Alice Sweet Alice (1976) Communion (original title)

Director:

Alfred Sole

Writers:

Rosemary Ritvo (original screenplay) &
Alfred Sole (original screenplay)

Release Date:

13 November 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If You Survive This Night... Nothing Will Scare You Again.

Plot:

After a young girl is brutally murdered during her first communion, her strange and withdrawn older sister becomes the main suspect.

Plot Keywords:

Girl | First Communion | Divorced Mother | Veil | Mask

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Linda Miller	...	Catherine Spages
Mildred Clinton	...	Mrs. Tredoni
Paula E. Sheppard	...	Alice Spages (as Paula Sheppard)
Niles McMaster	...	Dom Spages
Jane Lowry	...	Aunt Annie DeLorenze
Rudolph Willrich	...	Father Tom
Michael Hardstark	...	Detective Spina
Alphonso DeNoble	...	Mr. Alphonso
Gary Allen	...	Jim DeLorenze
Brooke Shields	...	Karen Spages
Louisa Horton	...	Dr. Whitman
Tom Signorelli	...	Detective Brennan
Lillian Roth	...	Pathologist (as Miss Lillian Roth)
Patrick Gorman	...	Father Pat
Kathy Rich	...	Angela DeLorenze
Ted Tinling	...	Detective Cranston
Mary Boylan	...	Mother Superior
Peter Bosche	...	Monsignor
Joseph Rossi	...	Father Joe
Marco Quazzo	...	Robert DeLorenze
Dick Boccelli	...	Hotel Clerk
Ronald Willoughby	...	Funeral Director
Sally Anne Golden	...	Policewoman
Lucy Hale	...	Church Soloist
Libby Fennelly	...	Nun
Maurice Yonowsky	...	Children Shelter Attendant
Beth Carlton	...	Children Shelter Attendant
Drew Roman	...	Policeman
Angelino Rocca	...	Funeral Attendant (as Antonino Rocca)
Michael Weil	...	Funeral Attendant
Leslie Feigen	...	Doctor (as Leslie Feigen M.D.)

Directed by
Alfred Sole

Writing credits
Rosemary Ritvo		(original screenplay) &
Alfred Sole		(original screenplay)

Produced by
Marc G. Greenberg	....	associate producer
Richard K. Rosenberg	....	executive producer
Richard K. Rosenberg	....	producer
Alfred Sole	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Stephen Lawrence

Film Editing by
M. Edward Salier		(as Edward Salier)

Production Design by
John Lawless

Set Decoration by
Stephen Finon

Costume Design by
Michelle Cohen

Makeup Department
Barbara Battagliese	....	hair stylist
Larry Panucci	....	hair stylist
Anne Paul	....	makeup artist
Karen Sole	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Rosemary Ritvo	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Adrienne Hamalian-Mangine	....	assistant director (as Adrienne Hamalian)

Sound Department
Dan Sable	....	sound editor
Mark Salwasser	....	sound
Larry Scharf	....	boom operator (as Lawrence Scharf)
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph Bruck	....	electrician
Ralph Coleman	....	electrician
Stanley Fejnas	....	grip
John Friberg	....	camera operator
Chuck Hall	....	camera operator
Chris Hayes	....	assistant camera
Gary Michelin	....	camera loader
John Pascali	....	grip
Johnnie Rogers	....	key grip
William S. Scharf	....	electrician (as William Scharf)
Richard Schwartz	....	camera loader

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lenora Guarini	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
William S. Scharf	....	assistant editor (as William Scharf)
Richard Schwartz	....	apprentice editor

Other crew
Tim Baker	....	production secretary
Daniel Bregman	....	production assistant
Robert Burke Jr.	....	assistant to producer
Mary Collins	....	production assistant
Lori Cusack	....	production assistant
Judy Gordon	....	production assistant
Gerard Greeley	....	religious advisor (as Father Francis Gerard Greeley O.S.F.)
Steven Hurewitz	....	production assistant
Charles Parmelli	....	technical advisor: City of Paterson
Tony Racco	....	production assistant
Randy Rothenberg	....	production assistant
Richard Schwartz	....	production assistant
Marilyn Spages	....	production secretary
Susan Thaler	....	assistant to director
Ken Threet	....	production assistant
Michael Weil	....	production assistant
Elizabeth Weizenegger	....	script supervisor
Murray Yedwab	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Harristown Funding

Distributors

• Allied Artists Pictures (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Allied Artists Home Video (1979) (USA) (VHS)
• Citadel Films (1981) (Canada) (theatrical) (cut version "Holy Terror")
• Dynamite Entertainment (1981) (USA) (theatrical) (retitled re-relase) (cut version)
• Hollywood Gems (1984) (USA) (VHS) (as "Alice Sweet Alice")
• Viking Video Classics (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Genesis Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood Movie Classics (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Jef Films International (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS) (as "Alice, Sweet Alice")
• 23rd Century (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Hen's Tooth Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Brothers (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• CMV Laservision (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Filmways Australasian Distributors (????) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Cinema Classics (????) (USA) (VHS)
• FHS Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• King Movies (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Marquis Video (????) (Canada) (VHS) (cut version "Holy Terror")
• Opção (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Spotlite Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• VCI Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Treasures (????) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Illusions Inc.

Other Companies

• Magnofex  sound editing
• Richard Cataldi Agency  casting
• Friedman/Futch Casting Consultants  casting
• EFX Unlimited  opticals
• Joan Peckolick Design Inc.  title design
• Trans / Audio  sound re-recording
• C. Hannah Ltd. Inc.  vehicles
• Communion Productions Ltd.  production services furnished by
• The City of Paterson, New Jersey  thanks

Also Known As:

"Communion" - USA (original title)
"Holy Terror" - USA (cut version)

Runtime:

98 min | Australia:106 min | USA:108 min (unrated version) | Spain:83 min | Argentina:108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

1 James Street, Paterson, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Harristown Funding

Trivia:

Columbia Pictures was set to release the movie (as "Communion") but pulled out for legal reasons. When Allied Artists picked it up, director Alford Sole demanded a title change so that the audience wouldn't think they were seeing a religious film. The book adaption retains the film's original title.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Alphonso is stabbed he falls down on a coffee table causing it to collapse. A pair of hands is visible as they catch a falling fish bowl.

Quotes:

Mr. Alphonso:[to Alice who has brought a rent check from her mother to him] Give me that check!
Mr. Alphonso:[Alice crunches the check in her hands as he grabs it] You little bitch! Look what you've done to this check!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)

Soundtrack:

Three Little Fishies

Put that knife down. You might as well just use a crucifix.

When young Karen Spages is strangled and set on fire in a Catholic Church at her first communion, her disturbed older sister Alice is the central suspect, because of her jealously towards her. Her estrange father Dominick arrives in town for the funeral. Catherine her mother and Dominick believe Alice is an innocent victim, but when her Aunt Annie is attacked by someone in a yellow slicker and plastic doll mask, she believes it's Alice. The police take Alice in, where she tries to convince them that Karen is alive and stabbed Annie. And their lie detectors goes on to prove it. Dominick with the help of father Tom try their best to investigate just who might be behind the actual attacks.

Alfred Sole's effectively accomplished direction, atmospheric handling and astutely symbolic, psychological tampered plot really do go real long way to covering the flawed aspects of the commendable production. In what might have damage other films, only goes on to be a minor quibble here because there are so many glowing factors, which are amazingly pulled off for an impressive low-budget effort. This is one of my favourite 70's horror oddities, which breaths a fresh air in its premise's circuitously glum layout, an ominously nasty streak, purposely stinging jolts and being filmed on authentic locations in New Jersey.

What makes the unusually cunning and certainly unpredictable plot compelling, is that so much can be read from it, like it's penetrating thoughts on Catholicism too the prolific character developments involving the hardships of family life, but there's no lying about its true intentions, which did kind of got mingled with the baffling conclusion. Making repeat viewings a must, to pick up on those minor details. Some fundamental devices in the plot show up; the usual police investigation is the glaring one, but it never draws away from the main focus and adjustably installs itself into the material. There are some odd and eccentric characters written in also, which catch onto the emotional ride. Some might think the tension will evaporate, as just after halfway through the killer is unmasked, but the story's slow rising sinisterness early on eventually leads to a brooding intensity that actually seems to fester up, for the thrilling final third with one powerful conclusion to boot.

Sole does a vividly lucid job in the director's chair with moody imagery, creative viewpoints and uneasy composition, backed up by disquietingly stylish jolts timed with utter perfection. However in spots it can drag with it's deliberately slow pace and a densely thorough script, which can labour along. Maybe it was a tad too long. Also illustrating the film's disorienting air and unsettling suspense was John Freeberg's gracefully skilled cinematography and Stephen Lawrence's playfully chilling, but occasionally harrowing musical score, which expertly went hand-to-hand to craft out an overwhelming tenor. The killer goes around in a shiny yellow slicker, white gloves and the chilling doll mask they wear, actually gives me the creeps. The performances are noting to write home about and might be gauche in some cases, but there's no denying that the matchless Paula E. Shepherd is startlingly convincing as the creepy Alice. Linda Miller does exceptionally well as Alice's heart-aching mother Catherine and Niles McMaster brings a solidarity to his performance as Alice's stalwart father Dom. Jane Lowry can get fittingly overbearing as the haughty Aunt Annie and the unforgettable Alphonso DeNoble keeps it all vile as the grubby landlord. Even with the high billing that Brooke Shields receives, her debut performance is efficient and her death memorable, but not worth all the fuzz for only 15 minutes. Mildred Clinton, Rudolph Willrich, Michael Hardstark, Tom Signorelli, Lillian Roth and Gary Allen go on to give able support.

An uncomfortably staggering affair with many dimensions to its story and inspired craftsmanship by Sole and co, which go on to make it a very good unappreciated gem of the 70s.