White Noise

In the old days before cable, televisions were plagued by ghosting problems--double and triple images due to poor reception--but this supernatural thriller is based on the premise that actual ghostly figures and voices come through TV screens (and radio speakers) embedded in the hissing and background static that's a natural part of electronic broadcasts. Michael Keaton, an architect whose wife has been killed in what the authorities determine was a tragic car accident, is visited by a researcher who convinces him that his late spouse is trying to communicate with him through this “white noise,” and before long he's become obsessed with the process known as EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) and is systematically collecting messages from the Great Beyond, relaying them to their intended recipients. But matters soon take a disquieting turn as evil forces from the other side intrude malevolently on his work, and White Noise abruptly morphs into a serial killer movie that makes very little sense, even by the admittedly lax standards of the genre. Ironically, the picture ultimately calls to mind the old kind of TV ghosting: it's too blurry, disjointed, and unfocused to swallow or enjoy. Not recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include 15 minutes of “Hearing is Believing” actual EVP sessions, 10 minutes of deleted scenes, the nine-minute EVP featurette “Making Contact: EVP Experts,” and the five-minute do-it-yourself featurette “Recording the Afterlife at Home.” Bottom line: a fine extras package for a so-so film.] (F. Swietek)