In one of the odd quirks of worldwide movie distribution, the sequel to the no.1 U.S. theatrical hit WHITE NOISE opened in UK theatres back in January 2007 and has received its satellite TV premiere prior to the movie’s US DVD premiere. That original movie was one of many post-SIXTH SENSE PG-13 I-see-dead-people supernatural dramas, with more than a pinch of Asian ghost movie borrowings - though the most frightening element was arguably Michael Keaton’s hair transplant.

   Much livelier and creepier than its predecessor, this follow-up is linked to the earlier film only by the prominence of the “E.V.P.” phenomenon in its plot and by a similarly tragic central character. With a pleasingly grim tone (it opens with US death statistics and a child being shot dead), appealing stars, effective jolts and a couple of really good melodramatic set pieces, THE LIGHT is a pleasant surprise.

   In an anonymous U.S. metropolis - actually our old, cheaper friend Vancouver - Nathan Fillion looks on as a distressed British stranger (Craig Fairbrass) shoots his wife and son dead in a cheery family restaurant before turning the gun on himself. Grief stricken, Fillion OD’s on pills and winds up dead himself, albeit briefly. When he wakes up after a common near-death “light” experience, he discovers that he has a unique EVP-derived power enabling him to see a bright white light around people who are about to die. This leads him on a grief-reducing mission to save those apparently fated to snuff it, but, unraveling the story behind Fairbrass’ actions, Fillion realizes that the “saved” are adversely affected three days after escaping death.

   There are strong echoes of the FINAL DESTINATION trilogy and THE DEAD ZONE (in all its various forms) as our hero strives to cheat Death’s game plan and save those he can envision perishing in a variety of tragic/spectacular accidents and confrontations. The busy second half, which involves the Greek alphabet and the intervention of Lucifer himself, wanders into the realm of the perilously silly, but at least its never dull.

   Casting helps a lot. Fillion, so great in FIREFLY and SLITHER, is as likeable as ever : a genuinely sympathetic hero conveying an underlying darkness when the story calls for his character to be driven to the brink. Katee Sackhoff (in a girlie role with cute hair and a hugely endearing smile that’s the polar opposite of her badass BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TV role) is adorable as the sweet widowed nurse he befriends. The pic smartly conveys their growing connection without a full blown romance. In the lower rungs of the cast, Fairbrass is effective as the haunted man whose violent actions kick off the story. Particularly notable is the cringe-inducingly horrific facial make up on his character after he has survived a self-induced bullet through the chin. It’s the grimmest sight in any PG-13 movie this year unless you count the predictably wasted-looking appearance of Keith Richards in that face-achingly tedious PIRATES sequel.

   Editor/director Patrick Lussier, a one time Wes Craven collaborator, here graduates to larger movies after a spell making efficient straight to DVD sequels for Dimension. He turns in a pacey, competent flick peppered with sinister spooks, good scares and a doozy of a set piece involving a falling piano and a busy hotel lobby. It doesn’t quite hold up at the very end : the bleak mood is softened by a bunch of corny GHOST-like shenanigans during the climax, though the very last scene with Fairbrass is eerily resonant. Give it extra marks, too, for the use of a clip from the immortal BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (“We belong dead”) that neatly foreshadows the film’s finale.