Dug up my old VHS copy of this one last night and dusted it off....still played great! Here's my take on it. Proceed with caution though....may contain *********SPOILERS***********
Where to start....First let me say that it's been a while since I last saw this one and it's nothing like I remember. This film is termed as "horror," but not really to me. That doesn't mean it isn't any good. It is a very different type of movie, with quite a bit of comedy mixed in....almost too much for a horror/mystery/suspense flick. The soundtrack score is also way too upbeat and "cheery" for a movie termed as horror. With that said, it is still a pretty good flick and well worth watching.
A young boy gets locked in a school closet overnight on Halloween night in 1962 and the story begins. I really don't want to give too much more away here. I will say that the 60's setting is quite cool and Lukas Haas plays a great role in the lead part as Frankie. You might remember him from the movies Witness and Solarbabies. I also got a kick out of a Halloween party scene in the school right before he gets locked in for the night. Jared Rushton(played Billy in the movie "Big")was also great as Donald. He was the lead bully who always picked on Frankie. Very funny....more comedy. Then there is Papa Charlie. His whole character is a laugh, from dropping a lit cigarette down his pants to falling into a bathtub full of water while fully dressed....again, more comedy. Don't get me wrong, it has it's creepy moments, but wasn't scary to me at all. Another interesting little observation - how politically incorrect the language is. The use of the "N" word came up more than once and there is clear racism present. Understandable I guess as it was set in the 60's and made in the 80's.
Anyway, I say it's worth watching....especially for the Halloween run. Who else saw this one and what is your take on it?
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
Nice review Rocked!
I love this one, seen it so many times on cable over the years. Yeah it really isn't so much horror.......but as a kid it scared me
I forgot how great and loveable the family is......his horrible brother!haha
I love movies set in the 50's/60's from the 80's!
Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
The brother is great too(Jason Presson). He played McGeorge in The BRAT Patrol and Darren in Explorers.
Posted by THX1138 (Member # 7418) on :
My wife has a copy on VHS of this movie. It was great, scary, and ahead of it's time.
Posted by NowhereGirl (Member # 465) on :
thanks 80'srocked. those are some creepy stills! i want to see this movie from beginning to end. i might watch it with my daughter - she loves 80s movies. Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
I forgot to mention that creepy Dracula mask. I love it.
Posted by pettyfan (Member # 2260) on :
I LOVE Lady in White. Nowheregirl, I bet you and your daughter would really like it. It's not super scary or gory...just a nice ghost story. As I said before, I found my DVD copy at Kroger, of all places.
Posted by Nick (Member # 404) on :
Great feel to this movie. Always liked it and remember clearly seeing it in the 80s Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
After just finishing watching this great movie all over again. I have to point out some things I noticed about what makes it so awesome!
80'sRocked it is a funny movie......Frankie's family make it funny.....Grandpa and his cigarettes never gets old. But it's still a great ghost story........the score still gave the eebie jeebies a few times......it probably is just me resorting to me as a kid watching it.
Something i've noticed as an adult watching Lady in White though is......it's a beautifully filmed movie.......every scene had to be very planned and crafted. I really think they had storyboards layed out.....it's a very artistically shot movie........the record player playing on it's own.......Frankie peeking through a hole in the door to spy on his dad.......When the bullies are in the house on the cliff....the shots from above looking down. all so perfect and unique.
I always love narrated stories and Lady in White wouldn;t be the same without older Frankie as the narrator......I love this movie and it;s a great idea for anyone wanting to watch a fall movie with a Halloween theme where you can get a few smiles and a mystery in between!
Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
Very well said Muffy. You should write some reviews for the browse page.
Posted by pettyfan (Member # 2260) on :
Muffy, the scenery in the movie is one of the things I've always liked about it, even when I was a kid. I always thought it would be so cool to live in a quaint little town like that, and I always wished we had an old-fashioned candy store like the one in the movie.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Just watched Lady in White.
What a great, atmospheric fantasy/suspense movie this was! Lukas Haas was excellent.
The director Frank LaLoggia was a very talented guy. He wrote, directed and produced this movie. He even composed the score.
It´s almost unbelievable that this was made in ´88, the movie has so strong late 70s, early 80s mood.
Highly recommended!
Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
Cool that you finally saw it aTomiK. Great cover art from Finland, as usual!
Posted by cindymancini (Member # 679) on :
I think I need to see this!! Might have caught it once in bits and pieces a long time ago but I don't remember...
You guys really sold it to me! Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Lady in White is good, if a little too ambitious for its own good and low budget. (There are a lot of things stuffed into the plot so at least it's not boring.)
What the heck ever happened to Frank LaLoggia? On the basis of this one and his earlier horror film Fear No Evil, it looked like he was an up-and-coming talent. But he has only one directing credit afterward. He then disappeared from sight.
[ 09. October 2012, 21:13: Message edited by: Crash ]
Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
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