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| Until the disappearance and death of his much-loved wife, Anna (Chandra West), architect Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) considered himself a rational man, one who would not ordinarily subscribe to any theories about communicating with the dead.
But that was until a stranger, Raymond Price (Ian McNeice), contacted Jonathan claiming to have received messages from Anna through EVP. Fuelled by his grief as much as curiosity, Jonathan soon finds himself swayed by Raymond’s claims, seemingly confirmed by the recordings of Anna as well as the evidence of Sarah Tate (Deborah Kara Unger), who herself has found closure with her deceased fiancé through EVP.
Then, the unthinkable happens. Jonathan himself captures Anna’s voice and image through recordings he has made. In her message, she begs her husband to save the future victims of the brutal psychopath who took her life.
What Jonathan hopes to be true is, in fact, possible - our departed loved ones can reach us. But if they can come through, who, or what else, can also come through?
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Here's what our members thought of this title. 5 stars = very good, 1 star = poor.
 |  | "The spirits don't want you here..."
A chilling supernatural thriller oozing with atmosphere and alarming, spring-out-of-your seat moments, White Noise marks a welcome return to form for Batman star Michael Keaton. Based on the genuine but little-known practice of Electronic Voice Phenomenon, a process by which the dead, through sound and image, communicate with the living through the static and white noise of modern electronic equipment, this intriguing film guarantees that you will never look at your radios and televisions in quite the same way again.
According to multiple websites on the subject, Electronic Voice Phenomenon is a highly researched and increasingly widely practiced yet little exposed paranormal phenomenon with devotees around the world. This is probably because of all the methods employed by the living to make contact with the dead, EVP is available to all. You don't need any special skills or sensitivities, just a VCR or tape recorder. All you do is tape the static between stations, ask questions of those passed over, and when you play the tape back, who knows? There may be answers waiting for you. Fuzzy, distorted images. Crackling, often indistinct noises. But communication nevertheless, quite possibly from the other side.
"I think it's something that has to be taken seriously," says director Geoffrey Sax. "Despite any skepticism, some of it mine. Certainly, though, one has to wonder that if even one per cent of the reported cases are true, then something clearly extraordinary is happening." A respected British TV director whose credits stretch back thirty years and include the likes of Spitting Image, Paul McGann's Doctor Who movie and lesbian sensation Tipping The Velvet, Sax makes his long-overdue feature film debut with White Noise.
"Originally," continues Sax, "I had no idea that EVP actually existed as a phenomenon. I praised [screenwriter] Niall Johnson at one point for coming up with it. I said, ‘Electronic Voice Phenomenon is a really great idea and concept. How did you think it up?' And he replied, ‘Well, actually I found it in my research. There are sites. Go and have a look.' And I was astonished how many websites there are, how many images you can see. Some of it is questionable, but some of it is very, very scary. And that's what makes it interesting."
By modest estimates, there are nearly seven billion audio and video recording devices in homes around the world. And every one of them is a portal. At least, that's what architect Jonathan Rivers (Keaton) hopes after his newly pregnant wife perishes in a freak accident. This is horror movie after all. Freak accidents kind of go with the territory. An early, blurry but successful communication with his dear departed encourages Rivers to begin his own investigation into EVP, plunging headfirst into obsession and getting himself into all sorts of spooky pickles. Because there are a lot of dead folk out there - not just his wife - and some of them are nasty. Some of them are evil. And some of those know how to cross the portal opened by EVP, from the spirit world into our own...
Whether you believe in the possibility of Electronic Voice Phenomenon or think it's just a lot of nonsense, there's no denying it makes for a great movie premise, one designed to scare our pants off. And in Sax's hands that's exactly what it does. You will feel the hairs rising on the back of your neck. Experience actual chills when you spot something creepy in the background, out of focus and in the shadows maybe, but definitely there and probably evil. And at the heart of it all is Keaton, glaring and intense, hungry for answers and meddling with forces he doesn't adequately understand. Which works for us, as unleashed malevolent spirits are exactly what you want in a fright flick.
First you have to add White Noise to your list. When it arrives, wait until dark. Turn off the lights, turn on your telly, and turn up the sound. That's all it's going take to totally freak you out.
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