The fantastic journey into the hereafter
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The fantastic journey into the hereafter |
| Original title | Lady in White |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1988 |
| length | 108 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Frank LaLoggia |
| script | Frank LaLoggia |
| production |
Andrew G. La Marca , Frank LaLoggia |
| music | Frank LaLoggia |
| camera | Russell Carpenter |
| cut | Steve Mann |
| occupation | |
| |
The Fantastic Journey into the Hereafter (OT: Lady in White ) is an American horror film from 1988. The director, screenplay and music are by Frank LaLoggia , who also produced the film. The well-received film, which is based on the legend of the “ White Woman ”, was a box office flop , but has become a cult film over the years .
action
The horror writer Franklin "Frankie" Scarlatti tells a horror story about his home Willowpoint Falls, which he experienced himself.
On Halloween 1962, when he was nine years old, Donald and Louie, two of his classmates, locked him in the school cloakroom. There he sees the murder of a red-haired girl in a kind of vision. Shortly afterwards, he is attacked and strangled himself. When he passes out, he sees the red-haired girl again. She asks him to help find her mother. Frankie is eventually found and resuscitated by his father. Although Frankie knows better, the African-American caretaker Harold "Willy" Williams is arrested.
Frankie finds out he's gotten into a gruesome case. A serial killer is said to have killed more than eleven other children. The red-haired girl is called Melissa Ann Montgomery and she continues to appear to Frankie in his dreams. A recurring theme is the song Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? that occurs in dreams. Frankie decides to solve the murders. He goes back to the cloakroom, where he finds various items in a shaft that belonged to the victims of the serial killer, but also a high school ring with the initials MPT. He confides in Phil Terragarossa, a friend of the family.
A little later he meets Donald and Louie on the cliffs, who have had a guilty conscience since their deed. The three discover a mysterious woman in white. On the run, he runs into his brother Geno, whom he finally confides in. Geno, who previously found the ring that fell out of Frankie's pocket. Geno believes him. They watch an abandoned house together. Melissa appears there, she runs to school. Shortly afterwards, her lifeless body is carried to the cliff by an invisible figure and thrown over it. Shortly afterwards the woman in white appears, and when she sees her lifeless daughter, she throws herself down the cliff too. Now it is clear to both of them where the apparition comes from and that both spirits will not rest until the murderer is caught.
The trial of the alleged killer is over. The caretaker is acquitted, but after his release he is shot by a family member of the victims. In the meantime, Geno has found the solution. In an old high school yearbook, he finds out that the inscription stands for "Michael P. Terragarossa," the family friend. Frankie is teaching archery to Frankie when Frankie notices it too, because Phil is humming the melody of Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? . Phil chases the boy to the cliff, confesses to the murders and begins to strangle him. But he is saved by Amanda Harper, Melissa's aunt. But Phil is still alive and kills Amanda. The house catches on fire.
Phil is now trying to throw Frankie over the cliff. But the ghost woman comes to his aid. Phil gets frightened and falls down the cliff. The ghost woman and Melissa are now reunited and go to heaven. But Phil was able to hold on to a root and is still alive. When Frankie's father enters the scene, he wants to save Phil, but he feels guilty and lets himself fall down the cliff.
production
Frank LaLoggia took parts of the story of the "woman in white" who allegedly haunts the hills and forests of Durand-Eastman Park and reworked them into a kind of semi-biographical story about an Italian-American family in the 1960s. When it came out, the film flopped, grossing just 1.7 million on a budget of nearly $ 5 million.
In Germany there was a VHS version cut by around 10 minutes, which had been cleaned up of some secondary plots. In addition, a director's cut was delivered in 1997, first on laser disc and then from 1998 on DVD , which contains a few additional scenes and runs four minutes longer. In Germany this cut was only released on DVD in 2010 and finally on Blu-Ray on July 25, 2019.
reception
Despite good reviews, the film was a big box office flop, but has become a cult film over the years. In particular, it was praised by Roger Ebert , who especially praised the atmosphere and less the somewhat confused story. Also Caryn James praised the film in his review for the New York Times , in particular, he raised his acting abilities of the cast, including of course Lukas Haas forth.
Awards
Lukas Haas won the Young Artist Award for the film in the category "Best Young Actor in a Horror or Mystery Motion Picture". The film was nominated for the audience award in the horror category. Lukas Haas and Katherine Helmond were both nominated for a Saturn Award in 1990.
Web links
- The fantastic journey to the afterlife in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ The Numbers: Lady in White (1988). The Numbers, accessed August 5, 2019 .
- ↑ Lady in White. Box Office Mojo , accessed August 5, 2019 .
- ↑ The Fantastic Journey into the Hereafter in the online film database
- ↑ Comparison between the original version and the Director's Cut. Schnittberichte.com, accessed August 5, 2019 .
- ↑ Jack Garner: 'Lady in White' based on local legend. Democrat and Chronicle , October 5, 2016, archived from the original June 21, 2019 ; accessed on August 5, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Ebert : Lady in White. Rogerebert.com, April 2, 1988, accessed August 5, 2019 .
- ^ Caryn James: Review / Film; Terror and Haunting, Through a Child's Eyes. New York Times , May 13, 1988, accessed August 5, 2019 .
- ↑ The Fantastic Journey into the Hereafter in the Internet Movie Database (English) . Retrieved August 5, 2019