Die phantastische Reise ins Jenseits

Picture a sleepy rural community by the sea where children play in fields, family members work together and a ghost appears to a young boy to receive aid in finding peace. These are some of the story lines of Lady in White. the picture was directed by Frank LaLoggia and he gives it a picturesque Ray Bradbury kind of tone, mood, and setting. It was as if I were transported back into some aspects of my childhood as the film centers on the point of view of a young boy named Frankie Scarlatti. The story is not grandiose by any means: you will know the identity of the killer fairly quickly just by instincts. The real power of the film for me was the presentation of the film - the creepy moments with the Lady in White, Katherine Helmond as a crazed woman obsessed with candles, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of a little school room. The rural setting is wonderfully portrayed and the resolution to the story has heart and scares. I was impressed with the acting all around from Lukas Haas as Frankie, to Alex Rocco as his father giving a great performance and certainly one not his general type, Len Cariou as a family friend, and Helmond as well. This is at its core a ghost story and one of the better ones I have seen of late. It is family-friendly yet eerily frightening. This is one of those perfect films to watch on a cold, winter evening.

When you see where the Halloween topic has been through,the likes of Carpenter's stuff,it's a wonder one can make a non-gore ,adult,clever movie on such a hackneyed subject.

The main theme in "lady in white" is the fear of losing our dear ones,a fear which dwells in every child.Not only the young hero-played by a sensitive actor-lost his mother at such an early age but remember that Phil suffered the death of both his father and his mother too.Even the ghost (the little girl) cannot find peace of mind because of her splintered childhood.The black children will experience this terrible fate.

The spirit of HALLOWEEN is the core of the movie who could be dedicated to our faithful departed.

It's amazing to see Lucy Lee Flippin,resuming her schoolteacher career,which she began in "little house" as Eliza-Jane Wilder,Laura's sister in law.

"Lady in white" is a movie one can recommend .It paved a reliable way for "the sixth sense".Its incredible several moments will make your watching worthwhile.

The problem I see with LADY IN WHITE is that it tries too hard to tackle several unrelated themes withing a horror movie framework. The prologue with the adult main character returning to his old hometown and the ensuing exposition about his brother and father made me think of STAND BY ME, which LADY IN WHITE is definitely not. Also, the subplot involving the African-American janitor's wrongful arrest and the subsequent events that lead to tragedy inject a race relations/civil rights theme that really is superfulous to the main plot. What's going on here? Is the filmmaker trying to make a horror film, or a coming of age film, or a social commentary on prejudice? The film could have been complex enough without all these other elements, and the heavy-handed way in which he uses them in film makes for a very muddled, busy state of affairs.

If you're expecting a typical slasher, you'll be disappointed. Frank LaLoggia's "Lady in White" is a more subtle horror flick, with limited violence and no sex or nudity. It depicts a boy who witnesses an apparition of a murder and then tries to find out what happened. The movie makes a lot of use of shadows to elicit its horror, and the answer to the mystery slowly but surely evolves. Moreover, it's also interesting to see a horror movie seen from the eyes of a child, as opposed to horny teenagers. Of course, there's no shortage of comic relief, especially from the boy's grandparents. This movie isn't any kind of masterpiece, but I still enjoyed it.

Starring Lukas Haas (the Amish boy in "Witness"), Len Cariou, Alex Rocco (Moe Greene in "The Godfather") and Katherine Helmond.

Despite a few plot gaps, this is a very charming, atmospheric movie. The view is through the eyes of the main child-character, Frankie Scarlatti, and we see what he sees. This is a wonderful ghost story, not a horror film at all. Lukas Haas' character, Frankie, is vulnerable, yet determined to get at the heart of the mystery. Katherine Helmond is touchingly effective in her role as the grandmother of the murdered girl. My only complaint is that I get no clues from the plot or characterizations about what caused the killer to act. Yet I can suspend belief long enough to go with the childlike curiosity into the mysterious story. This is what I call a "little movie", no splashy special effects or over-the-top story lines, just a simple, sweet movie.