Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

In 1961, a divorced catholic couple's life is turned upside down when one of their two adolescent daughters is suspected of her younger sister's brutal murder during her First Communion, and a series of subsequent stabbings.

Director:

Alfred Sole

Writers:

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

Stars:

Linda Miller, Mildred Clinton, Paula E. Sheppard

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 also)
Patrick Gorman	...	Father Pat
Kathy Rich	...	Angela DeLorenze

Storyline

Alice Spages is a withdrawn 12-year-old girl who lives with her younger sister Karen and their mother Catherine. Karen gets most of their mother's attention, and Alice is often left out of the spotlight. When Karen is found brutally murdered in a church before her First Holy Communion, Alice is in the spotlight of suspicion, but is a 12-year-old girl really capable of such savagery? As more people die at the hands of a merciless killer, Alice's family and the police don't know what to believe.

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | first communion | masked killer | sister sister relationship | kitten | 

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Taglines:

It's too late for prayers.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Original prints of this film had the title credits with the animated painting of Alice holding the knife that newer digital copies of the film have, but the original title letters still said "Communion" which was edited in 1998 to comply with the name under which it would be marketed.

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Goofs

While Father Joe is saying the climactic Mass, he repeats the Penitential Rite ("Domine,non sum dignus": Lord, I am not worthy) twice.

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Quotes

Mrs. Tredoni: [Alice scares Mrs. Tredoni with a grinning mask] Oh, you nasty child! Out of my kitchen!

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Crazy Credits

During the ending credits there is no music and the screen doesn't turn black, the last frame of the film remains in the background forever.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was uncut but the 1998 Tartan video version was cut by 3 seconds to remove a brief shot of a squirming kitten being swung at an attacker (the edit was later extended to 8 secs for the 2003 release). These were considered to fall foul of UK legislation which forbids actual animal cruelty to be depicted in films. The cut was waived for the 2014 88 Films DVD release.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Murderous Women in Film (2014)

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Soundtracks

Something to Remember You By
Written by Arthur Schwartz (as Schwartz)
Performed by Helen Morgan (uncredited)

User Reviews

Finest of it's kind...

"Alice, Sweet Alice" is the first horror movie i ever saw, and i've seen many since. But nothing, in my book, compares to this classic, as-yet-undiscovered little gem. First off, the acting is SUPERB, and Puala Sheppard's portrayal of Alice is close to flawless. Second, the atmosphere is amazing, offset by an excellent and eerily haunting musical score. If you are a fan of 70's horror, this one is the best of it's kind, not only for the aforementioned, but also because it captures the essence of the 70's both in it's rainy, New Jersey setting, and in the grainy feel of the way it was filmed. Talks of a proposed sequel to this movie are in the works for 2005, and although it will most likely be doomed to straight-to-video hell, i am still eagerly anticipating it with high hopes. Original and entertaining, although some may find it slow paced for their taste, i gave it 10/10 *'s because in my opinion, it's a near-masterpiece.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Holy Terror

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$340,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harristown Funding

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min 98 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1