source: Lady in White

Trailer—Lady in White

Lady in White

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

The problem I see with LADY IN WHITE is that it tries too hard to tackle several unrelated themes withing a horror movie framework. The prologue with the adult main character returning to his old hometown and the ensuing exposition about his brother and father made me think of STAND BY ME, which LADY IN WHITE is definitely not. Also, the subplot involving the African-American janitor's wrongful arrest and the subsequent events that lead to tragedy inject a race relations/civil rights theme that really is superfulous to the main plot. What's going on here? Is the filmmaker trying to make a horror film, or a coming of age film, or a social commentary on prejudice? The film could have been complex enough without all these other elements, and the heavy-handed way in which he uses them in film makes for a very muddled, busy state of affairs.

I was more than a bit disappointed with this one after reading the reviews here. It feels like a stretched out ghost story that might be told at a campfire with the cheap cheesy feel you might get from one of those movies shown on Saturday morning. Not the ones that make it to Monster Theater in the afternoon but the ones in the morning for the really little kids. No scarier than Casper the Friendly Ghost with the same cuddly family values to please any squeamish adults that might be watching. Also it takes itself a bit too seriously and is not quite bad enough to be campy, just staying in the predictable and cheesy range of mediocrity. It's obvious why this one has remained forgotten.

'Lady in White' is an interesting mystery horror thriller with dynamic performances from a very well selected cast. Lukas Haas is fantastic as the film's hero. Frankie (Lukas Haas) is locked in a coatroom at school by two bullies, where he witnesses the murder of a girl in the form of an apparition - and this is only just the beginning of his nightmare. The film then follows Frankie as he tries to unravel the mystery of the girl, and who the perpetrator might have been. This is a haunting film with great attention to detail. Beautifully shot, there are some truly magical and fantastical moments - and also some very funny moments too. 'Lady in White' has a very good script with well crafted characters. This is a horror film that will appeal to a much wider audience than just those who love horror. There are so many twists... Would I watch it again? Probably, yes.

I just don't know what it is but this movie is like an "Old Friend" to my older sister and I. We always watch it together and now my 6 1/2 yr old watches it with us. I think because it's "scary,but not too scary" and YES we always end up singing that song for day's after we watch it. When ever we ask people "have you seen this movie" they are alway glad we told them about it..it's one of those movies you either never heard of, or never thought to watch and once you do your glad you did. I love the Halloween theme and the "Little Sleepy Town" feeling you get in this movie. Grandma & Grandpa are by far my favorite's in this film, There is such a "Loving Closeness" between them. It's just a good "anytime" movie.

I was amazed that this film was even made because it was like "A Christmas Story" meets "M" (with the Hardy Boys thrown in). A big mix of parent-cringing darkness and family fun. This could have been phenomenal, but a couple of weird and stupid things happened. Most importantly, at times we'd go from daylight to darkness on a whim. Scenes would continue as if they were outrageously and illogically stretched over time. When Franky is trying to escape at the end this starts before twilight then suddenly it's 10pm. Ridiculous. Spoiler follows: What's worse, was the film needed an epilogue after the drawn out climax. It would have been great to see the husband who's wife shot the janitor, go and visit the surviving wife to apologize - as well as the rest of the town. And the movie should have finished where it began - at the cemetery with the adult Franky. Since we never returned to that, then it shouldn't have been part of the beginning.

If you're expecting a typical slasher, you'll be disappointed. Frank LaLoggia's "Lady in White" is a more subtle horror flick, with limited violence and no sex or nudity. It depicts a boy who witnesses an apparition of a murder and then tries to find out what happened. The movie makes a lot of use of shadows to elicit its horror, and the answer to the mystery slowly but surely evolves. Moreover, it's also interesting to see a horror movie seen from the eyes of a child, as opposed to horny teenagers. Of course, there's no shortage of comic relief, especially from the boy's grandparents. This movie isn't any kind of masterpiece, but I still enjoyed it. Starring Lukas Haas (the Amish boy in "Witness"), Len Cariou, Alex Rocco (Moe Greene in "The Godfather") and Katherine Helmond.