Alice, Sweet Alice (Communion) (1976)
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80% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
57% of users liked it
(6,948 ratings)
The shockingly brutal murder of a little girl in a church where she was just about to receive her first Communion sets a strong tone for terror in this disturbing horror film. The prime suspect in the death of Karen Spages (Brooke Shields) is her sister, Alice (Paula Sheppard), who happily tormented… More The shockingly brutal murder of a little girl in a church where she was just about to receive her first Communion sets a strong tone for terror in this disturbing horror film. The prime suspect in the death of Karen Spages (Brooke Shields) is her sister, Alice (Paula Sheppard), who happily tormented Karen by donning a mask and a raincoat to scare her. Comforting the grieving mother, Catherine Spages (Linda G. Miller), is her sister, Annie (Jane Lowry); local priest Father Tom (Rudolph Willrich); and Catherine's estranged husband, Dominick (Niles McMaster). Other characters include Father Tom's quirky housekeeper, Mrs. Tredoni (Mildred Clinton); a pair of detectives (Tom Signorelli, Michael Hardstark); and Catherine Spages' obese, cat-loving landlord (Alphonso De Noble). While the police investigation and all visual clues quickly point to Alice, director Alfred Sole manages to cast doubt on the killer's identity while the masked madman strikes several more times. About two-thirds of the way through the movie, Sole allows the viewer to see the killer. However, he smartly keeps his characters in the dark setting up a tense finale which culminates in yet another bloody slaying on holy ground before the lunatic is finally stopped. ~ Patrick Legare, Rovi
- Directed By
- Alfred Sole
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Nov 13, 1976 Wide
- Studio
- Allied Artists Pictures
Critic Reviews
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
It could be just another possessed-child movie. Or not. Mostly, it's a mystery movie, a whodunnit. ("Scream Theater: 12 Cheap Thrills. VCI Horror Marathon")
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Unfairly, a lot of people know it today because it features the big-screen debut of Brooke Shields.
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Sole develops a very strange atmosphere... [he] uses striking colors to punctuate the grim atmosphere, and occasionally an extremely wide angle will crop up to accentuate the feeling of unease; even the sound is tricky.
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Every composition is more ornate than at first expected
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Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Possibly the closet American relation to an Italian giallo.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Linda G. Miller
as Catherine Spages
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Mildred Clinton
as Mrs. Tredoni
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Paula E. Sheppard
as Alice Spages
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Niles McMaster
as Dom Spages
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Rudolph Willrich
as Father Tom
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Jane Lowry
as Aunt Annie DeLorenze
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Alphonso de Noble
as Mr. Alphonso
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Brooke Shields
as Karen Spages
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Tom Signorelli
as Detective Brennan
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Lillian Roth
as Pathologist
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Gary Allen
as Uncle Jim DeLorenze
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Dick Boccelli
as Hotel Clerk
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Mary Boylan
as Mother Superior
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Sally Anne Golden
as Policewoman
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Michael Hardstark
as Detective Spina
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Louisa Horton
as Dr. Whitman Psychiatrist
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Antonino Rocco
as Funeral Attendant
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Patrick Gorman
as Father Pat


