White Noise

After successful architect Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) loses his beloved wife Anna (Chandra West) in an accident, he starts hearing her voice coming through electrical devices (he can also hear Robert Plant singing “my sweet Satan” backwards on Stairway to Heaven, but that’s beside the point). Jonathan thinks it’s just staticky white noise caused by electrical interference; he doesn’t realize it’s really supernatural instant messaging. He’s made aware that what’s been going on is called EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) and with the help of his new mentor, Raymond Price (Ian McNeice), Jonathan begins to decipher her messages. He soon discovers that Anna has a very urgent warning for him.

As is typical of those oh-so-capricious ghosties, Anna doesn’t just come right out and tell Jonathan anything. Although she can somehow transcend the time-space continuum and defy the boundary between the living and the dead, Anna can’t formulate complete sentences. So instead she tosses out disjointed hints, leads Jonathan into terrible danger, and basically gives an unholy trinity of evil spirits his address and phone number. Raymond Price winds up paying the ultimate price for his curiosity, so Jonathan teams up with blonde hottie Sarah Tate (Deborah Kara Unger) to solve the ultimate mystery.

I kid a bit, but White Noise is actually a legitimately spooky horror story (until it blindsides you at the end, but I’ll get to that later). It’s got some genuine dramatic suspense, and it does carry a continuously  tense little thread of impending dread throughout. You will jump in your seat at least once, and at some point you will probably say to the screen, “Don’t go in there!” The actors are all great; not to diminish the performances of Keaton, West, and Unger — but McShane is a real standout. He’s the perfect embodiment one of those quirky characters that’s essential for maximum entertainment in a horror film (think: Zelda Rubenstein in Poltergeist, or Brian Cox in The Ring).

While it may not have the makings of a classic, I rather liked White Noise until the writer decided to give a big raspberry to the audience. Don’t get me wrong; I relish a twist ending ala Rod Serling or M. Night Shyamalan, but this is an intelligence-insulting u-turn that’s a real eye roller. And then at the very, very end they have the nerve to play a cheesy pop song that’s more fitting for the closing credits of a Hilary Duff movie.

Still in all, the glass is more than half full. If you like a good ghost story, White Noise is disquieting enough.

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson