White Noise

The Film “White Noise” Is Rather Gray   by Allan M. Heller

There is something deeply psychologically disturbing about static, whether that static takes the form of ominous crackling during a telephone conversation, or images on the television screen blinking in and out of focus, alternating with hazy, horizontal lines. This almost primal fear is initially exploited quite effectively in the 2005 movie White Noise, but the story gradually loses its grip as the plot unfolds. While White Noise has a few scenes that may make you jump or gasp, you will most likely have no trouble going to sleep that same evening, unless you are normally plagued by insomnia.

The title of the film alludes to Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP),whereby special audio equipment supposedly records the voices of the deceased. Those who saw M. Night Shyamalan’s terrifying 1999 thriller The Sixth Sense may recall a scene in which psychiatrist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), while listening to a recording of a former patient who was supposedly alone at the time, hears a faint, spectral voice proclaiming in Spanish “I don’t want to die!” White Noise takes EVP a step further, incorporating not only auditory but visual contact with the dead, who also manifest via foggy, flicking faces on computer screens. But unlike its better predecessor, White Noise features no direct, face-to-face phantom encounters, only video visages and fleeting shadows.

Michael Keaton stars as Jonathan Rivers, a partner in a large architectural firm. He lives in a luxurious home with his young son, Mike (Nicholas Elia) and second wife, Anna (Chandra West), a successful author. After learning that Anna is pregnant, the couple is ecstatic. Life couldn’t be better for the trio, but soon will become much worse.

Rivers’s initial skepticism with EVP is conveyed very well by Keaton. Over the course of half a year, Rivers goes from complete disdain for the “charlatans” who claim to be able to reach the deceased, to a dangerous obsession with making constant contact. He storms out of a session with a traditional medium, who, after a disturbing vision, warns him that continuing on his present course is tantamount to opening a spiritual floodgate. Her admonition goes unheeded.

Deborah Kara Ungers gives a good supporting performance as Sarah Tate, a book store owner who has lost her fiance, and sought solace through EVP. After hearing what she believed was a positive message from her dead lover, Tate has come to acceptance and dealt with her loss, but Rivers sinks deeper and deeper into his grim infatuation.

Most accounts of spiritual contact describe ghosts who are benevolent at best, and mischievous at worse. Occasional stories surface of violent poltergeists hurling heavy objects, but most “victims” end up with broken dishes rather than broken bones. In White Noise, a sense of curiosity slowly builds to a quiet dread, like a gentle tapping on a drum that grows louder and louder, and erupts at periodic intervals into clashing cymbals. But this cinematic percussion is only partial, and the story is too slow at the beginning. This hurts the suspense later, not allowing sufficient time to ratchet up the terror. The climax is a bit surprising and suspenseful, but too little too late.

A second premise which White Noise fails to fully exploit is the subject’s basis in reality. Although the opening credits briefly mention that there have been EVP experiments, the movie could and should go into more detail. The interspersion of facts, empirical data and even anecdotal evidence would go a long way toward adding more credibility. Throw in a few names of actual researchers and test subjects, and the story becomes a lot more believable. The DVD contains documentary footage of EVP recording sessions, and working this into the movie effectively is a task that a skilled screenwriter could accomplish. Also, the technical explanations are too Spartan. Raymond Price (Ian McNeice), the researcher who introduces Rivers to EVP, has a house filled with costly electronic equipment, and never sufficiently elaborates on how he does what he does. This is especially troubling later in the film, when Rivers himself sets up an array of monitors, video screens and recording devices in his own home. Viewers will wonder how he learned to do this.

White Noise is not overtly preachy, but if there is a moral here, it is best expressed by the old adage that there are certain things in which mortals ought not to meddle. In this sense, the film lacks originality. To the film’s credit, however, the menace is not entirely supernatural, and the difficulties faced by the main characters are fueled almost as much by their own fears, desires and ignorance.

The film carries a PG-13 rating, which seems a bit harsh considering that there are no graphic images or bloodshed. The only justification for going one step above PG could be the single use of the F-word. White Noise is not appropriate for a four year-old, but most kids today have seen and heard scarier stuff on television.

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About the Author

Allan M. Heller is a free lance writer, and the author of three books. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
White Noise

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