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{{distinguish|White Noise (2022 film)}}
{{Infobox film {{Infobox film
| name = White Noise | name = White Noise
Line 6: Line 7:
| producer = ] | producer = ]
| writer = Niall Johnson | writer = Niall Johnson
| starring = ]<br>]<br>]<br>] | starring = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]
| music = Claude Foisy | music = Claude Foisy
| cinematography = Chris Seager | cinematography = Chris Seager
| editing = Nick Arthurs | editing = Nick Arthurs
| studio = ]<br />White Noise UK Limited<br />]<br />]<br />] | studio = ]<br />White Noise UK Limited<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]
| distributor = ] (Canada)<ref>{{cite web|title=White Noise|website=Canadian Feature Film Database|access-date=13 September 2021|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/canadian-feature-film-database/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=3872&DotsIdNumber=}}</ref><br />] (United Kingdom)<ref name="bom"/><br />] (United States) | distributor = ] (select territories)<br />] (Canada)<ref>{{cite web|title=White Noise|website=Canadian Feature Film Database|date=12 May 2015 |access-date=13 September 2021|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/canadian-feature-film-database/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=3872&DotsIdNumber=}}</ref><br />] (United Kingdom)<ref name="bom"/>
| released = {{Film date|2005|1|7}} | released = {{Film date|2005|1|7}}
| runtime = 101 minutes | runtime = 101 minutes
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| gross = $91.2 million<ref name="bom">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=whitenoise.htm|title=White Noise (2005)|work=]|access-date=24 March 2018}}</ref> | gross = $91.2 million<ref name="bom">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=whitenoise.htm|title=White Noise (2005)|work=]|access-date=24 March 2018}}</ref>
}} }}
'''''White Noise''''' is a 2005 ] ] film directed by ] and starring ]. The title refers to ] (EVP), where voices, which some believe to be from the "other side", can be heard on audio recordings. '''''White Noise''''' is a 2005 ] ] directed by ] and starring ] and ]. The title refers to ] (EVP), where anomalous voice-like sounds, which some believe to be from the "other side" — interpreted as spirit voices, are found on electronic audio recordings.

The film did very well at the box office despite generally poor reviews from both critics and audiences. The commercial success of ''White Noise'' led Universal and other studios to realize that there was an untapped audience for horror films released in January, and began releasing higher-quality horror films during that period, usually dismissed as the winter ] of the film calendar.


==Plot== ==Plot==
Jonathan Rivers is an architect, married to his wife Anna, a best-selling author. The couple have a young son from Jonathan's previous marriage, and Anna is newly pregnant. One evening, Anna fails to arrive home and becomes missing for five weeks without explanation.
Jonathan Rivers is an architect and lives with his wife Anna until her unexpected death. Eventually, he is contacted by Raymond Price, whose son has also died. He says he has recorded messages from Anna through ] (EVP). While Jonathan is initially dismissive and angered, he later learns about his wife's tragic drowning. Desperate, he begins to believe that the recorded voice is indeed that of his wife, and becomes obsessed with trying to contact her himself. He is warned by a ] that, while she takes measures to avoid hostile entities, EVP is an indiscriminate process that offers no such safeguards. A woman named Sarah Tate, who also came to Raymond for his EVP work because she lost her ], befriends Jonathan.


Soon after Anna's disappearance, Jonathan is contacted by Raymond Price, whose son has died. Raymond explains he has received frequent communication from his son and other spirits via ] (EVP), claiming to also have recorded voice messages from Anna and suggests she is dead. Jonathan is initially dismissive and angered, yet he later learns of his wife's tragic drowning. The news reports the incident as an accidental death.
⚫ Raymond is found dead. Jonathan begins to be followed by three demons attracted by his obsession with EVP, and finds that some of the messages he receives are from people who are not yet dead, but may soon be. Jonathan hears cries from a woman whom he finds in a car with a child. He is able to save the child, but not the woman. At that woman's funeral, which Jonathan and Sarah both attend, Jonathan approaches the husband and tells him about what happened. The latter thanks Jonathan for saving his son but then demands to be left alone. Afterwards, Jonathan sees images of another person, a missing woman named Mary Freeman, while working with his EVP devices. Sarah is later seriously injured by a fall from a balcony while possessed by the demons, an incident which was foreshadowed by Sarah's image being among those on the EVP devices.


Jonathan encounters numerous instances of what he interprets as Anna attempting to contact him. Desperate, he visits Raymond to inquire more on EVP. During this visit, Jonathan is befriended by Sarah Tate, a woman who has also come to Raymond for his EVP work because her ] has recently died.
Jonathan locates the site of his wife's death by following signs on recordings and he also finds his wife's abandoned car. Jonathan finds a set of computers and electronic equipment on site. A construction worker from his company, who has been doing his own EVP work, is holding Mary captive. He has been under the control of the demons to kill all these people, including Anna. The three demons torture Jonathan by breaking his arms and legs and cause him to fall to his death, but a SWAT team arrives and are able to save Mary by shooting the construction worker dead. After his funeral, Jonathan's voice can be heard on the car radio through static interference saying "I'm sorry" to his son, who recognizes the voice and smiles. Sarah, at the graveside in a wheelchair, is menaced by odd noises. Right before the credits, the camera flashes to a TV where Jonathan and his wife are visible. A closing ] states that one of twelve out of thousands of EVP messages is threatening.

Jonathan captures a recorded voice and believes it is indeed his wife's and becomes obsessed with trying to contact her himself. He soon encounters other voices — angry, aggressive, vulgar, and threatening.

Raymond is found inexplicably dead. Jonathan and Sarah begin to review Raymond's EVP logs.
Jonathan seeks advice from a ] and is warned that, while she takes measures to avoid hostile entities, EVP is an indiscriminate process that offers no such safeguards. She cautions Jonathan's pursuance of EVP, comparing it to the potential dangers of using a ] board to invoke spirits.

⚫ Jonathan begins to be followed by three demons attracted by his obsession with EVP. He finds some of the EVP messages he receives are from people who are not yet dead but may soon be. Jonathan hears EVP cries from a woman whom he rushes to find in a wrecked car with an infant child. He is able to save the child but not the woman. At that woman's funeral, which Jonathan and Sarah both attend, Jonathan approaches the husband and attempts to explain how he came to know of the accident, beginning to discuss EVP. The man thanks Jonathan for saving his son but then demands to be left alone.

Afterward, while working with his EVP devices, Jonathan sees images of another person, a recently missing woman named Mary Freeman. Sarah is later seriously injured by a fall from a high-rise balcony while possessed by the demons, an incident which was foreshadowed by Sarah's image being among those on the EVP devices.

Following signs he finds on EVP recordings, Jonathan locates the site where he believes the missing Mary Freeman is being kept. He contacts police to report his suspicion and insists they come to the location right away. Jonathan finds elaborate EVP deciphering electronic equipment on site. A construction workman from Jonathan's company, who has been doing his own EVP work, is found to be holding Mary captive. He is under the control of the three demons, doing their evil bidding, and as the demons preside over this conversation, the workman confesses he has been instructed to kill Mary, insinuating he did the same with Anna. As the three demons watch, Jonathan attempts to save Mary, but the demons intervene, torturing Jonathan by breaking his arms and legs and cause him to fall to his death. A police SWAT team arrives on scene and are able to save Mary by shooting the workman dead.

Leaving Jonathan's funeral, his ex-wife and son hear Jonathan's voice coming from the car radio through static interference saying, "I'm sorry, Mikey," to his son, who recognizes the voice and smiles. Sarah, in a wheelchair at Jonathan's graveside, is menaced by odd noises in the wind.

Just before film credits roll, the camera flashes to a screen where the image of Jonathan and his wife is visible in white noise static. A closing ] reads, "Of the many thousands of documented EVP messages, approximately 1 in 12 have been overtly threatening in nature..."


==Cast== ==Cast==
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* ] as Anna Rivers, a writer * ] as Anna Rivers, a writer
* ] as Raymond Price * ] as Raymond Price
* ] as Jane
* ] as Mirabelle Keegan
* ] as Carol Black
* ] as TV Reporter
* ] as Frank Black
* ] as Minister
* ] as EVP - Man
* ] as John's Secretary
* ] as Detective Smits


==Production== ==Production==
In May 2003, it was announced ] was attached to star the film with principal photography slated to begin in August of that year.<ref name="GoldInkPix">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/senator-gold-ink-on-pix-1117886361/|title= Senator, Gold ink on pix |publisher=Variety|access-date=December 13, 2021}}</ref> In May 2003, it was announced ] was attached to star in the film with principal photography slated to begin in August of that year.<ref name="GoldInkPix">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/senator-gold-ink-on-pix-1117886361/|title= Senator, Gold ink on pix |publisher=Variety|access-date=December 13, 2021}}</ref>


== Reception == == Reception ==
On the review aggregator website ], 7% of 149 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "While there are some built-in scares, the movie is muddled and unsatisfying".<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 7, 2005 |title=White Noise |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/white_noise |website=] |access-date=September 30, 2024 }}</ref> ], which uses a weighted average, gave the film a score of 30 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{Cite web |title=White Noise |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/white-noise/ |access-date=November 17, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref>
''White Noise'' was generally negatively received by critics, with a 7% rating at ], with the site's consensus being "While there are some built-in scares, the movie is muddled and unsatisfying".


==Sequel== ==Sequel==
Line 47: Line 70:


==Legacy== ==Legacy==
''White Noise''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s surprising box-office success for a movie released on the first weekend after ], the start of the winter ] and usually one of the worst weekends for new releases, led studios to reassess their releasing strategies for horror films. "The first weekend in January used to be a non-starter for people; we had this little horror movie ''White Noise'' that did business, and that has become a place where movies that tend to operate." Universal chairman Adam Fogelson told critic ] during a 2013 ] panel discussion.<ref name="Anne Thompson panel">{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Anne|author-link=Anne Thompson (film critic)|title=CinemaCon Heavyweight Panel Debates Windows, Social Media, State of Industry|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cinemacon-heavyweight-panel-debates-windows-social-media-state-of-industry|newspaper=]|date=April 26, 2013|access-date=March 14, 2014}}</ref> ''White Noise''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s surprising box-office success for a movie released on the first weekend after ], the start of the winter ] and usually one of the worst weekends for new releases, led studios to reassess their releasing strategies for horror films. In 2013, Universal chairman Adam Fogelson said, "The first weekend in January used to be a non-starter for people; we had this little horror movie ''White Noise'' that did business, and that has become a place where movies that tend to operate."<ref name="Anne Thompson panel">{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Anne|author-link=Anne Thompson (film critic)|title=CinemaCon Heavyweight Panel Debates Windows, Social Media, State of Industry|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cinemacon-heavyweight-panel-debates-windows-social-media-state-of-industry|newspaper=]|date=April 26, 2013|access-date=March 14, 2014}}</ref>

⚫ If a horror film as poorly received as ''White Noise'' could nevertheless make a significant amount of money in January, studios realized, a quality film in that genre could do even better. In 2008, an elaborate ] campaign gave ]'s ] horror film '']'' a $40 million opening weekend, which remained the record for January until '']'' in 2014. In 2012 Paramount beat ''White Noise''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s first-weekend success with '']'', which took in $35 million despite a strongly negative reaction from critics and audiences. "Ever since ''White Noise'' was a hit in 2005, that's what started it. If you look back at every first weekend, besides expanding titles, the only new release is usually one crappy horror movie," ] of ] told ] in 2013.<ref name="Hollywood.com article">{{cite web|last=Salisbury|first=Brian|title=Why Oscar Season is Hollywood's Bad Movie Dumping Ground|url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/55002083/bad-january-february-movies-oscar-season|publisher=]|date=February 23, 2013|access-date=March 14, 2014}}</ref>


Another surprise from the first film's legacy was the stand-alone sequel, "White Noise: The Light", released in 2007 and starring Nathan Fillion ("Firefly", "The Suicide Squad") and Katee Sackhoff ("Battlestar Galactica", "The Mandalorian"). The film holds a 75% "fresh" rating on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate review site and was considered a superior film in many ways, with strong critical praise for the powerful performances of its two leads.
⚫ If a horror film as poorly received as ''White Noise'' could nevertheless make a significant amount of money in January, studios realized, a quality film in that genre could do even better. The following year, an elaborate ] campaign gave ]'s ] horror film '']'' a $40 million opening weekend, which remained the record for January until '']'' in 2014. In 2012 Paramount beat ''White Noise''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s first-weekend success with '']'', which took in $35 million despite a strongly negative reaction from critics and audiences. "Ever since ''White Noise'' was a hit in 2005, that's what started it. If you look back at every first weekend, besides expanding titles, the only new release is usually one crappy horror movie," ] of ] told ] in 2013.<ref name="Hollywood.com article">{{cite web|last=Salisbury|first=Brian|title=Why Oscar Season is Hollywood's Bad Movie Dumping Ground|url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/55002083/bad-january-february-movies-oscar-season|publisher=]|date=February 23, 2013|access-date=March 14, 2014}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
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* {{official website|http://www.whitenoisemovie.com/}} * {{official website|http://www.whitenoisemovie.com/}}
* {{IMDb title|0375210|White Noise}} * {{IMDb title|0375210|White Noise}}
* {{Allmovie title|305243|White Noise}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|white_noise|White Noise}} * {{rotten-tomatoes|white_noise|White Noise}}
* {{mojo title|whitenoise|White Noise}} * {{mojo title|whitenoise|White Noise}}
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] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
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] ]
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Latest revision as of 14:22, 22 December 2024

Not to be confused with White Noise (2022 film). 2005 Canadian film
White Noise
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeoffrey Sax
Written byNiall Johnson
Produced byPaul Brooks
StarringMichael Keaton
Deborah Kara Unger
Chandra West
Ian McNeice
CinematographyChris Seager
Edited byNick Arthurs
Music byClaude Foisy
Production
companies		Gold Circle Films
White Noise UK Limited
Brightlight Pictures
Endgame Entertainment
CHUM Television
The Movie Network
Distributed byUniversal Pictures (select territories)
TVA Films (Canada)
Entertainment Film Distributors (United Kingdom)
Release date
  • January 7, 2005 (2005-01-07)
Running time101 minutes
CountriesCanada
United Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million
Box office$91.2 million

White Noise is a 2005 supernatural horror film directed by Geoffrey Sax and starring Michael Keaton and Deborah Kara Unger. The title refers to electronic voice phenomena (EVP), where anomalous voice-like sounds, which some believe to be from the "other side" — interpreted as spirit voices, are found on electronic audio recordings.

Plot

Jonathan Rivers is an architect, married to his wife Anna, a best-selling author. The couple have a young son from Jonathan's previous marriage, and Anna is newly pregnant. One evening, Anna fails to arrive home and becomes missing for five weeks without explanation.

Soon after Anna's disappearance, Jonathan is contacted by Raymond Price, whose son has died. Raymond explains he has received frequent communication from his son and other spirits via electronic voice phenomena (EVP), claiming to also have recorded voice messages from Anna and suggests she is dead. Jonathan is initially dismissive and angered, yet he later learns of his wife's tragic drowning. The news reports the incident as an accidental death.

Jonathan encounters numerous instances of what he interprets as Anna attempting to contact him. Desperate, he visits Raymond to inquire more on EVP. During this visit, Jonathan is befriended by Sarah Tate, a woman who has also come to Raymond for his EVP work because her fiancé has recently died.

Jonathan captures a recorded voice and believes it is indeed his wife's and becomes obsessed with trying to contact her himself. He soon encounters other voices — angry, aggressive, vulgar, and threatening.

Raymond is found inexplicably dead. Jonathan and Sarah begin to review Raymond's EVP logs. Jonathan seeks advice from a psychic and is warned that, while she takes measures to avoid hostile entities, EVP is an indiscriminate process that offers no such safeguards. She cautions Jonathan's pursuance of EVP, comparing it to the potential dangers of using a Ouija board to invoke spirits.

Jonathan begins to be followed by three demons attracted by his obsession with EVP. He finds some of the EVP messages he receives are from people who are not yet dead but may soon be. Jonathan hears EVP cries from a woman whom he rushes to find in a wrecked car with an infant child. He is able to save the child but not the woman. At that woman's funeral, which Jonathan and Sarah both attend, Jonathan approaches the husband and attempts to explain how he came to know of the accident, beginning to discuss EVP. The man thanks Jonathan for saving his son but then demands to be left alone.

Afterward, while working with his EVP devices, Jonathan sees images of another person, a recently missing woman named Mary Freeman. Sarah is later seriously injured by a fall from a high-rise balcony while possessed by the demons, an incident which was foreshadowed by Sarah's image being among those on the EVP devices.

Following signs he finds on EVP recordings, Jonathan locates the site where he believes the missing Mary Freeman is being kept. He contacts police to report his suspicion and insists they come to the location right away. Jonathan finds elaborate EVP deciphering electronic equipment on site. A construction workman from Jonathan's company, who has been doing his own EVP work, is found to be holding Mary captive. He is under the control of the three demons, doing their evil bidding, and as the demons preside over this conversation, the workman confesses he has been instructed to kill Mary, insinuating he did the same with Anna. As the three demons watch, Jonathan attempts to save Mary, but the demons intervene, torturing Jonathan by breaking his arms and legs and cause him to fall to his death. A police SWAT team arrives on scene and are able to save Mary by shooting the workman dead.

Leaving Jonathan's funeral, his ex-wife and son hear Jonathan's voice coming from the car radio through static interference saying, "I'm sorry, Mikey," to his son, who recognizes the voice and smiles. Sarah, in a wheelchair at Jonathan's graveside, is menaced by odd noises in the wind.

Just before film credits roll, the camera flashes to a screen where the image of Jonathan and his wife is visible in white noise static. A closing intertitle reads, "Of the many thousands of documented EVP messages, approximately 1 in 12 have been overtly threatening in nature..."

Cast

Production

In May 2003, it was announced Michael Keaton was attached to star in the film with principal photography slated to begin in August of that year.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 7% of 149 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "While there are some built-in scares, the movie is muddled and unsatisfying". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a score of 30 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Sequel

A sequel titled White Noise: The Light was released in January 2007.

Legacy

White Noise's surprising box-office success for a movie released on the first weekend after New Year's Day, the start of the winter dump months and usually one of the worst weekends for new releases, led studios to reassess their releasing strategies for horror films. In 2013, Universal chairman Adam Fogelson said, "The first weekend in January used to be a non-starter for people; we had this little horror movie White Noise that did business, and that has become a place where movies that tend to operate."

If a horror film as poorly received as White Noise could nevertheless make a significant amount of money in January, studios realized, a quality film in that genre could do even better. In 2008, an elaborate viral marketing campaign gave Paramount's found footage horror film Cloverfield a $40 million opening weekend, which remained the record for January until Ride Along in 2014. In 2012 Paramount beat White Noise's first-weekend success with The Devil Inside, which took in $35 million despite a strongly negative reaction from critics and audiences. "Ever since White Noise was a hit in 2005, that's what started it. If you look back at every first weekend, besides expanding titles, the only new release is usually one crappy horror movie," C. Robert Cargill of Ain't It Cool News told Hollywood.com in 2013.

Another surprise from the first film's legacy was the stand-alone sequel, "White Noise: The Light", released in 2007 and starring Nathan Fillion ("Firefly", "The Suicide Squad") and Katee Sackhoff ("Battlestar Galactica", "The Mandalorian"). The film holds a 75% "fresh" rating on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate review site and was considered a superior film in many ways, with strong critical praise for the powerful performances of its two leads.

See also

References

  1. "White Noise". Canadian Feature Film Database. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  2. ^ "White Noise (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  3. "White Noise (2005) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  4. "Senator, Gold ink on pix". Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  5. "White Noise". Rotten Tomatoes. January 7, 2005. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  6. "White Noise". Metacritic. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  7. Thompson, Anne (April 26, 2013). "CinemaCon Heavyweight Panel Debates Windows, Social Media, State of Industry". indieWIRE. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  8. Salisbury, Brian (February 23, 2013). "Why Oscar Season is Hollywood's Bad Movie Dumping Ground". Hollywood.com. Retrieved March 14, 2014.

External links

Films directed by Geoffrey Sax
Categories: