Good, would have been classic without the padding (spoilers)

There are some really nice moments, like the scary first appearance of the ghost, near the end in the candle-filled bedroom, or in the car at the archery range. But there is too much padding: the opening with the cab, the Amblin-like comic relief of the grandparents and the baby alligator, an otherwise worthy Civil Rights-era theme/subplot which added nothing to the story. (Why set it in the past at all? The "writer returns to his hometown and reminisces about his childhood" thing made it like a Stephen King movie.) The most egregious was the tacky "He's not dead yet!" moment. It kind of made the ghosts look dumb for being satisfied. Lady In White would have been much better if it were ninety minutes and stuck to the main story. Still, it deserves semi-classic status for being a PG horror movie in the slasher 80s and relatively restrained (for the era) with its special effects.