White Noise HD DVD (Geoffrey Sax, 2004)

Universal (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
98 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD+ 5.1 English, DD+ 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French
Extras: audio commentary by Geoffrey Sax and Michael Keaton; deleted scenes with optional commentary by Sax and Keaton; Making Contact: E.V.P. Experts; Recording the Afterlife at Home; Hearing Is Believing: Actual E.V.P. Sessions

Released: 8 January 2008
HD DVD case
20 chapters

Released in the early days of January 2004 to die a quick death, White Noise surprised just about everyone when it grossed around $24 million during its first weekend. While its eventual $55-million take was par-for-the-course for a studio movie headlined by a well-known actor (Michael Keaton), the movie’s opening weekend proved that theatergoers could be enticed to cinemas even during the winter doldrums if an attention-grabbing premise was hitched to clever marketing. After the giddiness of the holiday season, people wanted to get depressed and frightened, apparently.

In White Noise, the wife of architect Jonathan Rivers (Keaton) dies in what looks like an accident. A man who records electronic broadcasts of dead people contacts Jonathan and plays recordings of Jonathan’s dead wife trying to tell him something. As Jonathan delves deeper and deeper into the world of Electronic Voice Phenomena (E.V.P.), he stumbles upon a deadly trail of gruesome deaths.

I have to admit that I find the script’s premise intriguing, but as with so many ghost movies, this one breaks its own rules all the time when convenient. Some ghosts can barely make themselves heard and felt, but others are nearly corporeal beings. If White Noise had stuck to showing the protagonist engaged in detective work, then it might’ve succeeded as a supernatural drama like The Others.

Video:
The 2.35:1 1080p transfer is of excellent quality. The filmmakers favored a cold, hard look, so you don’t get the warmth or “pop” associated with movies like Pride & Prejudice. However, the sharpness and level of detail are very, very high, which intensifies the movie’s jolts in the intimacy of a home theatre. There are some minor source blemishes, but they’re not serious enough to merit a complaint.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English and DD+ 5.1 English tracks are mostly subdued affairs. This approach heightens the shocks delivered by sudden loud noises (as opposed to most recent horror thrillers, which have wall-to-wall headache-inducing mixes). Dialogue is crisp and natural-sounding, though music cues are usually limited to the front.

You can also watch the movie with a DD+ 5.1 French dub. Optional English SDH and French subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
Director Geoffrey Sax and Michael Keaton teleconferenced their audio commentary, kind of like Cameron Crowe calling Tom Cruise for part of the audio commentary for the special edition DVD release of Jerry Maguire. The two begin in high spirits but eventually have little to say as the movie heads towards its downbeat conclusion.

There are some deleted scenes (with optional audio commentary) that are basically scene extensions that add little to the overall experience.

You also get a set of three “documentaries” that move beyond the movie. “Making Contact: E.V.P. Experts” is an assemblage of interviews with people who claim to be authorities on making contact with the dead. “Recording the Afterlife at Home” shows you how to join the fun. Finally, “Hearing Is Believing: Actual E.V.P. Sessions” shows a couple of people recording random sounds in a “haunted” house.