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Film: Alice, Sweet Alice
Year: 1976
Director: Alfred Sole
Writer: Rosemary Ritvo and Alfred Sole
Starring: Linda Miller, Mildred Clinton and Paula E. Sheppard
Review:
This film follows a small family. There is the mother played by Linda Miller. She is single and trying to raising two daughters, the eldest is the titled character played by Paula E. Sheppard. Her younger sister is played by a young Brooke Shields. Their father is married to another woman and lives elsewhere.
We see that Sheppard is a mean older sister. Later in the film, we learn that she is having problems in school and is weird. She keeps doing things to bother Shields who is constantly whining to her mother. We see that Shields is the baby and is treated that way.
It is told that Shields is going to her first communion and their priest, played by Rudolph Willrich, gives her a fancy cross. During this, Sheppard asks to use the restroom and instead scares the old woman who lives in the house with Willrich and takes care of everyone living there. She is played by Mildred Clinton.
Before the communion, we also see the weird landlord of the building they live in. Sheppard and he interact a lot. He is a crazy cat guy who is odd and very over-weight. He is played by Alphonso DeNoble.
The first communion doesn’t go as planned as Shields is murdered. No one knows where Sheppard was at the time, but she does have Shields’ vale. Did Sheppard murder her? The killings don’t stop here. We see Sheppard with a trunk in the basement full of weird things. Is she the brutal killer or is it someone else? Her father comes home, played by Niles McMaster to prove her innocence, but what will he discover?
I really liked this film. The story has a lot of different elements to it that mesh well. We have the parents that don’t believe their child is capable of it. We have siblings that don’t get along and accuse each other of the crimes. We have religion and how it can make people crazy. I really liked how all of these elements combine together.
The acting is good and the story plays out very well. What I like about this one is that you think you know what is going on and there are a few curves through in that change what you think. I really liked what the ending did as well which makes you question everything you’ve seen in this one. Definitely a classic horror film and I would recommend giving this one a viewing, especially if you’re into realistic horror.
My Rating: 8 out of 10