Lady in White (1988)
(In French, On Cable TV, November 2022) In theory, there is something admirable about Lady in White—writer-director-producer Frank LaLoggia creates a ghost story quite unlike others, with few horror clichés and plenty of upstate New York detail. The film revels in its portrayal of a small community and an extended family, bringing a sense of place much stronger and far less generic than most other films lumped into the horror category. Despite the presence of a ghost, it’s not always a terrifying tale (the livings are scarier than the dead) and the film still feels like an oddity decades later. It’s not a surprise if the film has been hailed as a cult movie (but then again, these days, it feels as if nearly every movie is a cult movie) and it is still well regarded, so make of that what you will. On the other hand, I found the film, well, flat. Not particularly involving. Certainly overlong. You can’t please everyone, right?