On A List of Movie Reviews
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Alice Sweet Alice (1976)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
12/16
12/16:
Even though it looks British, Alice Sweet Alice, which was originally titled Communion and then re-released
as Holy Terror to cash in on Brooke Shields' rising fame, is a low-budget American slasher picture that takes place
in Paterson, New Jersey.
What I like the most is the style. It has a good pace which is never quick. The photography is beautiful for an
independent picture. There's a unique-looking guy who could've played Uncle Fester. His real name was
Alphonso DeNoble, a nonprofessional actor who weighed over 400 pounds, passing away two years afterwards at the age of 31.
Linda Miller, who plays Alice's mother, is actually the daughter of Jackie Gleason of The Honeymooners fame.
She was married to Jason Miller, who's well known as Father Damien in The Exorcist,
and is the mother of Jason Patric. Apparently, Linda Miller has her father's looks.
Although Alice Sweet Alice starts off well, it loses momentum by the time Alice is taken to the police station for
a lie detector test. From there on, I've lost care. The final twenty minutes is a doozy, killing the movie for good.
Ripping off the concept of a girl in red raincoat from Don't Look Now doesn't help, either.
There's a bit of Psycho in a couple of scenes, hence the homage through the movie poster
during the wake.
Paula Sheppard was too old to play Alice who's supposed to be 12. She was 19 at the time. By the way, it's Brooke Shields'
first film, but she's not in it that much. She would appear in a controversial picture
Pretty Baby two years later.
All in all, Alice Sweet Alice has some redeeming qualities and isn't bad for a horror picture, but the story is
dumb for the most part.