Political ranting aside, I think the movie deserves better than a sub-five average rating. It's well acted by the leads and Rob Lowe seems 'engaged' in his role. The DVD extras explain in detail the limitations of the production but at the same time the investment in the film by the director and cast members. It works as a ghost story and also as a mystery. The make-up and effects are well done and it has a decent pace. In a way it still has a distant connection to the first Stir of Echoes in that it portrays a working class American family. Yes, the film does make a comment on racism, but I didn't feel this was a generalized anti-American slag the way some other reviewers did. I look forward to other movies by this director and thumbs up to Rob Lowe for bringing his 'A' game to this small film. And where else can you see a Stouffville, Ontario sand pit doubling for Iraq?

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

This is why people hate sequels. Rob Lowes is a good actor. He gets involved in these movies that just suck… like this one. The ghost in this lame sequel is trying to tell him something. Spoiler; it's telling him that his son along with friends killed him because they thought he was an Arab that hated America… based of course on his rude demeanor and tone towards American soldiers, easy mistake.This movie was made by obvious liberals because a conservative republican would be pleased that an American stuck up for their country and said hey, you want to mess with my land and talk crap about our soldiers… well F-you. They should make a movie praising Americans for sticking up for themselves for once instead of preachy junk like this. The a-hole gets killed and then has the audacity to haunt the boy's father, (Lowe). At the end his son goes to jail and his wife gets shot and killed, while Lowes character seems to be placed into an asylum. Gee nice message thrown in my face to be tolerant of others. F uck tolerance! Whatever happened to America being home of the brave?By the way... I'm not some racist redneck, I hate everyone equally

This movie was exceptionally well done for a Sci-Fi original movie, and in my opinion a very controversial one as well, considering the fact it deals with the current war in Iraq.To begin with a man named Ted Cogan (rob lowe) and other soldiers kill a van full of people in Iraq creating a huge conflict, thus sending Ted and his men back home. When he arrives back to his house he starts seeing visions of the victims that were killed in the van. Finally, when all his buttons have been pushed Ted decides to try and find out why this is happening to him and what all the symbolic occurrences taking place really mean.Now, here's the part that I found rather controversial, upsetting and at the same time sickening. I am myself an American, but during the part when Ted's son and two other of his friends kill what they believe to be an Iraqi citizen in the country side I felt ashamed to call myself American. Although people may think that this doesn't happen, it does. Maybe what bothered me about this scene the most was the brutality behind the murder. The beating, the dousing of alcohol, the setting him on fire, the locking him in a dumpster to burn so he can't get out, all of this seemed to be so hostile that I felt completely repulsed. And then there's the part of the mother, Molly. She confides in her husband that although this was horrible, she doesn't want her son to be charged with this crime and she asks her husband how they can cover it up.All and all, the movie itself was good and entertaining, it was just the last fifteen minutes or so that bothered me. People may agree with me, or may not agree with me, either way it doesn't affect me. I just wanted to voice my opinion about what I found to be a rather disturbing sequence of events in the movie I just watched.