Keaton’s ONLY Horror Film: A Stinker That Changed Everything!

by

Michael Keaton’s 2005 horror film, titled “White Noise,” received negative reviews from critics but was a significant success at the box office for other horror movies. Known for roles in films like “Batman” and “Mr. Mom,” Keaton has demonstrated his versatility as an actor throughout Hollywood’s five decades. Notably, his work in the horror genre is particularly noteworthy due to its rarity among his many projects spanning various genres.

In a different phrasing: The collaboration between Keaton and Burton on the famous “Beetlejuice” films delves into horror, but their heavy emphasis on comedy tends to eclipse the frightening elements. Although Geoffrey Sax’s film “White Noise” had some intriguing scenes, it didn’t quite achieve the impressive result it potentially could have. However, this movie significantly contributed to Universal Studios.

White Noise Is Michael Keaton’s Only Real Horror Movie, And It’s… Not Great

Michael Keaton’s Performance Is White Noise’s Strongest Element

Although Keaton is famous for his role in “Beetlejuice,” the horror aspects are more pronounced in “White Noise” compared to his collaborations with Burton, making it a clearer representation of the genre. Despite its intriguing premise about Jonathan Rivers trying to communicate with his deceased wife, “White Noise” is often viewed as one of Keaton’s less memorable and lesser-known films.

While “White Noise” isn’t necessarily a poor film, it falls short when compared to others in its genre. The idea behind it showed great promise, but the movie’s realization seems lackluster. It relies excessively on overused and unconvincing jump scares, and a key turning point in the narrative that could have been a stunning twist is instead left underdeveloped and fails to make a lasting impression.

In plain terms, Keaton’s exceptional portrayal in White Noise isn’t unexpected. His performance enhances the movie significantly, offering an additional layer that keeps you hooked from start to finish. It’s truly gratifying to observe Keaton demonstrate his acting prowess in a real horror film. This role, distinctly different from his humorous dramatic part in Beetlejuice, is both convincing and intriguing.

White Noise Proved Horror Movies Could Succeed At The January Box Office

White Noise Had A Notable Impact During Its Debut In 2005

Historically, it’s been noticed that the box office performance of horror movies is often linked to when they are released. Interestingly, January tends to be a tough month for horror films, as many struggle to thrive at the beginning of the year. This pattern in audience behavior seems to be mostly instinctive and rooted in our natural perceptions of releases, along with limited strong motivations to deviate from this trend.

After its debut in 2005, the film “White Noise” significantly shaped the movie industry landscape. In fact, during the 2013 State of the Industry Panel at CinemaCon, Universal Pictures chairman Adam Fogelson acknowledged the impact of “White Noise”. According to Fogelson (as reported by IndieWire), Keaton’s challenging relationship with Universal Pictures played a role in making it common for horror movies to be released in January.

As a film enthusiast, I often ponder why more production studios don’t follow Universal’s lead by releasing movies consistently throughout the year instead of focusing primarily on the first quarter. This approach seems to fill the noticeable gaps in cinematic offerings during other periods.

Adam Fogelson: Being a studio not dependent on blockbuster films, our strategy has instilled a strong sense of confidence within our team. This confidence arises from the understanding that, when you analyze the data thoroughly, there are scarcely any reasons, beyond traditional habits, why almost any movie couldn’t succeed on virtually any weekend. There are numerous examples. Initially, the first weekend in January was considered unprofitable, but a small horror film titled “White Noise” proved otherwise and has since become a viable opportunity for such releases.

Despite being a small-scale production compared to typical horror movies, White Noise managed an impressive box office performance by generating revenue far beyond its initial budget, making approximately nine times its investment. In other words, the film was a significant financial triumph for Universal Studios, meaning that its negative reviews had minimal impact on its success.

Read More

2025-07-06 21:27