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DVD Lady in White
An impressive labor of love from independent writer-director Frank LaLoggia, this low-budget supernatural thriller was a sleeper hit in 1988, deservedly praised by critics and horror fans for its effective combination of ghostly terror and small-town charm. The influence of Steven Spielberg can be felt in the movie's imaginative scenario, but it's also got the affectionate appeal of autobiographical nostalgia, mixing details of LaLoggia's own youth in upstate New York with a frightening tale of Halloween horror. It begins when young Frankie (Lukas Haas) is locked in a grade-school cloakroom on Halloween night of 1962; he witnesses the ghostly image of a little girl and is nearly strangled to death by an unknown assailant. From that point forward, Frankie is convinced that the ghost is somehow connected to the Lady in White, a haunting vision of local legend. A black janitor is tried as Frankie's attacker and suspected in a series of unsolved murders, but recurring apparitions lead Frankie to the truth of the case--a revelation of real-life violence and supernatural wonders. This plot may be a bit too cluttered for a conventional ghost story, but the movie's ambition works in its favor by providing an emotional subtext for its youthful sense of wonder. There's an abundance of charm and humor, but this also a moving story of grief and loss, tracing young Frankie's adjustment to the death of his mother. This gives Lady in White more depth than is typical for horror thrillers, and the movie further benefits from the obvious care and compassion that LaLoggia brought to its creation. --Jeff Shannon
"I really liked your story, Frankie. I wish I was as weird as you,"
During the introduction, Frank LaLoggia, the writer and director of the film The Lady in White (1988), states this Columbia Tristar Home Video release marks the 20th anniversary of his film...which left me scratching my head as it seems like he's three years premature, if his film was originally released in 1988...maybe it was the 20th anniversary of when he actually started production of the movie. I guess it doesn't matter one way or the other as I thought this was a damn good picture, especially when compared to his previous, debut project titled Fear No Evil (1981). I don't know what happened in the seven years in between, but I'm glad I decided to give this one a try despite that earlier work. As I mentioned, The Lady in White was written and directed by Frank LaLoggia, and stars Lukas Haas (Solarbabies, Mars Attacks!), Alex Rocco (Detroit 9000, Freebie and the Bean), Len Cariou (About Schmidt), Katherine Helmond ("Soap", Brazil). Also appearing is Jason Presson (Explorers), Renata Vanni (Fatso), Angelo Bertolini (Homer & Eddie), Jared Rushton (Big, Pet Sematary II), Lucy Lee Flippin ("Little House on the Prairie"), and Tom Bower (River's Edge, Die Hard 2), who will soon appear in a remake of Wes Craven's 1977 film The Hills Have Eyes, written and directed by Alexandre Aja (High Tension), scheduled to be released in 2006.
As the story, told primarily in flashback, begins proper, we learn the year is 1962 and it's Halloween in the small, coastal town of Willowpoint Falls, where we meet a young boy named Frankie Scarlatti (Haas), his older brother Geno (Presson), and their father Angelo (Rocco). The boys head off to school, resulting in a series of funny sequences. Frankie's an imaginative boy, presenting one of his stories to the class, which results in, later on, two bullies from his class playing a prank on him by locking him in the cloakroom after everyone else has left...almost everyone. During the night, Frankie witnesses a disturbing vision involving the apparition of a little girl, followed by a very real attack on himself by someone he can't see. When he next awakens, the attacker is gone, his father and the sheriff (Bower) are standing over him, and the drunken, passed out African American janitor gets fingered for the assault, along with a series of brutal, unsolved child murders in the area that have baffled the police going on some ten years (turns out the girl in Frankie's vision was one of the victims). As time passes, Frankie is visited a few times by the little ghost girl, the local legend of The Lady in White is revealed, along with an important clue as to the identity of the real killer, all of whom seem to share some sort of relationship. There's definitely an evil, predatory presence lurking about the town of Willowpoint Falls, and its focus now appears to be on Frankie...
It's difficult to talk about a movie like this because I want to relate much, but don't want to give away too much for someone who has yet to see the film. It seems like it's been so long since I last saw a really good, old fashion ghost story as the one presented here. Was it scary? Perhaps not (to me, at least), but it was thoroughly spooky and well worth my time. The story does get a little convoluted, but director LaLoggia keeps things moving along very well along keeping the confusion at a minimum. The film is a bit lengthy, running nearly a full two hours, and I thought some of this running time could have been shaved off by removing part, if not all, of the accused janitor subplot which really didn't serve much purpose other than to provide an obvious scapegoat, allowing the stumped authorities to stop their investigation of a case opened for some ten odd years. The conclusion of the subplot included the most grisly scene of the film, one that didn't necessarily fit with the rest of the movie. I've noticed some comments about special effects, specifically towards their `amateurish' look, but I think it's important to keep in mind this was a low budget, independently produced film. Some of these effects did look comparatively hokey in relation to other films released at the time, but I found this very easy to overlook given the strengths of the film, and the very simple fact the filmmaker didn't try to use said effects to cover up inadequacies in other areas, as is often the case. For me, the strengths (the story, the characters, etc.) more than made up for anything lacking in this area. I thought the characters were finely detailed, and the performances exceptional, especially that of Haas, whose expressionistic features really helped enhance specific moods throughout the movie, assisted immensely by a strong, supporting cast, including Alex Rocco, Len Cariou, Katherine Helmond, and Jason Presson. One interesting aspect for me was I figured out the identity of the killer early on, well before it was revealed (which happens about an hour and half in). I don't think I was able to discern this because I'm all that intuitive, so perhaps something within the story tipped its hand, a predictability of sorts, I'm unsure, but knowing this critical bit of information before the actual reveal didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story at all. It provided a little twist my knowing something the main characters didn't, and heightened the tension in a few scenes. I think one of my favorite scenes in the movie was while Frankie was reading a story he wrote to his class on Halloween, and we see one child, in a bunny costume, completely mesmerized by the tale, displaying a slack-jawed expression on his face. I also loved the reply from the little girl who was Frankie's classmate after he finished reading his story, of which I used for the title of my review. There are quite a few of these comedic touches throughout, many including Frankie's live-in grandparents played by Renata Vanni and Angelo Bertolini, which all play off nicely against the spookier elements. All in all I thought this was a wonderful film, one that I'm glad I now own.
The picture on this Columbia Tristar Home Video release, presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), look very sharp and clean, and the Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 audio comes through very well. There had been a previous DVD release of this film by Anchor Bay Entertainment, but that version, while presented in widescreen, was not in anamorphic format. There's a slew of special features including an audio commentary track by director LaLoggia, along with an intro to the film, a whole mess of deleted scenes, also with an intro by LaLoggia (with optional director's commentary), a behind the scenes photo montage, an extended photo gallery, and an original theatrical trailer.
Cookieman108
DONT BELIEVE THE HIP IN HERE!!
cant believe u guys gives this movie 4 to 5 stars ...If u are 13 and under,Then u would love this movie!...very childish Halloween movie, NOT scare or suspense nor nothing, With cheesy special effects, I grew up in 80s..And most movies back then had real good scrip and scare and special effects. This one is very cheesy funny/lame movie. I never seen this movie back in 80s,till now,And really glad i didn't!! ..Skip this crap, u would disappointed, don't believe these people reviews!
A truly beautiful & spooky film !
Frank LaLoggia's "LADY IN WHITE" is a beautiful ghost story inside of a great film! It would take me all day to sit here & type every good thing i have to say about this extraordinary work of art so im gonna make it easy on everybody & just say that if you love movies then this one is a must!
The definitive screen adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, the 1961 production of The Innocents remains one of the most effective ghost stories ever filmed. Originally promoted as the first truly "adult" chiller of the big screen (a marginally valid claim considering the release of Psycho a year earlier), the film arrived at a time when the thematic depth of James's story could finally be addressed without the compromise of reductive discretion. And while the Freudian anxiety that fuels the story may seem tame by today's standards, the psychological horrors that comprise the story's "dark secret" are given full expression in a film that brilliantly clouds the boundary between tragic reality and frightful imagination.
When a recent widower (the wonderfully overemphatic George C. Scott ) moves into an antique Washington mansion, his realization that he may not be the only resident leads him toward a deadly secret that refuses to remain buried....The best haunted-house film since the legendary Haunting, this potent, classy combination of the mystery and horror genres eschews explicit gore and dumb shocks in exchange for a subtle creepiness that occasionally builds to a terrifying peak (watch out for that seance scene!). The result is a satisfyingly intelligent horror film with an intriguing dash of Watergate-era paranoia. Director Peter Medak went on to direct the considerably more gratuitous and somewhat less effective Romeo Is Bleeding and The Krays. --Andrew WrightMore Info about this DVD Director(s): Peter Medak DVD Release Date: Released the 12 September 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Upon its release in 1981, John Irvin's version of Peter Straub's bestselling horror novel was deemed one of the worst adaptations that the genre had ever produced. Now it's available on DVD, and for the first time in widescreen presentation, and not much has changed. It's still a nearly unwatchable dud. Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Melvyn Douglas, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. play old friends, members of the self-created Chowder Society, who get together and tell ghost tales. The scariest story of all, however, is the one they never speak to each other. Fifty years ago, the four men accidentally killed a young woman, and now she's back (with much less meat on her bones) and seeking vengeance. Sound chilling? Well, in Straub's hands it was, and the novel remains the author's finest... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Fred Astaire - John Houseman - Craig Wasson - Alice Krige Director(s): John Irvin DVD Release Date: Released the 07 September 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This silky smooth film noir pits gruff police detective Dana Andrews, stiff and blunt in his street-bred manners, against a cultured columnist and acidic wit (Clifton Webb at his prissiest) in a battle of wits during a murder investigation. The cop is a romantic hiding under a hard-boiled exterior who falls in love with the beautiful victim through the portrait that hangs in her apartment. Gene Tierney, whose heart-shaped face mixes the exotic with the girl next door, brings the poise and calm of a model to her role as the object of every man's gaze and the target of a killer. Laura, handsomely shot in dreamy black and white, is the first and best of Otto Preminger's cool, controlled murder mysteries. In the gritty world of film noir it remains the most refined and elegant example... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gene Tierney - Dana Andrews Director(s): Rouben Mamoulian - Otto Preminger DVD Release Date: Released the 15 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I had this on Laserdisk years ago and the quality was HORRIBLE!It does look like MGM cleaned it up ALOT and it looks pretty clean compaired to the Crummy LaserDisk Version.I just wish the deleted scenes were included as well as a booklet.The Commentary by Cast members was lacking.Can you say "Boring As Hell?".They did not say anything about how a scene was done or behind the scenes.He seemed like he was not all there during the commentary.He remembered nothing and asked alot of weird questions to other cast members about filming(was he all there during filming too?).Is he ok?He is a funny actor and seems like a nice guy,I hope he is ok.The other cast members(including Lee),seemed like they were asleep and not really into the commentary much.With the exception of Carrie Lorraine,who... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Stuart Gordon DVD Release Date: Released the 20 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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