Lady in White (1988)

Director:

Frank LaLoggia

Writer:

Frank LaLoggia (written by)

Release Date:

22 April 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The year is 1962. The place is Willowpoint Falls. Nobody talks about what happened in the school cloakroom 10 years ago. Now, in the dead of night, Frankie Scarlatti is going to find out why.

Plot:

Locked in a school closet during Halloween 1962, young Frank witnesses the ghost of a young girl and the man who murdered her years ago...

Plot Keywords:

Halloween | Ghost | Psychological Thriller | Child's Point Of View | Investigation

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Lukas Haas	...	Frankie Scarlatti
Len Cariou	...	Phil Terragarossa
Alex Rocco	...	Angelo 'Al' Scarlatti
Katherine Helmond	...	Amanda
Jason Presson	...	Geno Scarlatti
Renata Vanni	...	Mama Assunta
Angelo Bertolini	...	Papa Charlie
Joelle Jacobi	...	Melissa Anne Montgomery
Jared Rushton	...	Donald
Gregory Levinson	...	Louie
Lucy Lee Flippin	...	Grace La Della
Tom Bower	...	Sheriff Saunders
Jack Andreozzi	...	Tony
Sydney Lassick	...	Mr. Lowry
Rita Zohar	...	Mrs. Agnes Cilak

Also Known As:

The Mystery of the Lady in White (Australia) (poster title)

Runtime:

112 min | USA:118 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Berkshires, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

New Sky Communications Inc.

Trivia:

On the DVD commentary, director Frank LaLoggia says that he got the idea for using the song "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" (which is a significant plot element in the movie) from hearing it in the Eddie Cantor movie Roman Scandals (1933). Actually, this song does not appear in the Cantor film; it was written for the musical Sitting Pretty (1933). Both "Roman Scandals" and "Sitting Pretty" were released in 1933.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Though CPR has been commonly used by medical officials since 1957, it wasn't promoted as a technique for the public to learn until the 1970s.

Quotes:

Frankie Scarlatti: [about Melissa the ghost who Geno sees for the first time] She's looking for her mother.
Geno Scarlatti: Got her number? Lets call her.

Movie Connections:

References "Broken Arrow" (1956)

Soundtrack:

Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?

Decent

I was able to see Lady in White today on TV. At first I was just mildly interested in what I believed to be a kids movie. Once I realized this film was no children's film, I was sucked right in.

Frankie is a young, smart child of an Italian family in the town of Willowpoint Falls. He has a great imagination and is able to express it on Halloween while in school. Afterwards however, Frankie is locked into the school's coat room for the night by two bullies and witnesses something remarkable. He witnesses the ghost of a little girl being killed by the hands of an unknown man 10 years prior. The ghost begins to follow Frankie and he sort of befriends her as he attempts to discover who killed the little girl and 10 other children in the town.

Lukas Haas is exceptional in the lead role of Frankie. He is sweet, fun-loving, and extremely enjoyable to watch on the screen. Haas does a fine job in his portrayal of the haunted boy and brings out his character quite easily. Alex Rocco also does quite well in his supporting role of Frankie's father. You are able to tell, even without it being talked about, that he is a good, kind man and father. That he is always looking out for his sons with the loss of his wife. Rocco shows his acting ability well.

Originally I thought this film to be a children's film and was quite convinced it was until I saw the coat room sequence. The acting of the little girl as she is killed by the invisible force is shocking and terrifying. I was truly frightened by the scene and knew it was no longer a children's film. My only complaint, which is a large one, is the lack of emphasis on the Lady in White. SHe is barely shown the whole film and it confused me slightly why they named the film after her.

Age does show on this film with the cheesy special effects. However the story is able to overthrow the poor special effects. The acting is solid, the story is well thought out and the characters are quite enjoyable to watch.

3 out of 5 Stars