White Noise

Fiercely boring. Editing provides jump scares and the ending is painfully awful.

A rather bland and mediocre thriller, White Noise explores the mysterious paranormal science of EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). Michael Keaton stars as John Rivers, a bereaved widower who discovers that his dead wife is sending him messages from the beyond through EVP that urge him to help people who are in danger from evil spirits. The writing in pretty weak and the story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. And it doesn’t spend much time developing who the evil spirits are or what they want. The performances aren’t that good either and are really toned down. Also, the EVP of the film isn’t real EVP (which can’t be interacted with post-recording) and is used more as a plot device to help the main character fight against the evil spirits. While it has an interesting premise, White Noise doesn’t know what to do with it and ends up being a dull, by the numbers ghost mystery.

For many years, even in my childhood when Blockbuster was still in business, every time I flipped through DVD leaflets and catalogs, I would see this movie advertised. I recognized it as a horror film, yet I was unaware of its plot.

Now, after finally viewing it, I regrettably find it disappointing. The poster captivates more attention than the film itself. It lacks both scares and eeriness; instead, it is painfully dull.