A coming-of-age ghost story with a nostalgic feel but also with social commentary.

• Scare factor: ★★☆☆☆
• Suspense factor: ★★★☆☆
• Nostalgic factor: ★★★★★
• Social commentary: ★★★☆☆
• Supernatural factor: ★★★★★

Lady in White is a ghost story about a boy who accidentally saw a ghostly scene about a girl being murdered which sets some scary, wondrous and horrifying discoveries in motion. It’s full of nostalgia but the film also warns not to be fooled by this sentimental feeling. It stars Lukas Haas, Alex Rocco, Len Cariou, Katherine Helmond, Jason Presson and Joelle Jacobi. It was directed and written and composed by Frank LaLoggia, Cinematography by Russell Carpenter. 

Duration 1h 53m

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Plot

The story starts when adult Frankie returns to his hometown, where he grew up with his father, his brother Geno and his grandmother and grandfather. He then reminiscences the happening of the day and weeks after what started his writing career of supernatural fiction. 

On Halloween 1962 Frankie Scarlatti is locked inside the coat cabinet at school by two bullies. He can’t get out and has to wait until someone finds him. But then he witnesses a ghostly scene about a girl being murdered by an invisible killer and dragged away. Immediately after the scene someone is opening a grate in the floor but notices Frankie and starts to choke him. He has a vision about the little girl who asks him to help her find her mother. Frankie is found by his father. Because he didn’t see his assailer they arrest the black janitor who was present in the school building at that time. 

Frankie finds out that the girl who was murdered was Melissa, and she was not the only one. There were 10 other children murdered. France suspects that the local legend of a Lady in White who roams the cliffs at night, is Melissa’s mother. He goes back to the school and finds a ring in the grate, which was probably what the killer was looking for. This clue and Melissa’s appearances and cries for help set him on a dangerous path that eventually will lead to the real killer.

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Short Review

The film starts with a very nostalgic scene. He lives with his father and brother and also his Italian grandfather and grandmother who are constantly bickering in a fun but loving way. They are cause for a lot of humorous scenes. His older brother teases him a bit, but you can see they are both good boys and love each other. The bond with their father is also very loving and they are just one big happy family. The brothers race through the beautiful autumn countryside to school, through town which is shown as a very charming, safe, idyllic and innocent small town.

But looks can be deceiving. And so can be our memories. We mostly remember all the good stuff and forget about the bad things. Nostalgia is just that, remembering the good old days, when everything was better. Except it wasn’t. Eleven children were brutally murdered, making the small town not very safe at all. A black janitor is immediately accused of attacking Frankie, just because he was there. And for convenience they charge him for the eleven child murders. Why? Because a black man was (and probably still is) a perfect scapegoat. Because it couldn’t possibly be one of their own. 

This social commentary is just a small storyline that can easily be dismissed, except for the terrible fate the janitor is awaiting. That makes it all the more horrifying. It’s is stipulated, but not fully addressed and that is a shame.

The ghost story itself is told with great cinematography, coloring and lighting. They play with lighting to symbolize or accentuate some discoveries Frankie does, or his feelings. With purple-bluish ghostly scenes, a darkness that falls immediately over the revealed killer, red-pinkish soft colors surrounding Melissa, they all emphasize the symbolism and emotions of those scenes. It’s wonderfully done and it gives the film a dreamlike atmosphere, or a nightmarish one and creates an often surreal atmosphere. 

The story is told from a child’s perspective, which is also emphasized by the cinematography, but also the voice-over of the adult Frankie who comments on his thoughts and feelings he had back then. 

The elusive Lady in White is an important character in the story, although she only shows up in crucial moments. 

Lady in White is a small town ghost story with coming-of-age elements and social commentary, that is very stylish and nostalgic with a dark undertone. Although there are some frightening scenes, and Melissa’s death is pretty horrifying, it isn’t very scary and doesn’t rely on jump scares or gore, but on suspense. The ending is very emotional and very eighties. 

Nostalgia can be a wonderful thing, but be aware of cherry picking and also remember that the good old days, weren’t for everyone.