Review: White Noise 2: The Light (2007)

Director: Patrick Lussier | 99 minutes | drama, horror, thriller, fantasy | Actors: Nathan Fillion, Katee Sackhoff, Craig Fairbrass, Adrian Holmes, Kendall Cross, Teryl Rothery, William MacDonald, Joshua Ballard, David Milchard, Tegan Moss, Michael Ryan, Chris Shields, David Orth, Donna Yamamoto, Lexie Huber, Paul Wu, Vanesa Tomasino, Manoj Sood, Dean Redman, Jared Keeso, Claire Riley, Marke Driesschen, John Treleaven, Cheryl Mullen, Ed Anders, D. Harlan Cutshall, Tom Elkins

EVP, also called Electronic Voice Phenomenon, are voices of the deceased that have been accidentally recorded on tape. This was given for the 2005 Geoffrey Sax directed “White Noise” starring Michael Keaton. This film flopped enormously, partly due to the poorly worked out story. Director Patrick Lussier (“Dracula 2000”) thinks he can do better and shows this by making a new part with Nathan Fillion (“Serenity”) in the lead role. Particle 2 in this “White Noise” series is completely separate from the original, and that’s a good thing.

Abe Dale (Nathan Fillion) decides to go out for dinner with his family on his wedding day. Once there, both his wife and child become unwell. At that moment a rather confused man enters the restaurant. He pulls a gun and shoots both family members unceremoniously and then puts his hand to himself. Abe remains flabbergasted and does not realize what just happened to him.

After having lived without a wife and child for a number of weeks, he no longer sees it all and decides to commit suicide. He is found just in time and resuscitated before reaching the end of the tunnel. Abe wakes up in the hospital and tells his doctor about his near-death experience. What immediately strikes him is that he sees bright light around certain characters. After a few days he also starts to see strange objects on his TV screen and returns to the hospital to visit the appropriate doctor. After an explanation, this Abe tells that his near-death experience has made him a recipient of the so-called EVP. In other words, the deceased are trying to communicate with him.

Abe discovers that the bright light he sees hanging around people is a sign that they will soon die. He makes it his mission to save these future victims, but soon discovers that this is not just possible. The people he rescues go crazy after a few days and start to cause serious accidents. When his new girlfriend (Katee Sackhoff) also seems to be a victim of death, he faces a dilemma. Should he save her and will she be the cause of many other deaths or should he leave her to the Grim Reaper?

Like the first part of “White Noise”, the subject of this sequel is very interesting. Although the film now focuses less on the EVP via radio and TV, but allows the main character to act as an EVP receiver, it remains a special phenomenon. It is a pity that, as in the first part, the writers do not know what to do with the ending. They manage to build up a tension that leaves you on the edge of your seat, but end up with a huge anti-climax. Although the second part ends slightly better than its predecessor, you are left with an unsatisfied feeling, which is a shame.

In terms of acting, Nathan Fillion remains a star on the rise. He plays Abe convincingly when the man is all through it and commits suicide. After his previous successes in the action sci-fi “Serenity” and the horror comedy “Slither”, “White Noise 2” is also a nice addition to his resume. Although the film is generally not great, it surpasses its predecessor. Katee Sackhoff (“Battlestar Galactica”) unfortunately plays a little less convincingly. As a nurse for Abe and later his girlfriend, she does not know how to adopt the correct attitude.

“White Noise 2: The Light”, as the entire title goes, is an interesting film to watch because of the subject matter. This is accompanied by a number of scares and a few nice one-liners from main character Abe. All in all, a fun movie to watch, although it is better to turn the movie off 10 minutes before the end so that you can make up the ending yourself.