Alice, Sweet Alice
This fantastic, suspenseful horror tale is set around Karen Spages's (Brooke Shields, in her film debut) first holy communion. Her mother Catherine (Linda Miller) is joyous of the happening, while her older sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) is jealous and bitter. Catherine's estranged husband Dominick (Niles McMaster) gives Karen a strange, two-faced doll, but Alice hides it away from her, threatening not to ever give it back. Both Karen and Alice attend St. Michael's Parish's
Girl's School, and Alice frequently withdraws herself, wearing a creepy translucent mask and the school's yellow raincoat. She's a very peculiar and trouble-making child, unlike her younger sister who she despises.
Upon the day of Karen's first communion, she is strangled and set on fire in the church by someone wearing a yellow raincoat and mask, the ones exactly like Alice's. The killer also takes the crucifix that was given to Karen by Father Tom (Rudolph Willrich). Dominick returns to town for the funeral and until the murderer is found. Soon, Catherine's sister Annie (Jane Lowry) points a finger of suspicion at Alice because she was the last to enter the church. Catherine is enraged at her sister's acquistions and dismisses it as just another excuse of Annie's immense hatred of Alice.
One day, Alice drops a glass milk bottle and gets into a fight with Aunt Annie. After calming Alice down, her mother sends her downstairs for an errand. Shortly after, while Annie is leaving the apartment building where Catherine lives, she is viciously stabbed by the same person who killed Karen. Shocked by Annie's screams, people come out of their apartments, while the killer flees the scene. Annie survives, but blames Alice for the murder. Alice is then repeatedly questioned by investigators and put under observation by a psychiatrist. Who could be the killer? Is Alice troubled enough to kill someone, or is it someone else with murder on their mind?
As a child, I frequently viewed this film. I couldn't get enough of how scary and entertaining it was to me! After a recent viewing, I still savour every minute. Originally released as Communion, then re-released under Alice, Sweet Alice, then Holy Terror, this 1976 Alfred Sole film is one of my personal horror movie favorites and destined to become a classic. The film was critically acclaimed by such critics as Roger Ebert, but wasn't very successful. It was re-released under various, alternate titles to cash in on the success of Brooke Shields's stardom, constantly containing some tagline to entice the viewer of her film debut. That's not all this film has, though. It's very unique and creepy, despite the low budget which most horror films contain. Since Paula Sheppard's character is a red herring, the killer's identity is confusing to figure out. The ending left me with a creeped-out feeling. This film has been recently released to DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment, which is a DVD I still have to see. Absolutely recommended to any die-hard horror movie fan who enjoys tons of shocks and plot twists!
