Episode 142: Geoffrey Sax’s White Noise (2005)
Rotten Tomato Score: 7%
Static can be terrifying, but only if the movie knows what to do with it. We’re Chad, Mike, and Sam, and we put Jeffrey Sachs’s White Noise (2005) under the microscope after a listener recommendation and that brutal 7% Rotten Tomatoes score. The premise is pure late-night dread: electronic voice phenomena (EVP), ghostly images hidden in TV snow, and a grieving husband (Michael Keaton) who can’t stop chasing one more message from beyond the grave.
We talk through why the idea of EVP horror is still genuinely creepy, then get honest about what drags this supernatural thriller down. Pacing becomes our main battleground, from montages of waiting, to endless fades to black, to camera choices that feel more distracting than tense. We also call out the movie’s biggest logic leaps, the undercooked police subplot, and the emotional fallout the film hints at but never fully earns, especially when grief turns into obsession and parenting gets pushed aside.
It’s not all doom and gloom. A couple jump scares still work, the screaming face in the TV snow sticks, and the sound design can hit hard when the static blasts at just the wrong moment. We wrap up with “fright done right” picks that handle ghosts, grief, and communication-from-the-dead more effectively, then lock in our watchability ratings.
Sinister Sips
The Merry Widower
From: Difford’s Guide
Recipe:
1.5 oz Gin
1.5 oz Dry Vermouth
1/3 oz Benedictine
1 dash Absinthe
1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice
Stir well for 15 - 30 seconds until chilled
Strain into a chilled cocktail or coupe glass
Garnish with a lemon peel or twist
Plot Summary:
An architect's desire to speak with his wife from beyond the grave becomes an obsession with supernatural repercussions. (Taken from IMDb)
Watchability Scale
Sam and Mike gave it a 3. Chad liked it a bit more and gave it a 4. We placed the film at 3.5 on the Watchability Scale.