I walked into this film with high expectations. Very few of us can say we aren't intrigued by the unknown, the unexplained...the plain weird, and that basically describes White Noise in one. It tells the story of a young family, a beautiful mother Linda (Shandra West), a rather dishy husband, Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) and their son. This happy home is not set to remain a scene of tranquility and in true American style, the lovely Linda slips off a rock and dies. Yet much to our delight, some creepy fat man (Ian McNeice) tells our Mr. Rivers that his wife has been contacting him from beyond the grave, and this is expanded on by the spooky incidents Jonathan himself encounters. He then gets wrapped up in the world of EVP, a.k.a. White Noise, when McNeice is killed off. For all you who don't know, EVP is electronic voice phenomenon...fuzzy noise that can only be picked up on recorders and that some crackpots (including myself) think is dead guys trying to get in touch.

I began watching the film excitedly...waiting impatiently to hear the voices of the dead. The film's opening dragged on for far too long, and I turned from hanging on the edge of my seat, to hanging my head as I fell asleep. When I finally got to hear the voices of the deceased, I wasn't disappointed. I soon realized this was a typical jumpy horror as I hid my head in fear of the next scene of terror.

For those who are not so easily frightened, I don't imagine they would be too overwhelmed with enthusiasm at the storyline. It hung loosely together, grappling at threads. EVP is intriguing, and that is basically what this film is...someone trying to create a script that entails EVP and failing miserably. This is no different than any other horror I know, except maybe being below average, what makes it interesting is that the story contains an element of truth and so absorbs the viewer in this, which is a rarity amongst the thrillers.

The ending to White Noise drags out some twists and turns, but this barely fills the void of unfulfilled expectations, that I expect most people to feel as they step out of the world of White Noise. EVP may be unavoidably alluring, but the film itself leaves a lot to be desired.

I would recommend White Noise to anyone who's interested in the subject matter and wants a few screams and a good deal of suspense...but those who feel the need to be endeared by a piece of cinematic history, my advice is to stay away.


DVD Details:

Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Subtitles: Spanish, English; Closed Captioned

Language and Sound: English: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; deleted scenes; director's commentary.

* Featurettes:
o "Hearing is Believing: Actual E.V.P Sessions"
o "Making Contact: E.V.P Experts"
o "Recording the Afterlife at Home"
* Deleted Scenes:

Number of discs: 1 - Keepcase
{pgomakase}