Lady in White

Last updated
Lady in White
Lady in White (poster).jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Frank LaLoggia
Written byFrank LaLoggia
Produced by
  • Frank LaLoggia
  • Andrew G. La Marca
Starring
Cinematography Russell Carpenter
Edited bySteve Mann
Music byFrank LaLoggia
Production
company
New Sky Communications
Distributed byNew Century Vista Film Company
Release date
  • April 22, 1988 (1988-04-22)
Running time
113 minutes [lower-roman 1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Italian
Budget$4.7 million [3]
Box office$1.7 million [4]

Lady in White is a 1988 American supernatural mystery film directed, produced, written and scored by Frank LaLoggia, [5] and starring Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, Alex Rocco, and Katherine Helmond. Set in 1962 upstate New York, it follows a schoolboy (Haas) who, after witnessing the ghost of a young girl, becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding a series of brutal child murders.

Contents

LaLoggia's second feature film after Fear No Evil (1981), Lady in White was independently funded by him through a penny stock company he formed with his cousin, Charles LaLoggia. Principal photography occurred in Lyons, New York in the fall of 1986. The story is based on a version of The Lady in White legend, concerning a woman who supposedly searches for her daughter in Durand-Eastman Park in Rochester, New York, from where the director hails.

Despite positive reviews from critics, the film was a box office bomb. It later earned status as a cult film. [6]

Plot

On Halloween 1962, nine-year-old Frankie Scarlatti is locked inside his classroom coatroom by schoolmates Donald and Louie at the end of the day. Trapped well after dark, he witnesses the apparition of a young girl being murdered in the coatroom, though her assailant is invisible. Moments later, a man enters the coatroom and attempts to open a vent grate on the floor, but notices Frankie. He strangles him to unconsciousness. In a near-death vision, Frankie again sees the girl, who asks for his help to find her mother. Frankie is revived by his father, Angelo, and rushed to the hospital. Frankie was unable to see his attacker's face. The school janitor, Harold "Willy" Williams, found drunk in his office, is arrested as he was on school grounds at the time of the assault.

As Frankie recovers at home, his brother, Geno, shows him a newspaper article about the attack. He learns it is linked to eleven killings, all apparently by a serial killer targeting children. The ghostly girl is Melissa Ann Montgomery, and she continues to appear to Frankie. They form a tenuous friendship. Striving to help Melissa, Frankie returns to the coatroom and removes the cover of the net to discover several dust-laden objects, including toys, a hair clip, and a high school class ring. Later, he overhears the chief of police telling Angelo that the case against the janitor is crumbling and that the coatroom is also the scene of Melissa's murder. After considering this new information, Frankie confides in Phil, a family friend, that the class ring likely belongs to the killer and that he thinks the killer returned to the coatroom to retrieve it as the school's heating system was being replaced. Unbeknownst to Frankie, the ring, which had accidentally fallen out of his pocket earlier, was found by Geno and hidden away again.

Later, Donald and Louie lure Frankie out to the nearby cliffs, where they encounter a ghostly lady dressed in white. All three boys take off running and Frankie collides into Geno in the surrounding woods. Frankie tries to explain the link between Melissa, the attacker and the lady in white, but is unsuccessful. One evening, Melissa appears to both Geno and Frankie. The town clock begins to chime and Frankie realizes that her nightly death re-enactment is about to commence. They follow her ghost to the school then wait until her lifeless body reappears, which is carried by an invisible figure from the school and onto the cliffs. At the last minute, Melissa awakes and begins screaming as she is thrown over the cliffs. A pale, blond woman dressed in white then comes out of the cottage. Upon seeing Melissa's lifeless body on the rocks below, she flings herself off the cliff and also plunges to her death. The ghostly scene ends and the brothers head home. Finally, Frankie understands the source of Melissa's anguish. He vows to help her bring her killer to justice.

A grand jury fails to indict Willy due to insufficient evidence. Outside the courthouse, the distraught mother of one of the murdered children shoots and kills him. Researching the class ring, Geno examines one of Angelo's old yearbooks and realizes that he and the killer wore the same type of class rings. The yearbook reveals that the initials on the ring, "MPT", belong to Michael P. Terragrossa. Geno quickly deduces that the "P" stands for Phillip—as in their family friend Phil—and he rushes to tell his father. Frankie happens to be with Phil at that same time, and realizes Phil is the killer after he begins whistling "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?", Melissa's song. Phil realizes 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 again. Suddenly, Phil is struck from behind and they both collapse to the ground.

Regaining consciousness, Frankie finds himself in Melissa's old cottage with Amanda Harper, and learns that she was the one who saved him from Phil, and that she was the lady in white Frankie saw earlier when he was with Donald and Louie. Amanda reveals that she is Melissa's aunt and has been living in the cottage since the deaths of her sister and niece. Without warning, Phil attacks and kills Amanda, setting the building ablaze in the process. Pulling Frankie from the burning cottage, Phil attempts to throw him over the cliff. However, Frankie drops safely to the ground when the ghostly lady in white suddenly appears and frightens Phil, causing him to tumble over the cliff's edge. Melissa emerges from the burning cottage and the two ghosts happily reunite, ascending into the sky in a cascade of light. As Frankie crawls away from the ledge, Phil grabs his ankle. Angelo, Geno, and the police arrive and save Frankie. Angelo also tries to save Phil, but overcome with shame, Phil lets go and falls to his death. Everyone watches the cottage burn to the ground as the snow begins to fall.

Cast

Production

Development

LaLoggia partly based the screenplay of the film on The Lady in White legend, regarding a woman who supposedly searches for her lost daughter in Durand-Eastman Park in Rochester, New York, LaLoggia's hometown. [7]

The film was entirely financed through a penny stock offering, New Sky Communications, a public company set-up by LaLoggia and his cousin Charles M. LaLoggia, traded initially on NASDAQ for 10 cents a share. It was the first and only occasion that a single, feature film was financed in this manner. After producing a 7-minute promotional reel for the project, New Sky Communications was able to secure $4.7 million [8] [9] from 4,000 investors. [3]

"Charlie came to me and said 'Look, we may be able to do this again [raise money independently] if we go public.' He said that there was a possibility we could structure a penny stock offering to raise the money to make another film. It took us quite a while to structure this public entity called New Sky Communications. We had a number of brokers around the country selling stock for Lady and it took us about three years, from beginning to end, to bring Lady in White to fruition." [10]

Filming

Prior to filming, Frank and Charles LaLoggia meticulously storyboarded every scene prior to the shoot, forgoing a standard practice like a completion bond insuring against budget overages. Principal photography of Lady in White began on September 29, 1986, in Lyons, New York. [3] Additional photography took place at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles. [3] Filming was officially completed on January 10, 1987. [3]

Release

Box office

The LaLoggias managed to recoup every penny of their negative costs ($4.7million) before the film had even hit theaters. They sold the foreign rights to Samuel Goldwyn Productions for a $1 million advance and 70% of all foreign sales bringing their foreign earnings to over $2.7 million. New Century Vista acquired the film for U.S. theatrical distribution, guaranteeing $1 million in prints and ads to promote and open the picture. [11]

Lady in White premiered in the United States on April 22, 1988 in 90 theaters in Los Angeles and Chicago. [3] The film was dropped by a number of Southern California theaters after its first week of screening due to average attendance and a glut of films that were on the market competing for screens before it opened in New York City on May 13, 1988 and expanded to a wide theatrical release on May 20, 1988. [3] By the end of its theatrical run, it had grossed a total of $1.7 million in the United States. [12]

Critical response

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[ sic ] it's the whole insidious atmosphere of the film that begins to envelop us...We have been this way before in countless other movies, but not often with so much style, atmosphere and believable human nature.." [13] The New York Times critic Caryn James praised the film stating that: "Here are the bones of an ordinary ghost story. But the writer and director Frank LaLoggia brings them to life with exceptional vitality...  The extended Scarlatti family—warm, funny, so real they make the characters in Moonstruck seem like impostors...  Mr. LaLoggia creates an unusual, effective child's-eye-view of a sinister wide world, a restless afterlife, and the comforts of family." [14] Newsweek's David Ansen wrote: "'Lady in White' is uncommonly ambitious and daringly eclectic...who needs big stars and $20 million special effects when you've got a good yarn to spin and a storyteller who trusts his tale? Gather round the campfire and enjoy." [15]

Pauline Kael wrote, in The New Yorker : "Lady in White is a ghost movie with an overcomplicated plot but it has a poetic feeling that makes up for much of the clutter...and there are touches that charm you: the piles of candy corn in the window of the Kandy Kitchen; the pack of dogs that chase after bicyclists but are turned back by a nun's basilisk glare...and there's endearing, giggly tom foolery between Frankie and his older brother (Jason Presson). Laloggia puts on a good show." Peter Travers for People Magazine wrote: "This one is going to scare you senseless. Bone chilling and unexpectedly moving [16] "Wonderful and potent... an enthralling movie experience," said The Hollywood Reporter. Variety wrote "Lady in White is a superb supernatural horror film from independent filmmaker Frank LaLoggia...This probably is as good a nightmare as any impressionable boy could have and still be suspenseful enough to get most adults’ hearts going." Lady in White maintains a 71% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 16 reviews [17] and a 70% rating on Metacritic.

Awards and nominations

Lukas Haas and Katherine Helmond were both nominated for Saturn Awards in 1990, [18] Haas was also nominated for and won a Young Artist Award. [19] The film itself received nominations for a Young Artist Award [19] and a Fantasporto. [20] The film was selected as "an outstanding film of the year for presentation" at the London Film Festival in 1988 and won Best Film and the Audience Award at The Festival of Imagination in Clermont-Ferrand, France in 1988.

Home media

The film was first introduced to the home video market on VHS by Virgin Vision (who acquired home media rights at a cost of $2 million) [11] and later by Anchor Bay on October 15, 1993. [21] It was also released on laserdisc and DVD through Elite Entertainment, who released a Director's Cut with an extended 4 minutes on March 25, 1998. The director's cut was reissued on DVD by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on September 20, 2005, and featured bonus materials including 36 minutes of deleted footage and commentary from director Frank LaLoggia. [21] [22] In 2016, Scream Factory issued a Blu-ray edition of the film featuring the original 113-minute theatrical cut, the previously-released director's cut, and a never-before-seen extended director's cut running 127 minutes. [23]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The film's original theatrical cut runs 113 minutes in length. [1] A 117-minute director's cut, and a 126-minute extended director's cut also exist, and were released on Blu-ray by Scream Factory in 2016. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Prizzis Honor</i> 1985 film by John Huston

Prizzi's Honor is a 1985 American black comedy crime film directed by John Huston, starring Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner as two highly skilled mob assassins who, after falling in love, are hired to kill each other. The screenplay co-written by Richard Condon is based on his 1982 novel of the same name. The film's supporting cast includes Anjelica Huston, Robert Loggia, John Randolph, CCH Pounder, Lawrence Tierney, and William Hickey. Stanley Tucci appears in a minor role in his film debut. It was the last of John Huston's films to be released during his lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Loggia</span> American actor (1930–2015)

Salvatore "Robert" Loggia was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Jagged Edge (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for Big (1988).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lukas Haas</span> American actor

Lukas Daniel Haas is an American actor. His acting career has spanned four decades, during which he has appeared in more than 50 feature films and a number of television shows and stage productions. His notable credits include in the films Witness (1985), Mars Attacks! (1996), Inception (2010), The Revenant (2015), First Man (2018), and as The Patient in the music video for My Chemical Romance's rock ballad "Welcome to the Black Parade".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Washington</span> American lyricist (1901–1976)

Ned Washington was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

<i>Amazon Women on the Moon</i> 1987 film

Amazon Women on the Moon is a 1987 American satirical science fiction film that parodies the experience of watching low-budget films on late-night television. The film, featuring a large ensemble cast including cameo appearances from film and TV stars and even non-actors, was written by Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland, and takes the form of a compilation of 21 comedy skits directed by five different directors: Joe Dante, Carl Gottlieb, Peter Horton, John Landis, and Robert K. Weiss.

<i>Ghost in the Machine</i> (film) 1993 film by Rachel Talalay

Ghost in the Machine is a 1993 American science fiction horror film directed by Rachel Talalay and released by 20th Century Fox about a deceased serial killer with artificial computer intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghostface (identity)</span> Shared identity of the antagonists in the Scream media franchise

Ghostface is a fictional identity that is adopted by the primary antagonists of the Scream franchise. The figure was originally created by Kevin Williamson, and is primarily mute in person but voiced over the phone by Roger L. Jackson, regardless of who is behind the mask. The disguise has been adopted by various characters in the movies and in the third season of the television series.

"The Test Dream" is the 63rd episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos and the 11th episode of the show's fifth season. Written by series creator/executive producer David Chase and supervising producer Matthew Weiner, and directed by longtime series director Allen Coulter, it originally aired in the United States on May 16, 2004. This episode is unique in that it features an elaborate 20-minute dream sequence, alluded to in the title, featuring many actors from past seasons briefly reprising their roles.

Casper's Halloween Special is a 1979 animated Halloween television special produced by Hanna-Barbera featuring Casper the Friendly Ghost and his friend Hairy Scarey from the animated series Casper and the Angels. The special was directed by Carl Urbano and premiered on NBC on October 30, 1979.

<i>Raaz</i> (2002 film) 2002 Indian film

Raaz (transl. Secret) is a 2002 Indian supernatural horror film directed by Vikram Bhatt. The film stars Dino Morea, Bipasha Basu in the lead along with Malini Sharma. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian horror movies of all time. Aditya and Sanjana as a couple who have moved to Ooty to save their failing marriage. However, what they find in their new home is more than they expected when a ghost starts haunting the place. The wife, Sanjana, suddenly finds that her husband is part of the ghostly conspiracy, which she must fix to escape. The film is an unofficial adaptation of the Hollywood film What Lies Beneath (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Lady</span> Creature in folklore; type of female ghost

A White Lady is a type of female ghost. She is typically dressed in a white dress or similar garment, reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with local legends of tragedy. White Lady legends are found in many countries around the world. Common to many of these legends is an accidental death, murder, or suicide, and the theme of loss, betrayed by a husband or fiancé, and unrequited love.

<i>The Uninvited</i> (1944 film) 1944 film

The Uninvited is a 1944 American supernatural horror film that was directed by Lewis Allen and stars Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, and Donald Crisp. The film is based on Dorothy Macardle's novel Uneasy Freehold (1941), which was published in the United States as The Uninvited (1942) and deals with a brother and sister who purchase a house in Cornwall, England, that is plagued by paranormal events. The film is part of a cycle of supernatural-themed films that began appearing in the mid-1940s. Dodie Smith began writing the film, and Frank Partos was brought in by his friend, associate producer Charles Brackett. Brackett wanted to have the film directed by Alfred Hitchcock but could not organize plans with him, so Allen directed it. Filming began on April 16, 1943; Allen found working with Gail Russell, who was inexperienced and began crying several times, to be the most difficult part of filming.

For the Girl Who Has Everything (<i>Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)</i>) 12th episode of the 1st season of Randall and Hopkirk

"For the Girl who Has Everything" is the twelfth episode of the 1969 ITC British television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre. The episode was first broadcast on 6 December 1969 on ITV. Directed by Cyril Frankel, it featured Lois Maxwell.

George Wyner is an American film and television actor. Wyner graduated from Syracuse University in 1968 as a drama major and was an in-demand character actor by the early 1970s. Wyner has made guest appearances in over 100 television series and co-starred in nine. His roles include Assistant District Attorney Bernstein on the series Hill Street Blues, Colonel Sandurz in the film Spaceballs, and Rabbi Nachtner in A Serious Man.

<i>Casper</i> (film) 1995 film by Brad Silberling

Casper is a 1995 American supernatural comedy-drama film directed by Brad Silberling, in his feature film directorial debut, based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo. The film stars Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, and Eric Idle, with voice talents of Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, Brad Garrett, and the film introduction of Malachi Pearson in the title role.

<i>Cat in the Brain</i> 1990 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Cat in the Brain, also known as Nightmare Concert, is a 1990 Italian horror film written and directed by Lucio Fulci. Fulci stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a tortured horror filmmaker who is driven by the violent visions that he experiences both behind the camera and off the set. Feeling like he's losing his grip on reality and disturbed by murderous fantasies, Fulci consults a psychotherapist, who is secretly a serial killer and using hypnosis, exploiting the director's vulnerabilities to his own murderous ends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey Knox</span> American actor, screenwriter, producer, and novelist

Abraham Knox was an American actor with nearly 80 films to his credit. Knox was also a screenwriter, film producer, and novelist. Knox was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, and he subsequently moved to Paris and Rome to find work. Knox's screenwriter credits, where he adapted approximately 150 Italian and French films into English translations, include the English adaptation of Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. As a dialogue director, he coached many non-English speaking actors in performing convincingly in the English language.

Indian ghost movies are popular not just in India but in the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and other parts of the world. Generally the movies are based on the experiences of modern people who are unexpectedly exposed to ghosts. Some Indian ghost movies, such as the comedy horror film Chandramukhi, have been great hits, dubbed into several languages. They usually draw on traditional Indian literature or folklore, but in some cases are remakes of Western movies, such as Anjaane, based on Alejandro Amenábar's ghost story The Others.

Frank LaLoggia is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. LaLoggia appeared in several films before making his directorial debut with the horror film Fear No Evil (1981). His second feature was the mystery horror film Lady in White (1988), starring Lukas Haas and Alex Rocco.

References

  1. ↑ Leafe 1990, p. 58.
  2. ↑ Arrigo, Anthony (September 30, 2016). "Lady In White (Blu-ray)". Dread Central . Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Lady in the White (1988)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Lady in White". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ Dare, Michael (May 20, 1988). "Beating the System: An Interview with Frank LaLoggia". LA Weekly . Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
  6. ↑ Khan, Imran (February 28, 2017). "Lady-Killer: Exploring Coming-of-Age Through Horror in 'Lady in White'". PopMatters . Archived from the original on August 10, 2023.
  7. ↑ Garner, Jack (October 5, 2016). "Jack Garner: 'Lady in White' based on local legend". Democrat and Chronicle . Archived from the original on June 21, 2019.
  8. ↑ Jongeward, Steven (1987). "The Lady in White". Cinefantastique . Vol. 18. F.S. Clarke. p. 19. ISSN   0145-6032.
  9. ↑ "Beating the System An Interview with Frank LaLoggia". Dareland. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
  10. ↑ LaMartina, Chris (October 18, 2016). "Interview with Frank LaLoggia: Director of Lady in White". Halloweenlove.com. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Konda, Kelly (February 27, 2020). "Lady in White: How Frank LaLoggia Conquered Armageddon & the Stock Market to Make His Ghost Story". We Minored in Film. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Lady in White (1988)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  13. ↑ Ebert, Roger (April 22, 1988). "Lady in White". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
  14. ↑ James, Caryn (May 13, 1988). "Review/Film; Terror and Haunting, Through a Child's Eyes". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Lady in White". Newsweek . April 1988.
  16. ↑ New Yorker, June 13, 1988
  17. ↑ "Lady in White". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA, 1990". imdb.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  19. 1 2 "Tenth Annual Youth in Film Awards". youngartistawards.org. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  20. ↑ "Fantasporto, 1989". imdb.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  21. 1 2 "The Lady in White (1988)". amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  22. ↑ "The Lady in White". DVD Talk . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  23. ↑ Squires, John (August 17, 2016). "Scream Factory Details Lady in White Blu-ray; Three Different Cuts!". Dread Central . Archived from the original on October 11, 2017.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.