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Lady in White (1988)
10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Patchey Ghost Story, 14 January 2006
Author: Theo Robertson from Isle Of Bute , Scotland
On FILM 88 legendary British film critic Barry Norman reviewed two " horror " movies. One was HELLBOUND:HELLRAISER 2 and the other was LADY IN WHITE . Barry hated HELLBOUND which is unsurprising since he is notoriouslyintolerant of gore and violence but he did praise THE LADY IN WHITE but after finally seeing it I have to admit it's a very patchy movie
Much of the problem lies in the film trying to say a little too much . It's set in Willowpoint Falls in 1962 and of course the civil rights campaign is just getting in to flow which means there's a subplot that isn't actually needed . If it'd been set in 1988 you'd have a much more streamlined story . Considering the title of the movie the title character doesn't make an appearance until well into the second half of the running time and up till then GIRL IN PINK would have been a more appropriate title
In fact nothing much at all happens until a subplot featuring a ring comes to the fore and when it does the story becomes compelling and exciting and a little bit disturbing . Unfortunately this doesn't happen until something like 15 minutes before the credits start rolling which gives you an idea of how much potential is wasted and that's a great shame
6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Decent, 27 July 2006
Author: mOVIemAN56
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
8 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
This is a beautiful ghost story, nothing terrible about it!, 11 April 2005
Author: missah4queen from Texas
I saw this movie when I was only seven or so and have loved it ever since. Perhaps it is not has high tech as other movies but it has really wonderful elements. The execution of this film is wonderful. As opposed to the last comment on this movie, I have to disagree. I think an open mind is needed to fully appreciate older films. If you do not feel that something from the eighties and older is worthy of your time this probably is not the movie for you. If you do love a good ghost story, try this one on for size. It isn't a scary movie, relatively mild with very little violence and no blood. It is creative and really heart warming.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Atmospheric, 23 January 2006
Author: birdsong-4 from United States
Despite a few plot gaps, this is a very charming, atmospheric movie. The view is through the eyes of the main child-character, Frankie Scarlatti, and we see what he sees. This is a wonderful ghost story, not a horror film at all. Lukas Haas' character, Frankie, is vulnerable, yet determined to get at the heart of the mystery. Katherine Helmond is touchingly effective in her role as the grandmother of the murdered girl. My only complaint is that I get no clues from the plot or characterizations about what caused the killer to act. Yet I can suspend belief long enough to go with the childlike curiosity into the mysterious story. This is what I call a "little movie", no splashy special effects or over-the-top story lines, just a simple, sweet movie.
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Perfect for Hallowe'en, 11 October 2005
Author: skallisjr from Tampa, FL United States
This film combines elements from many other genres, and makes itself unique. It is a ghost story, a murder mystery, a nostalgia film, and a family drama.
The story is centered on Frankie, a successful novelist of horror stories. He returns to his home town in the Northeastern United States, during autumn, and the basic film is a flashback.
Within the film are hints that make it more intriguing. Frankie sells greeting cards, and from them gets a typewriter, presaging his career as an author. His schoolwork reflects this, as he writes a frightening short story to spook his schoolmates -- and his teacher. A couple of his classmates trick him into going into the coat closet as the school is closing, and lock him in.
After trying to get out, he eventually falls asleep, and wakens to the sight of the ghost of a young girl, who is condemned to relive, as it were, her murder. Later, the murderer comes into the closet and nearly strangles Frankie to death.
Frankie has a near-death experience, but is revived. He then experiences a number of unusual events, such as seeing The Lady In White, a ghost of a woman seeking her missing daughter. Much of the story is seen in the context of an Italo-American family, with mild comedic incidents.
Major spoiler: The identity of the murderer is a bit easy to figure out, particularly with him whistling an early Bing Crosby song that Frankie (and the audience) knows is connected to the little girl's ghost.
The film delivers on all its fronts, and is perfect to watch after the Trick-Or-Treaters have finished.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A good, multifaceted movie, 26 April 2006
Author: tsprague1 from Oregon, United States
I saw this movie first in the early 1990's on cable.
I enjoyed the plot of this movie. The screenplay encompassed the young man's relationship with his whole family, instead of just a one note profile. It is a very refreshing way of dealing with this subject.
This is not a horror movie, or any other single genre. It combines several and, IMO, cannot really be confined to just one. There are several ghosts, and the subject of children being murdered over a ten year period. If you have children that you watch this with, you will need to explain things as the movie progresses, so that they understand.
Don't expect to be scared out of your mind, this is not that kind of movie. But it is enjoyable. My son at the time was about 6 years old and enjoyed this movie, too.
6 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Interesting ghost story, 13 July 2000
Author: Sean Choi (sean_choi) from Santa Barbara, Ca
I suppose _Lady in White_ can be viewed as a horror film. It is a supernaturalistic ghost story that relies on mood and suspense to generate its scares, rather than gratuitous and explicit gore. And while some of the special effects seem dated by today's standards, that didn't really detract from my interest in the film. Creative camera work and moody score on a couple of scenes actually gave me chills. I also think that this is a film that fans of good mystery should also find to their liking. Overall, this is a good film from a relatively unknown director, Frank LaLo
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
somewhat lame but I enjoyed it., 6 June 2006
Author: ManFromMass from Mass
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
LADY IN WHITE tackles a ghost story, comedy, racism and family in a movie that doesn't quite deliver all the goods but I liked it for what it was.
Young Frankie Scarlatti, upon having a trick played on him by two smart ass classmates, is locked in the cloakroom (closet-whatever you want to call it) of his school and witnesses the murder of a little girl. Only thing is, what he is witnessing is the girl's ghost being murdered as what happened 10 years ago replays right there before Frankie's eyes. Suddenly, the man who did this returns to look for the school ring he lost that night he murdered the young girl because he knows that the school's heating system is being renewed and if the ring is found he'll certainly be caught and sent to jail. That's when he spots Frankie and starts to strangle him. But somehow Frankie survives and his father shows up and Frankie is carted off to the hospital. The police automatically haul off the black janitor of the school to jail because he was the only one in the building at the time these events happened. He was there because he got drunk and fell asleep. Makes sense to me. Anyway, the young girl's ghost returns and helps Frankie (and even his older turd of a brother) figure out who the real culprit is. Unfortunately for the janitor, this is too late. In one of the most shocking scenes in a movie like this, the janitor is shot to death outside of the Court House where he is let free by one of the dead children's mothers (this killer killed quite a few kids). What I mean by shocking is that this scene doesn't really fit a movie of this nature but would of been more suited for a much more riveting film. LADY IN WHITE is not riveting by any means what-so-ever but I sure did enjoy myself while watching it.
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Good Ghost Story, 11 January 2006
Author: drhackenstine from United States
Set in the '60's, a young boy is locked in the cloak room of his elementary school by bullying classmates on Halloween night. There he witnesses the murder of a young girl which took place ten years earlier. Well-crafted ghost story brimming with good characters, plenty of atmosphere, and a spooky setting. A tight pace keeps everything flowing fine and the story itself is pretty good. Some horror fans might be put off with the somewhat sappy approach the story sometimes rings with. Pretty dramatic in areas and some of the scarier scenes are padded too thinly with a light approach. But all in all, a well told ghost story. Two And A Half Stars.
Locked away., 19 July 2008
Author: tamimarie228 from Hiawatha Iowa
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Frankie and his so called "friends" are having a Halloween party at school but his friends end up locking him in the cloak room for the weekend. Some friends they are. So Frankie is sitting there freezing when he sees a ghost and it leads to solving a series of murders over the past ten years. Frankie gets out of the cloak room of course and then he has to figure out who did what.
It was a pretty good mystery. The special effects were pretty corny but the story is well thought out. There is also a little dark humor in it too that involves the grandfather. The older brother is a big jerk but not really a major character until he becomes the hero at the end. Sort of. It's not too scary but it's a pretty good family mystery movie.
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