Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

Wow! Such a good movie.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I remember the first time I heard about Communion (as it was called). I was ten at the time and it was the last review Barry Norman gave on an episode of his Film '76. The clip was the scene where Aunt Annie descends the stairs and is attacked. It was absolutely terrifying and very reminiscent of Psycho (which I was a big fan of). Unfortunately it took a few years to finally see it on video in the early 1980's but it was worth the wait. Not only was it similar to Psycho but it also reminded me very much of Don't Look Now, which of course influenced Alfred Sole. Too often the film is mentioned as a slasher but this is unfair. The violence in slasher films is usually gratuitous and included for the sake of it whereas in Communion, it is very much part of the story. The soundtrack is also an excellent addition to a fine film.

The 1970's really did produce some fine horror movies that provided a lot of fear and chills as many of the scenes were done so real and shocking the kills and the gore of the blood scenes looked so shocking and it chilled the viewer. And "Alice Sweet Alice" clearly fits the descriptions of that the story is somewhat different with murder and religion and it involves a withdrawn little girl and an older woman with a secret that causes her to be for revenge.Set in 1950's Patterson, New Jersey ten year old Karen(in one of Brooke Shields's very early screen roles)is all of a sudden killed in a shocking and violent bloody manner in church on the day of her first communion, and her older sister Alice(Paula Sheppard)who's different and withdrawn appears for sure the prime suspect. Yet the film becomes more deviant and filled with bloody drama as more of Alice's family members and people who live in her apartment complex are attacked.Just when you think you have it figured out this movie takes a shocking twist as the past full of secrets prove that another person is doing the killings. Overall this film isn't mainstream, but for a 1970's horror film it's one of the better ones that entertains with suspense, gore, blood, and it twist with a shocking surprise reveal of the truth behind the killings at communions, "Alice Sweet Alice" is a cut above many classic horror films.

I heard Alice, Sweet Alice, is being remade, which I hope never happens, because the original is a classic that is a very creepy story. Alice is seen as a burden amongst her family and acts out for attention and is always overlooked due to her sister Karen, who is spoiled but seen as adorable by all the adults. At church one day, Karen is strangled to death and burned in one of the seats. Naturally Alice is the main suspect, and both her aunt Annie and her overweight molesting landlord have a grudge against her. She is sent to a mental ward and put on medication, but she isn't the killer, the killer is still out, lurking for more victims... Alice is a tale taking place in the early Sixties of a child ignored and left with repressed hostility towards her family, and because of her bizarre actions such as shoving a classmate's coat down a toilet and wearing freaky masks she is immediately blamed when anything goes wrong. It shows how this can affect a child. The acting of all characters was very good, especially of the obese landlord, Mr. Alfatso, who looked like a giant glob of jello. The actor thank goodness was not really a pedophile but played a very convincing role. The best acting was probably the role of Mrs. Tredoni, the quiet, aging religious woman who nobody notices until it's too late. I loved the soundtrack as well. Definitely a beautiful film worth viewing!

On the day of her first communion, 12 year old Karen, (Brooke Shields in her first role) is gruesomely murdered by a masked killer wearing a yellow rain coat. This shocking opening catches your attention quickly. Everyone, including the police suspects it was her jealous older sister Alice (Sheppard) who was mysteriously missing when the deed was done and shows up with an article of Karen's clothing. Her Mother Catherine (Miller) simply won't believe it and calls in her ex-husband Dom (McMaster) to help clear her daughter. A few more stalking deaths are executed in macabre fashion and the suspicion is on Alice. This low budget shocker from New Jersey has a real nasty streak to it. It unfolds smoothly putting its attention on character and mystery. Director Alfred Sole lays on suspense first and then delivers the terror with intensity that really makes this film work. Several unnerving scenes stand out like the attack on the apartment stairs and when Dom investigates an abandoned building with the killer on the loose. These scenes are gruesome and shocking and the sight of the creepy killer is quite unnerving throughout the film. The acting is quite good with Linda Miller as the mother and the excellent performance from Paula Sheppard as Alice. Sole delivers something deliciously evil and scary. With everything today being so politically correct, 'Alice Sweet Alice' (Originally called Communion) reaches from the 1970's and slaps you in the face. To say this movie is politically incorrect by today's standards would be an understatement and it is welcomed. Shocking and scary, this is a gem from the 70's that shouldn't be missed especially by Slasher film fans.