Alice Sweet Alice (1976)

**NOTE: This movie review was posted in Dec 2015, however I thought  I should repost it on here, because that makes sense to me. Umm yah. Enjoy!!**

Originally called Communion, Alice Sweet Alice is a slasher horror movie from 1976, even though I believe the movie is supposed to be set in the late 60s. The film was first released on November 12th, 1976. 

The main plot of the movie is about a girl named Alice (Paula Sheppard) who lives with her mother, Catherine (Linda Miller and sister Karen (Brooke Shields). Karen is about to receive her First Holy Communion when she is murdered and burned in the back of the church. So for the remainder of the film, the police are looking for the murderer. 

As for Alice, she is a very strange child. She reminds me of Carrie in so many ways. Her facial expressions make it see like she could snap at any moment. Also, like Carrie, she was conceived out of wed-lock, forcing her parents to marry in order to hid the pregnancy and shame. So it is believed that she did not have a Baptismal or a First Holy Communion, which in turns shows through the jealousy she has for her sister, Karen. She is getting all of this attention, while Alice is just shoved to the side and looked at as if she is the "Bad Seed." Karen is for sure favored by everyone and she appears to be a sort of angel, where Alice is looked at as the devil child.

Now I have to mention that the murderer has the creepiest disguise I've never seen. The killer wears a translucent doll mask paired with a bright yellow raincoat, a white "communion dress" and white dress shoes. The first time we see this mask when Alice is walking through Father Tom's (Rudolph Willrich) house. She walked into the kitchen and scares Mrs. Tredoni (Mildred Clinton) with the same mask. Later, Karen is following her to get home for dinner. Again Alice terrifies her with the same mask and raincoat combination. All signs seem to the pointing to Alice, am I right? She was jealous of Karen, because she appeared to be the favorite in everyone's eyes. A main clue appears when Alice is the last person in the church. She is sitting in the row with the other children, waiting to receive communion when everyone hears a piercing scream coming from one of the nuns in the back of the church. 

Another clue happens when her Aunt Annie (Jane Lowry) is attacked by a knife-wielding maniac wearing the same raincoat and mask. Immediately, she thinks it's Alice, because she was no where to be found at the time. Also there is the pedophile landlord Mr. Alphonso (Alphonso DeNoble) who made a sworn accusation that it was Alice. All signs are pointed at this "evil" child, who her mother believes she's innocent, even after all the accusations. 

This movie is greatly paced throughout using the spooky scenery around the city of Paterson, New Jersey. The acting is pretty decent. I mean there is a little overacting, but the cinematography is one of the reasons to watch this movie. Another reason is that it's an interesting thriller. Your curiosity gets the best of you and you really want to know the murderer. Also there is a HUGE religious base around this movie. I mean it was originally titled Communion, so it is to be expected. Also in the 1970s, there was a religious trend going on in the film industry. However this whole religious aspect really works for it. 

Alice sweet Alice never really received mainstream attention when it first came out. It was one of those movies that just faded into the background. Unless you were around when it was made, or heard it from somewhere, you would never have known this movie existed. I didn't know about it until I saw a review for it on Cinemassacre.com and I thought it was a pretty good thriller movie. It has since become a more of a cult movie like The Evil Dead (1981). 

Now in 1981, the movie was re-released again under the name Holy Terror to bank on the success of Brooke Shields. Unfortunately, it still didn't gain the recognition it deserved. I think the main problem why this movie didn't get mainstream attention is, Carrie came out 9 days before this on November 3rd, 1976. So, this movie was going up against a Stephen King film as well as a devil child. It did not stand a change at all. Also when it was re-released in 1981, it was going up against An American Werewolf in London as well as Mommy Dearest. So yeah. During both of its releases, it was up against some pretty hefty competition at the box office. Regardless, I think it has become a cult hit in recent years. It is now available on several different streaming services and people have see it.  

Okay in reality, most of this blog was written like 4 years ago. I posted it on a different website and I wanted to repost it on here. So when I originally wrote this blog, I was surprised to find out through my research that they are planning a remake. Now that was 4 years ago, I did a quick search today and as of 1 MONTH ago, they are still working on a remake. You know for me, once you're getting into 1/2 decade territory, you should just quit. I mean they have been talking about a remake/sequel of Beetlejuice and Killer Klowns. I am just a lover of the original, so it's hard for me to take on a remake or anything like that. 

Grant it, it would be great to have a remake of this movie, because there are some plot holes. I would like there to be a little bit more character development. However I believe this movie was made strictly for atmospheric horror rather actual like dialogue horror (if that makes sense). Also I believe there should be a Black Christmas ending where they don't reveal the killer. In my opinion, it's way scarier when you don't know who the psychopath is. 

Anyway, this a pretty good movie. It currently has a 6.5 our of 10 on IMDB and an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes; which I agree with both of those ratings. I highly recommend this movie. I was able to watch it on YouTube for free because at the time it was a public domain movie. However, I think that has changed, but regardless its available on more streaming platforms for pretty cheap the rent. 

I hope you all check it on. As I say, we all need to move onward to another Movie Review. I promise you, this time it will be ANOES 4: Dream Master!! 

Sleep Tight, 

A Nightmare on Movie Night