Lady in White

For the 1938 film directed by Mario Mattoli, see The Lady in White.

Lady in White
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed by	Frank LaLoggia
Produced by	Frank LaLoggia Andrew G. La Marca
Written by	Frank LaLoggia
Starring	Lukas Haas Len Cariou Alex Rocco Katherine Helmond
Music by	Frank LaLoggia
Cinematography	Russell Carpenter
Editing by	Steve Mann
Distributed by	New Century Vista Film Company
Release date(s)	April 22, 1988
Running time	Theatrical cut 112 min. Extended cut 117 min.
Country	United States
Language	English Italian
Budget	$4.7 million
Box office	$1,705,139

Lady in White is a 1988 American horror film of the ghost/mystery genre. Much of the film was made in Wayne County, New York, taking advantage of appropriate local color. The movie is based on the story of The Lady in White who supposedly searches for her daughter in Durand-Eastman Park in Rochester, NY.

The film was directed, produced, and written by Frank LaLoggia, a native of Rochester. Starring Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, Alex Rocco, and Katherine Helmond.

Plot

The film is told in flashback from the point of view of a horror author on his way to his hometown Willowpoint Falls. On Halloween 1962, 9-year-old Franklin "Frankie" Scarlatti (Lukas Haas) is tricked by school jokesters Donald (Jared Rushton) and Louie (Gregory Levinson) and ends up locked in the school's cloakroom. Trapped well after dark, he witnesses a girl's ghost being murdered and then himself is attacked by a dark figure. Losing consciousness he speaks to the ghost who asks for his help to find her mother. Frankie is revived by his father and rushed to the hospital. The police arrest a black janitor that was found drunk in the basement, believing him to be the attacker.

Recovering at home, Frankie's brother Geno (Jason Presson) brings him a newspaper article about the attack and he learns it was linked to the deaths of eleven other children at the hands of a serial killer. He also learns the name of the ghost - Melissa Ann Montgomery (Joelle Jacobi). She continues to haunt Frankie and the two become and odd sort of friends. Striving to help her, he returns to the cloakroom and discovers several objects including her hairclip and an old high school class ring. Later, Frankie overhears the chief of police talking to his father Angelo (Alex Rocco) that the case against the janitor is crumbling and the cloakroom being the scene of Melissa's murder. Frankie confides in family friend Phil (Len Cariou) that the class ring probably belongs to the killer and that he thinks the killer returned to the cloakroom to search for it. Unbeknownst to Frankie, Geno has discovered and taken the class ring.

The school jokesters lure Frankie out to the nearby cliffs, where they encounter a lady in white clothing living inside an abandoned cottage. The children take off running and Frankie runs into his brother Geno on the way home. Frankie tries to explain everything to Geno, but Geno doesn't believe him. One evening though, Melissa appears to both of them and they follow her through her nightly death re-creation. They trail behind her lifeless body as it is carried by an invisible figure out to the cliffs. At the last minute, she awakes and begins screaming as she is thrown over the cliffs. A ghostly lady in white (Melissa's mother) then comes out of the cottage and throws herself over the edge after she sees Melissa's lifeless body.

Harold Williams (Henry Harris), the school janitor is finally brought to court, but a grand jury decides against going to trial due to insufficient evidence. He is subsequently murdered by the mother of one of the serial killer's victims. The real killer is still at large though and Geno uses the class ring to track him down after realizing that their father and the killer wear the same exact class rings. A yearbook reveals that the initials on the ring are the same as their family friend Phil and he rushes to tell his father. Frankie happens to be with Phil at that same time and as well realizes that he is the killer after Phil starts whistling "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking" (Melissa's song). Phil catches on that Frankie has deduced his secret and attacks him, but Frankie escapes and runs to the cliffs. Phil catches him and confesses to the murders just before he starts to strangle Frankie. Phil is struck from behind and both Phil and Frankie collapse to the ground lifeless.

Regaining consciousness, Frankie finds himself in Melissa's old cottage with his savior Amanda Harper (Katherine Helmond). She reveals that she is Melissa's aunt and has been living in the cottage since her sister and nieces' deaths. She was the first lady in white Frankie had seen. Phil reemerges in the cottage and kills Harper, setting the building ablaze in the process. Pulling Frankie from the burning cottage, Phil then tries to throw Frankie from the cliff, but the ghostly lady in white appears and scares Phil over the edge. Melissa as well appears and the two ghosts ascend into the sky finally reunited. As Frankie is crawling away from the cliff edge Phil grabs his ankle. Angelo, Geno, and the police arrive saving Frankie. As Angelo tries to save Phil though he lets go and falls to his death. With Phil dead, the movie ends as the group watches the cottage burn as the snow begins to fall.

Cast

• Lukas Haas as Franklin J. "Frankie" Scarlatti
• Len Cariou as Michael Phillip "Phil" Terragarossa
• Alex Rocco as Angelo J. Scarlatti
• Katherine Helmond as Amanda Harper
• Jason Presson as Geno Scarlatti
• Renata Vanni as Mama Assaunta
• Angelo Bertolini as Papa Charlie
• Joelle Jacobi as Melissa Anne Montgomery
• Jared Rushton as Donald
• Gregory Levinson as Louie
• Karen Powell as Anne Montgomery (Melissa's mother/"Lady in White")

Release

The film had a budget of 4.7 million and only grossed back around 1.7 million.

Critical Reception

The film has had a mostly positive critical response focusing on the stylish small town vibe and suspense without gore. Writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert stated: "'Lady in White,' like most good films, depends more on style and tone than it does on story, and after awhile it's the whole insidious atmosphere of the film that begins to envelop us." New York Times critic Caryn James mostly praised the film, but pointed out that: "the heavy-handed subplot about 60's racism loads the film with more social weight than it can carry. And most damaging, we guess who the murderer is very near the film's beginning." Lady in White maintains a 73% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Awards and Nominations

Lukas Haas and Katherine Helmond were both nominated for a Saturn Award in 1990, Haas was also nominated for and won a Young Artist Award. The film itself received nominations for a Young Arist Award and a Fantasporto.

Home Media

The film was first introduced to the home video market on VHS by Virgin Visi and later by Anchor Bay on October 15th, 1993. Elite Entertainment released a Director's Cut with an extended 4 minutes on March 25th, 1998. It was reissued on DVD by MGM on September 20th, 2005 and featured 36 minutes worth of deleted footage and commentary from director Frank LaLoggia.

Miscellany

The song "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?," sung by Bing Crosby, played a large part in the plot of this story. The name Willow Point comes from the old abandoned Willow Point Amusement Park on Bay Road in Webster, NY and was also the subject of a short film Frank made.

External links

• Lady in White at the Internet Movie Database
• Lady in White at the TCM Movie Database
• Lady in White at AllRovi
• Lady in White at Box Office Mojo
• LA Weekly, May 20, 1988: Interview with Frank LaLoggia on the making of Lady in White