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Alice, Sweet Alice [1976] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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SLIGHTLY OVERRATED BUT STILL ENTERTAINING
Review date: 2007-10-25 Rating: 6 out of 10


On her birthday, Karen Spages, (Brooke Shields) is upset her sister Alice, (Paula Sheppard) has taken her favorite doll, which their mother Catherine, (Linda Miller) believes is the latest in a long line of disciplinary problems. When a tragic murder rocks the family, her Aunt Annie DeLorenze, (Jane Lowry) arrives to help out, and soon the police get involved in the case. Due to special circumstances in the murder, Alice is soon the primary suspect, much to the chagrin of her family. As the toll of the stress begins to mount and the more it appears that Alice is responsible, she insists her innocence and protests that her sister did it. As the investigation continues, there is a series of murders committed that happen on the members of the family. Finally getting the identity of the killer, they launch a full-scale operation to stop them before they strike again.

The Good News: When this one tries, it has some pretty good points. One of the best ones is that there's a large amount of eventual clichés to be found in this one. This is one of the first to introduce the concept of the mask used for the killer, the stalking of the victims in secluded areas and the very idea of a killer going after specific targets, where here it's a family. This also manages to touch upon normal giallo motifs where the gloved killer requires a single killing device, the middle segment of the film trying to play detective for an incredibly brutal crime that takes place at the beginning of the film and several other little touches from the genre. This here is all added together into a nicely influential film that does have some really good things about it. There's some other good moments in here, especially the opening chase. It's pretty iconic, contains a lot of suspense and finishes with a classic jump scene with the initial realization of the mask. That itself is the main positive, as the mask and overcoat the killer wears is quite intimidating and extremely clever, as the flesh-colored mask and yellow raincoat make for a distinctive look. The film's other big positive is that it manages to bookend the film with great scenes. The opening chase is great, as is the ending confrontation in the church. That it takes place during the Mass Ceremony rather than the empty church gives it a little more power, and that in itself is the best quality of the scene. It's a lot more powerful that it takes place in front of others rather than no one, and it helps to make the film better.

The Bad News: This one here simply feels slightly overrated than what it should. The biggest reason here is this here is simply so slow going. The first murder is so long into the film, which manages to handle just about all of the first part of the film, and the fact that the next ones come into the film way into the second half. That leaves a lot of time in between the segments where there's a long gap where nothing happens and it becomes a drag to sit through. The fact that it's so often dealing with the religious aspects of the film really do tend to affect that. This manages to worm it's way into the proceedings and take up a large amount of time away from the killings. That there is the major reason for this one to feel as it does, since this forces time away to devote to it when it doesn't need the terms as it's already been expertly given. The fact that there's also way too much time devoted to the red herring suspect that it starts to get boring after a while. There's way too much built up into a completely improbable idea that it just becomes aggravating when it introduces yet another piece of evidence that throws more fire towards the obvious red herring. All these things are responsible for it's overrated feeling.

The Final Verdict: While not a full-on classic, this is still a somewhat decent and more than watchable affair with some good points. Recommended to those interested in 70s horror or the roots of the slasher genre, while those who think the subject matter too hard to handle or the slow pace should heed caution.


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Reviews


Underrated landmark in the horror genre
Review date: 2003-07-08 Rating: 8 out of 10

AN underrated, unsettling tale of murder, suspicion and the macabre, this is a seminal horror film.
It focuses on 12-year-old Alice Spages (Paula Sheppard) who is accused of murdering her younger sister Karen (Brooke Shields) before her First Communion and then of viciously stabbing her Aunt Annie.
We view a masked killer in a yellow raincoat committing both acts and it seems obvious that Karen - who was the last person to see her sister - will be implicated as the perpetrator.
She is suspected due to problems at school, jealousy of her sister, resentment of her mother (whom she thinks favours Alice over her) and her generally odd behaviour.
Karen is questioned by police and named by her Aunt as the mystery attacker, however in its genuinely frightening conclusive stages, doubts gather as to the person who carried out both deeds. And although the person responsible is seemingly uncovered, an unforeseen climax suggests that any pre-conceived notions over the murderer's identity may have been unfounded.
It's absorbing viewing and although never positively unnerving until its latter half, Alice, Sweet Alice contains many distinctive characteristics.
The use of a religious setting and ecclesiastical imagery - which has faint echoes of both The Exorcist (1973) and in a way Rosemary's Baby (1968) - coupled with the surreal, gory nature of the killer's acts, does make for an unusually tense atmosphere.
Alice herself is a potent source of terror. Indeed it would not be an exaggeration to say that Paula Sheppard's chilling performance is redolent of Sissy Spacek's wonderfully scary display as Carrie in Brian De Palma's 1976 classic.
With her piercing eyes and fixed stare, she is monstrously creepy every time the camera focuses on her.
Alice is not the only bizarre character in the film, which is extremely well cast with a number of physically (and mentally) distorted participants, not least the obese and possibly perverted Mr Alphonso and Mrs Tredoni, who possesses a genuinely perturbing demeanour. It also marked the first screen appearance of Brooke Shields, who was nine when she played Alice's sister Karen.
Music also plays an integral part in the film, with its haunting main theme a very effective component of creating an eerie aura.
Possibly its most notable feature is the use of the masked killer, which pre-dates Halloween (1978) and adds an extra layer of intrigue to what is already a subtly fascinating premise.
It also established that the look of the killer (in this case a yellow raincoat and cherub faced child's mask) was almost as important as the actions he/she/it carried out.
And in this regard, Alfred Sole's film was to serve as a reference point and undoubted influence for many - including Friday the 13th (1980) and My Bloody Valentine (1981) - of the sometimes mis-labelled 'slasher' films that were successful largely between 1978-1983.
In conclusion, I believe that Alice, Sweet Alice is a landmark film in several aspects and should appeal to anyone with an interest in the horror genre.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Jane Lowry
Niles McMaster
Paula E. Sheppard
Linda Miller
Mildred Clinton

Creators:
Linda Miller (Primary Contributor)
Mildred Clinton (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Henstooth Video
Manufacturer: Henstooth Video
EAN: 0759731410724
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2007-05-01
Universal product code (UPC): 759731410724
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 107 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1976-11-13
Language: English (Original Language)

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