White Noise is quite a creepy film, and takes a new twist on the traditional ghost story. The basis for this is EVP (electronic voice phenomenon), which is a commonly held belief that the living can make contact with the dead via static (or white noise) on electronic audio and visual devices. More simply put, by recording static on a radio or VCR for example, it is possible to play back your recording and hear the voices of the dead or see their faces on a television screen. I have personally heard many stories detailing this phenomenon, and a quick search on the internet will undoubtedly reveal many more.
In this particular story, Jonathon Rivers (Michael Keaton) lost his wife Anna (Chandra West) in a freak accident. While dealing with his grief, he is approached by Raymond Price (Ian McNeice) who tells Jonathon that he has been receiving messages from Anna from the other side. Jonathon is sceptical at first, but when he starts receiving calls from Anna’s mobile phone (which he has kept at home – turned off), he decides to find out more.
After hearing Anna’s voice on Raymond’s equipment, Jonathon begins to develop an obsession with EVP. He buys as many recording devices as he can accommodate, and begins staying up all night, desperate to hear more from Anna. He succeeds in recording both voices and images, from others as well as Anna, and realises that this could be his chance to help others as Raymond helped him. However, there are also evil spirits coming through…
Whilst not an accurate portrayal of EVP (as it appeared to be embellished for dramatic effect), I found this movie very intriguing to watch, and it certainly had the capacity to make me jump several times! My only real gripe with this film was that the climax was so dark, that I struggled to see what was going on! Unfortunately, this left me with the feeling that I’d somehow missed the point. However, saying that, I did enjoy (and get) the first 3/4 of the film! This is definitely one for those who love to watch films about things that go bump in the night!
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