Lady in White (1988)

Movie Info

Floating ghost girl!

Franklin Scarlatti (Frank LaLoggia) is returning to his old childhood home and remembering the events which gave him a direction.  Franklin recalls the Halloween night he (Lukas Haas) was locked in his school closet and when he witnessed the ghost of a murdered child.  Frankie was attacked himself and then sought out his attacker and murderer.  Tied to the mysterious Lady in White who haunts the coast, Frankie discovered the murder might be closer than he thought.

Written, produced, and directed by Frank LaLoggia, The Lady in White is a ghost story based on the ghost story of the Lady in White.  The small film became cult hit and the movie was praised for providing scares without blood and gore.

I like a good ghost story, and Lady in White is almost there.  The movie creates a lot of atmosphere and is creepy, but the movie doesn’t raise above its PG-13 rating like movies like The Ring or even Poltergeist.  The movie was a bit of a mystery so there are a few spoilers ahead.

Yea! The Lady in White…what the hell is happening?

The story for Lady in White has a weird framework.  I don’t really understand why it is told as a flashback because the narrator doesn’t really seem to provide much insight…I would have preferred it just be set in 1962.  Moments like the archery scene do ramp up the intensity, but the end sequence is rather weak and drawn out.  The movie also dips its toe into a race story by having an African-American janitor accused (and killed).  I would almost have preferred that the ghost aspect would have turned out to be imagination and a figment of the kid’s mind.

The movie has a good cast.  Lucas Haas demonstrated his abilities as a child actor in this movie and he feels really natural.  Though she is barely in it, Katherine Helmond was credited for her short appearance.  Alex Rocco is nice as the father, and Len Cariou is a little over the top as the killer.

Don’t throw me off the fake cliff!!!

Visually, the movie is pretty dated.  The effects of the ghosts are pretty weak and probably were dated when the movie was released.  Some of the chomachy work at the end of the film also looks bad (like Cariou’s fall to his death).  Some of the blame can be placed on the low budget and period in which it was made, but parts probably never looked good.

Lady in White has its moments, but for the most part could have been a lot better.  The atmosphere that it attempts to build isn’t quite there and the classic gothic horror doesn’t provide enough chills.  I wish I did like this film more, but the movie is more of a film for younger viewers who are having their first introduction to horror.