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:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The distance between Frankie's bike and the porch changes in the opening shots of him getting ready to leave for school the first time. This is an illusion caused by the use of telephoto lenses that compress depth (distance from the camera) but not breadth (distance left to right across the scene the camera is viewing). At 05:46 where the bike appears more than 20 feet from the porch, the distance is running across the camera's view, but 06:20 where the bike appears only a few feet from the porch, the distance is running directly away from the camera.

Quotes:

Geno Scarlatti: [Frankie knees Geno in the groin] Quick! Call a doctor!
Frankie Scarlatti: Why?
Geno Scarlatti: To save my unborn child!

Movie Connections:

References Sitting Pretty (1933)

Soundtrack:

GUAGLIONE

Good Ghost Story

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.