We continue the 31 Days of Frights with Lady in White from 1988. Locked in the cloakroom after school as a Halloween prank, Frankie (Lukas Haas) meets the ghost of a young neighborhood girl, Melissa Anne Montgomery (Joelle Jacobi), who had been found strangled to death 10 years before. Frankie soon learns that nine other children have been killed in the years since, and with the spectral help of Melissa and her mother, a grieving apparition known as The Lady in White (Karen Powell), he attempts to discover the murderer before he becomes his latest victim.
The Story
This has to be one of the most underrated movies to watch during spooky season. The movie is so full of the Halloween season vibe, and yet I don’t know anyone who has even seen this movie. There are bright fall colors everywhere, costumes, pumpkins, and a great mystery.
The movie comes from the eyes of a child. Our main protagonist is a weird kid who loves writing horror stories. He is bullied and gets stuck in the closet at school. This is where our story really begins. The young boy Frankie sees a young ghost girl who died years ago, and he gets a glimpse of the killer. Now he has to find out who that is.
The best thing about this movie is how it has something for everyone. It has great characters and a great family. Frankie’s family is very Italian and full of love. Especially his dad. I feel a lot of movies in the 80s showed fathers being cold or not always believing when something happens to the kid. The father in this movie is so supportive, and all he cares about is that his family is safe.
The movie also deals with tough racial issues. It takes place in the fall of 1962, when racial prejudice is still really high. While Frankie is trying to figure out who the mystery killer is, the town has already decided that the black janitor of the school is to blame. There are several tough moments to watch, but they all add to the tension of the movie.
The mystery will have you on the edge of your seat. This is a PG-13 Halloween film, but it doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff, and as we slowly discover who the killer is, the story becomes darker and more heartbreaking without losing its charm.
Lady in White is just that: charming. I wish I had seen this movie as a kid because it would have automatically made my yearly Halloween viewing rotation. The movie has a great story, memorable characters, a fun script, and an intriguing mystery. Most importantly, it is perfect viewing for the Halloween season.
Lady in White is available to watch now on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
Come back tomorrow for some more spooky reviews.
