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Rating:  - Really Scary
White Noise was a really well-written horror film based on existing phenomena. The story is about a divorced man who loses his second wife in an auto accident. Deeply grieving, he is approached by a man who claims to have been receiving "messages" from her. At first skeptical, he is soon falling into an obsession with recording his own Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) in his home. He is so obsessed, he neglects his son from his first marriage.
The music score is terrifying. White Noise is difficult to watch during the day, almost impossible at night, especially the end. And just as you think you have made it through this horror film relatively unscathed, the extras pop up right after the credits roll. They contain real EVP sessions with real paranormal investigators. Holy (insert your own exclamation).
Rating:  - Needs Full Frontal Nudity
The only thing that could have saved this film is full frontal nudity. Hell, I don't care if it's Michael Keaton or the blonde chick. Either way, nudity would have earned it another star.
The film is hardly about EVP. It's about a guy whose dead wife is sending him messages through the static on his TV screen. Amazingly, you can see people's faces and bodies crystal clear within the static. One minute you're staring at snow and the next minute, you can see the clothes that a ghost from beyond is wearing. She shows him something bad that is ABOUT to happen to someone in the community and he tries to stop it before it happens. In this way, it's a lot like the Sixth Sense only not good. There is no back story in the beginning that allows you to get to know the characters and the ending is confusing and unsatisfying. Rent it in case you ever play a board game involving trivia about bad movies.
Rating:  - Award winning thriller?? Nah.... Creepy and a bit thought provoking way after its over? Yep.
This is an okay movie in general. If your looking for high art, you best look else where. Not everything is going to be massivly deep and arty and unpredictable. Not to say that White Noise is a shallow film, cuz it definatly isnt shallow. This movie's strength lyes in its mood and emotion and its topic alone is very deep witnin itself for sure.
In short, its about a man who loses a loved one, and is introduced to communication with the dead, and many things accure the more he delves into this phenomona.
Anyways, i skiped this movie in the theaters becouse i didnt think it recieved a lot of good reviews by critics, but i saw it on dvd a while ago and i ended up really interested in the EVP idea in the film (Thats an actual phenomona that people research regarding communication with deceased people or spirts.
This might of not got any accolades, but ya know a movie did its job when it has you researching its topic afterwards, not too mention the fact that, to me, it was genuinly scary, and it didnt need any gore or extreme violance to do so, which is commendable.
I was impressed and even moved by all of what the dvd of this movie offered. Its special features are some of the best special features i ever seen on a dvd. I actually feel the special features are just as essential to watch as the film itself, it goes hand in hand.
So, i finally got to buy this movie at the store, and im glad i did, becouse the film is thought provoking and very creepy; along with special features that are real fascinating and interesting, very informative and even usefull, if you can believe that. The dvd has a lot of value i think, becouse those special features really make the movie worth buying.
You get actual featurettes on the whole EVP thing, which actual EVP specialists and organization. And one that takes you on an investigation of 3 or so locations to communicate. They show you the process of recording and play back the actually stuff they picked up, its very interesting and makes you think and wonder. Lastly , they have a how to feature that shows you basicly all you need to start recording EVP yourself, which you might find surprisingly affordable and user friendly and practical.
Not to mention theres a commentary with Michael Keaton and someone else, which is cool.
If youre at all interested in the super natural, this film can be found on Amazon for such a bargon price, its definatly worth buying i think. The special features little bonus that i actually liked and dont over look.
The acting and storyline/screen play get the job done, pretty average; though the idea behind the film is strong. Its a creepy movie that makes me a little freaked out to walk around my house in the dark, and ive watched Silence Of The Lambs, and that didnt bug me afterwards, as far as its effect it had. Though im not comparing the two films in any way shape or form.
Get a very good deal on this movie and buy it and remember the special features, defiantly worth watching too.
Rating: - A genuinely scary and intelligent horror film
Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) is an architect happily married to his beloved wife, and a little one on the way, in addition to having a son from a previous marriage that appears to have ended on good terms, considering the civil and loving contact between Rivers and his ex-wife. Then tragedy strikes, and Rivers' wife is first missing, later to be found dead, apparently by drowning, and Rivers is grief-stricken. Eventually, the movie moves six months ahead, just when Rivers has gotten his life back together again, he is contacted by what at first appears to be a hoax man trying to prey on the spiritually thirsty, but who later turns out to be quite the psychic and benevolent gentleman. He shows Rivers how he has been contacted through EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) by what he believes is Rivers' deceased wife, and that she has something to tell Rivers.
They become friends, and dig deeper and deeper into the unknown realm of EVP, where Rivers' deceased wife show Jonathan the way to others in need, and how he can help them in their grief or trouble. All is not well though, for it is not only those beyond who try to help that can reach through, but as his big psychic friend says after their first encounter with some kind of demons from beyond; "They can't all be good".
Rivers starts to become haunted by EVP in his life, and tragedy strikes again and again, until finally ending in such a magnificent and surprising way that it will have you sleeping badly for days. The film portrays people in a good way, and Keaton gives quite the performance in his excellent role. Without telling the entire story, I can say that it is a film I absolutely loved, and that will leave you sceptical towards electronics for quite a while. The film has a very "Lovecraftian" feel to it, being an intelligent film with a spiritual thread running throughout, including the fact that it has some absolutely splendid and original scenes, for example the three running shadows (you'll know it when you see it...), unforgettable!
To summarize; an excellent film that is for sure one of my favourites in its genre, and I really look forward to seeing the sequel soon. (Update 21.10.2007 : The sequel was anti-European trash straight from Jewish Hollywood with no plot and nothing in common with this film, so my hopes were not answered.) This film scared a friend of mine out of his wits, and that says it all, I guess.
Buy it!
Rating: - DISTURBING
I purchased this dvd without knowing what it was about. After viewing it, I thought it was more disturbing than scarey. But disturbing is thought provoking and, therefore, a good thing. It is a ghost story involving EVP and dark spirits.
The only thing I really did not like about White Noise was the ending. I hate it when dark spirits win.
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