Inside the White Noise with Chandra West Heather Turk, Socal.com Movie/TV Editor

Few movie trailers are as effective these days as Universal Pictures' White Noise. Using the unconventional approach of interspersing movie footage with real life testimonies from people who have experienced EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon), the film's spooky trailer truly gets under the viewer's skin. But unlike most Hollywood projects where the trailer is better than the film itself, according to one of the film's stars, White Noise is that rare Hollywood film that is everything its trailer promises, and more.

For actress Chandra West (The Salton Sea, NYPD Blue), the script to White Noise was too much to take in one sitting. In the film, West plays the recently deceased wife of Michael Keaton's character, who communicates with her husband through EVP, the process through which the dead communicate with the living through household recording devices. West remembers first reading the script in the comfort of her own home and being too scared to read it from start to finish.

"It's such a well told, interesting story, but it's really creepy," West recalls. "About halfway through the script I started to freak out and had to put it down, which isn't that common for me. I finished reading it the next morning. It was funny because I sleep with one of those noise machines and I actually had it on white noise that night. Needless to say, I switched it to rain (laughs)."

No stranger to scary movies, the former Puppet Master alumnus was instantly drawn to the script, but admits she had her doubts on whether or not EVP was real. After speaking with screenwriter Niall Johnson though, West's perspective on Electronic Voice Phenomenon started to change.

"Prior to making this film I was a doubter," West states. "I'm a pretty rational person, so whenever I heard stories it was like, 'come on!' But there's so much evidence that backs this up. The writer did all this research in England, and there are all these interviews with people talking about their situations... I believe now that this could be completely possible."

Similar to the millions of potential audience members intrigued by the film's trailer, West admits that the EVP testimonies placed within the film's trailer were very interesting for her to hear. Learning about EVP wasn't really necessary for the actress given the fact that her character is deceased, but West was intrigued by the real life interviews. However, the use of the real life interview footage obviously takes time away from showing clips of the film itself, so how does West as an actress feel about that?

"I think it's interesting and a good hook," she says. "Using the same old angle -- guy's in love, loses his wife and goes on a journey to speak to her again -- that's too easy. Using sort of documentary footage in the trailer, people haven't really seen that before. It gives them something to talk about. I just saw a movie with my boyfriend and White Noise was the last trailer. There was just this pitter of excitement in the audience when it aired -- they were all affected by it, and that was exciting."

West also recalls overhearing a couple in front of the movie's poster at the ArcLight Theatre talking about the film.

"The girlfriend wanted to see it, but the boyfriend said it looked 'too creepy,'" West recalls with a laugh.

When asked whether or not she would advise people to watch the movie alone in the dark, West exclaims, "of course! I like scary movies, so, especially now that I'm older, I believe you go big or you go home." But what does the former early '90s scream queen find more scary -- psychological thrillers like White Noise, or blatant horror films like Night Terrors and the Puppet Master franchise?

"Psychological, of course," West states. "It's so hard to make scary movies effective these days just off of blood because we're so desensitized. It's much scarier to get inside someone's head. Same goes with love scenes -- the less you see, the sexier they are. It's more effective to see a love scene in a suggestive, subtle way than it is to see two people tearing each other's clothes off."

Psychological scare factor aside, West believes that the heart of White Noise is a romantic story, one several people have already linked to the hit blockbuster Ghost. Although West is unsure of whether or not the writer was inspired by the Patrick Swayze/Demi Moore love story, the actress understands how watching someone who wants to believe that he (or she) is communicating with a loved one who has recently passed away can be seen as romantic. West herself says the notion is, "touching and sweet," and that one of her favorite movies shares a similar premise. The 1980 horror film The Changeling features George C. Scott as a man who loses his wife and daughter in a tragic accident, only later to communicate with them through sound.

As an actress, West is used to having some of Hollywood's leading men mourning over her since many of her roles have involved her characters dying by the end credits. And while the actress joking states that, "it's great to have all these men pining away for me," West admits she would love to lighten things up a bit. That's why the actress is taking a break from horror films and dramas to star in the upcoming comedy Long Weekend, alongside American Pie's Chris Klein. It's a move West is grateful for, but challenged by nonetheless.

"Comedy is a lot harder than drama, although being able to tell a story in a dramatic, emotional way is challenging," West states. "People who can do comedy well are very rare, though. It's all about the timing."

West also recently starred in the CBS TV-movie Overload/Category 6: Day of Destruction, a disaster film reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow. With frequent offers from both the silver and small screens, where does West see herself working long-term in Hollywood?

"I would love to do guest spots on shows like Six Feet Under, The Sopranos or Arrested Development, but I don't know how likely that is," she states. "Really I'm just a movie buff at heart. I just love the medium and everything about it. Going to the movies, being in the movies... it's just such a magical experience, sitting there and being transported to a different time. TV has a wider audience though, and working on NYPD Blue was one of my top two favorite jobs... I'm just lucky right now I get to do both."

With frequent offers on both the big and small screens and a sure-fire blockbuster hitting theaters, it shouldn't be long before West is starring alongside some of Hollywood's newest A-list leading men. And with two Batmans already out of the way (Val Kilmer in The Salton Sea and Michael Keaton in White Noise), West only has to be cast as the wives of George Clooney and Christian Bale before having the distinction of portraying the on-screen wife of all four recent Batmans. When asked who her favorite Batman is, West's answer isn't all that surprising.

"Michael," she states without missing a beat. "The first two Batmans are my favorite. I just love Tim Burton's dark vision."

Spoken just like Keaton's on-screen deceased leading lady.

White Noise opens in theaters everywhere January 7.