as in the first movie. Man has dreams and hallucinations and tries to uncover what they are about. Where in the first part hypnotizing triggered the events here its the war trauma which fits the explanation of the soldier in the first movie (they even picked back up his "X-Ray eyes" line).I think the movie is decent for a sequel... all the bashing about the acting and effects and bad story are pretty much over the top. But I give you that its at times annoying to watch the same ideas from Part1 recycled in a different environment and that the ending really sucks bad. Where the first part gave some kind of resolution this one doesn't... its real disappointing to have such a clichéd "happy Hollywood ending" (considering the ghosts) and everything else being a mess of storytelling. You can see they went for a drama like the kid in Part1 having to deal with the voices for life but here it just falls apart and pretty much left me cold when the credits rolled.Anyway I have seen far worse... and what really makes me smile is that I now know why there are such harsh reactions on the movie. There is not much positive left on the American side of glory at the end and it seems that some of the guys here are too damn brainwashed to face that there is also another point of view possible than the anti-Arab U.S. propaganda that is all over the place. Come on guys... comparing this movie to anti-semitic propaganda and Jud Suss is a joke. With hundred percent of the Nazis Jud Suss image stuck to Muslims in dozens of U.S. Blockbusters in best "Der Stuermer" manner. Look at the imagery and compare to Jud Suss and maybe you realize how damn brainwashed you are that you can't even face a movie about the negative sides without complaining. Now that the Russians are not the bad guys, the Muslims are... and as soon as someone depicts holy America as bad its propaganda of course. Get a life and look in the mirror for a difference... and after all its just a movie. If you are angry about it it must have had some kind of impact... and thats much more than most of todays movies even come near to achieve. Time to face your demons!

When coming across a direct to DVD sequel of a mainstream horror or sci fi movie movie, usually one cannot be blamed for staying away. The rental stores are full of such sequels that are abysmal due to poor acting, poor special effects, and most of all poor directing. One will both waste their time and their money trying to enjoy such nonsense.Imagine the surprise when Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming, yes a sequel to a mainstream horror movie, proves itself to be a surprisingly intelligent thriller. The Homecoming won't win any awards but it does hold its own and is able to give a convincing story.Captain Ted Cogan (Rob Lowe) holds himself responsible for the death of an Iraqi family during his tour of duty. Like many veterans, Ted only wants to return home to his family and forget the war so that he can go back to the life he once knew. The problem is that such memories never fade easily and home is never the same once you have been gone for so long. Ted's wife Molly (Marnie McPhail) and son Max (Ben Lewis) find that the husband and father they once knew is a different man.However, something else haunts Ted. A series of graphic images of those who died in Iraq, including strange visions of what appear to be the future, stalk Ted. While he believes it to be mere post traumatic stress disorder, it soon becomes clear that something else is going on and that Ted is facing a different kind of ghost then he expected. While his family falls apart around him, Ted realizes that if he is to keep his sanity then he needs to solve the mystery of what is happening.Much like the previous Stir of Echoes, a spirit demands vengeance and unless that vengeance is fulfilled then that spirit will take its anger out on whoever it can reach. The truth, however, is more horrific than even Ted could imagine and will force him to make the most difficult choice in his life. The ghost isn't one that followed him from Iraq. The truth is that the ghost wants vengeance against Max for a crime he committed......Stir of Echoes Homecoming doesn't rely on gore to push the horror that Ted is experiencing. Instead it uses dialog and mood setting to give the feeling of Ted's isolation and confusion. Not the best movie but it is a good sequel that shows the original idea of Stir of Echoes is still interesting.7/10