Absolutely Fantastic

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Very Slow, Plot Sucked, Acting OK, Has it's moments.Some cool killings. But the mystery part sucked. Not enough clues. Very slow moving. Strange enough to watch. But nothing great.Very Slow, Plot Sucked, Acting OK, Has it's moments.Some cool killings. But the mystery part sucked. Not enough clues. Very slow moving. Strange enough to watch. But nothing great.Very Slow, Plot Sucked, Acting OK, Has it's moments.Some cool killings. But the mystery part sucked. Not enough clues. Very slow moving. Strange enough to watch. But nothing great.Very Slow, Plot Sucked, Acting OK, Has it's moments.Some cool killings. But the mystery part sucked. Not enough clues. Very slow moving. Strange enough to watch. But nothing great.

On the day of her first communion, 12 year old Karen, (Brooke Shields in her first role) is gruesomely murdered by a masked killer wearing a yellow rain coat. This shocking opening catches your attention quickly. Everyone, including the police suspects it was her jealous older sister Alice (Sheppard) who was mysteriously missing when the deed was done and shows up with an article of Karen's clothing. Her Mother Catherine (Miller) simply won't believe it and calls in her ex-husband Dom (McMaster) to help clear her daughter. A few more stalking deaths are executed in macabre fashion and the suspicion is on Alice. This low budget shocker from New Jersey has a real nasty streak to it. It unfolds smoothly putting its attention on character and mystery. Director Alfred Sole lays on suspense first and then delivers the terror with intensity that really makes this film work. Several unnerving scenes stand out like the attack on the apartment stairs and when Dom investigates an abandoned building with the killer on the loose. These scenes are gruesome and shocking and the sight of the creepy killer is quite unnerving throughout the film. The acting is quite good with Linda Miller as the mother and the excellent performance from Paula Sheppard as Alice. Sole delivers something deliciously evil and scary. With everything today being so politically correct, 'Alice Sweet Alice' (Originally called Communion) reaches from the 1970's and slaps you in the face. To say this movie is politically incorrect by today's standards would be an understatement and it is welcomed. Shocking and scary, this is a gem from the 70's that shouldn't be missed especially by Slasher film fans.

Poor little Alice(Paula E. Sheppard). Mercurial and withdrawn since her parents divorce, all of the attention is lavished on little sister Karen (a very young Brooke Shields) by their rather glacial, newly single mom,Katherine (Linda Miller).When Karen is found murdered in church on the day of her first Communion, all eyes on on Alice, who has Karen's veil in hand, and was ready to take her sister's place at the altar when the body was discovered. Soon bodies are piling up around the fractured family...but is Alice a sociopath or just a little girl fractured by both the slights of her upbringing (outright disdain from her aunt, a borderline pedophile landlord, an absent father) and the fact that she knows something regarding the crimes no one else has yet noticed? This film is a low budget classic of atmosphere. Gore is minimal, but tension is high, with a range of carefully selected music, a muted, faded color palette and a lot of giallo style POV close up reaction shots, and a claustrophobic series of sets, building a slow boil tension that even the sometimes clunky dialog and somewhat stiff acting can't break.It's an object lesson in how much can be done with quite little in the way of budget, and everything from the Catholic mass imagery to the rain destroying Katherine's careful coif after a brutal stabbing attack on her sister is placed with intent and care. Even when the killer is revealed just below the half way point, it just ups the ante for the remainder of the film My only real quibbles are that some of the character backstory and motivation is sketched quite thinly (particularly that of the killer, and the precise details of the divorce that fractured the family) and that those well crafted mood making moments were not let run just a tad longer, as the stills have a way of burrowing into your head and staying there.Given that a lot of the more straightforward expository scenes are written a touch awkward and thin, shaving a few seconds off them would have not done any harm, and made the transitions slightly less jarring.In any case, this film deserves to be remembered for far more than the first screen appearance of Ms. Shields, spent the $5 on Amazon and grab yourself a copy.For a nice little double feature, screen this with the equally atmosphere filled and under watched "Dead & Buried" (which I've also reviewed) and lament for a moment what thrillers used to be before the current vogue for sheer shock value.

was it just a coincidence? lucky? what did the ending mean exactly? ambiguous? You can see Brooke shields in her early teens where she is very pretty. this is a fine film from the 70's where films were taunt, thrilling, violent, moody, atmospheric. you remember the movie valentine, where someone with a mask kills people? this is like valentine with a genius IQ. one of the finest films i've ever seen. hitchkokican camera work since the directer was an avid fan of his. acting was a little weak except for Alice. they don't make films like this anymore. it's a shame. why do IMDb require ten lines for a review? it's really annoying because i only have 2 or 3 lines of things to say. then i have to think of things to type. anyway it is a very good movie and if you are a horror fan or thriller fan, you will like it for sure. se la vi.4.5/5