“God took her from me on the day of her first communion, don’t you see? He waited until then to teach me that children pay for the sins of their parents.”
Is there anything quite so devastating as the concept of original sin? The idea that we’re damned at conception before we’ve had a chance to take our first breath? What will it take to find salvation and how much will we have to pay for the actions of those who came before us? It’s a particularly painful topic for women. With Eve’s first bite of the apple weighing heavily against us and men holding all the levers of power, the path to righteousness can feel like a minefield. Some women will kill to escape these oppressive gender-based norms while others double down and kill to make sure they stay in place. The Lady Killers...
Is there anything quite so devastating as the concept of original sin? The idea that we’re damned at conception before we’ve had a chance to take our first breath? What will it take to find salvation and how much will we have to pay for the actions of those who came before us? It’s a particularly painful topic for women. With Eve’s first bite of the apple weighing heavily against us and men holding all the levers of power, the path to righteousness can feel like a minefield. Some women will kill to escape these oppressive gender-based norms while others double down and kill to make sure they stay in place. The Lady Killers...
- 3/28/2024
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSCarla Simón’s Alcarrás (Courtesy of MK2 Films)This year's Berlinale has now concluded, with Carla Simón’s Alcarrás taking home the Golden Bear, and Hong Sang-soo, Claire Denis and Natalia Lopez Gallardo taking home prizes as well. Check out the full list of awards winners here.Horror filmmaker and production designer Alfred Sole has died at the age of 78. Sole famously directed the cult horror classic Alice, Sweet Alice (1976). However, he first gained notoriety with his X-rated film Deep Sleep (1972), which was pulled from theaters. Sole continued as a prolific production designer for many television films and shows like Veronica Mars and Melrose Place. Netflix has officially signed an updated windowing agreement with France's film industry, which will "see the window between theatrical and SVOD release significantly reduced" from 36 months to 15 months. And as Deadline points out,...
- 2/23/2022
- MUBI
An early proto-slasher horror movie, 1976’s Alice, Sweet Alice was written & directed by Alfred Sole, and we’ve learned the sad news this week that the filmmaker has passed away. Alice, Sweet Alice notably marked the feature debut of a young Brooke Shields, and it was Alfred Sole’s second feature as director. In Alice, Sweet […]
The post ‘Alice, Sweet Alice’ Director Alfred Sole Has Passed Away at 78 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
The post ‘Alice, Sweet Alice’ Director Alfred Sole Has Passed Away at 78 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 2/18/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Alfred Sole, the prolific television production designer of Veronica Mars, Castle and MacGyver who had achieved cult-horror status with his 1976 film Alice, Sweet Alice featuring a 10-year-old Brooke Shields in a supporting role, died Feb. 14 at his home in Salt Lake City. He was 78.
His death was announced in a Facebook post by his cousin, filmmaker Dante Tomaselli. A cause of death was not specified.
Sole had already written and directed the 1972 sexually explicit, low-budget film Deep Sleep when several years later – and after the first film had been pulled from theaters on charges of obscenity – he turned to the horror genre. Originally titled Communion, Sole’s second movie premiered at the Chicago Film Festival in 1976 and was released by Allied Artists the following year as Alice, Sweet Alice, a name change disliked by Sole.
Inspired in part by Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 moody thriller Don’t Look Now, Sole’s Alice,...
His death was announced in a Facebook post by his cousin, filmmaker Dante Tomaselli. A cause of death was not specified.
Sole had already written and directed the 1972 sexually explicit, low-budget film Deep Sleep when several years later – and after the first film had been pulled from theaters on charges of obscenity – he turned to the horror genre. Originally titled Communion, Sole’s second movie premiered at the Chicago Film Festival in 1976 and was released by Allied Artists the following year as Alice, Sweet Alice, a name change disliked by Sole.
Inspired in part by Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 moody thriller Don’t Look Now, Sole’s Alice,...
- 2/17/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The amazing team at Waxwork Records continue to shine the spotlight on beloved horror movie soundtracks with the first-ever official release of Stephen Lawrence's score for Alice, Sweet Alice, and we're thrilled to share the full release details and images of Steven Reeves' eye-catching artwork for the new vinyl!
We have the official press release with full details on the Alice, Sweet Alice vinyl soundtrack below, as well as a gallery of the deluxe packaging and blood-spattered artwork that fans of the film can look forward to!
The Alice, Sweet Alice Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will go up for pre-order on Waxwork's website on Friday, March 5th, and be sure to visit them online to keep up to date on all of their new releases!
Waxwork Records is thrilled to present the debut release of Alice, Sweet Alice Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Stephen Lawrence. Alice, Sweet Alice is a...
We have the official press release with full details on the Alice, Sweet Alice vinyl soundtrack below, as well as a gallery of the deluxe packaging and blood-spattered artwork that fans of the film can look forward to!
The Alice, Sweet Alice Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will go up for pre-order on Waxwork's website on Friday, March 5th, and be sure to visit them online to keep up to date on all of their new releases!
Waxwork Records is thrilled to present the debut release of Alice, Sweet Alice Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Stephen Lawrence. Alice, Sweet Alice is a...
- 3/5/2021
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
New Jersey native Alfred Sole caught some critics’ eyes with his creepily Hitchcock-influenced but poorly distributed Alice Sweet Alice (aka: Communion), and soon gave up directing for a more productive career as a production designer. His penultimate directorial effort is this even more obscure and bizarre pseudo-sexploitation fantasy starring sexy model Vanity (billed as Dd Winters), marooned on an imaginary tropical island with an amorous ape man played by Don McLeod, best known as Elizabeth Brooks’ feral brother in The Howling. Nsfw!
Here’s Mick Garris on Alice Sweet Alice. And here’s Josh Olson on The Howling.
The post Tanya’s Island appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
Here’s Mick Garris on Alice Sweet Alice. And here’s Josh Olson on The Howling.
The post Tanya’s Island appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 9/2/2020
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Director Alfred Sole courted controversy on a couple of fronts with this 1976 shocker – the Catholic Church took umbrage over its subject matter (the original title was Communion) and a 1977 re-release threw more gasoline on the fire by exploiting the then 13 year-old Brooke Shield’s semi-scandalous performance in 1977’s Pretty Baby. Though there were scattered nay-sayers among the critics, most were impressed by the film’s somber tone and powerful imagery.
The post Alice, Sweet Alice appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Alice, Sweet Alice appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 3/16/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Outside of Larry Cohen and Brian De Palma, there’s a dearth of high-profile genre auteurs in the canon of 1970s American horror cinema. One of their colleagues is Alfred Sole, whose short-lived filmography ended after three features. A New Jersey architect, Sole crafted a hysterically primed psychological thriller with his fascinating debut, Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), best remembered as the debut of Brooke Shields, whose name and visage would eventually be plastered over the home entertainment offerings of the film following her rise to stardom two years later.
Some disagreements over the title were also to blame for the film’s slow rise to cult status, initially titled Communion while owned by Columbia Pictures and then retitled by Allied Artists (although it was also marketed as Holy Terror briefly to capitalize on Shields following the release of Louis Malle’s infamous Pretty Baby).…...
Some disagreements over the title were also to blame for the film’s slow rise to cult status, initially titled Communion while owned by Columbia Pictures and then retitled by Allied Artists (although it was also marketed as Holy Terror briefly to capitalize on Shields following the release of Louis Malle’s infamous Pretty Baby).…...
- 8/13/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
This unique proto-slasher is not a rip-off of The Exorcist and for my taste is more meaningful, despite associating innocent children with horrible killings and religious repression. Director Alfred Sole uses these edgy elements to whip up an involving mystery, and a committed cast lifts it high above the exploitation gutter. Great extras, especially a commentary by Richard Harland Smith.
Alice, Sweet Alice
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1976 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 98 min. / Communion / Street Date August 6, 2019 / 39.95
Starring: Linda Miller, Paula Sheppard, Mildred Clinton, Niles McMaster, Tom Signorelli, Brooke Shields, Miss Lillian Roth.
Film Editor: Edward Salier
Original Music: Stephen Lawrence
Written by Rosemary Ritvo, Alfred Sole
Produced by Richard K. Rosenberg
Directed by Alfred Sole
Back in the 1970s horror films didn’t always get a fair critical reception, so it was difficult to know which ones were the winners. Alice, Sweet Alice is an accomplished post- Exorcist shocker about mayhem in a dysfunctional Catholic family.
Alice, Sweet Alice
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1976 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 98 min. / Communion / Street Date August 6, 2019 / 39.95
Starring: Linda Miller, Paula Sheppard, Mildred Clinton, Niles McMaster, Tom Signorelli, Brooke Shields, Miss Lillian Roth.
Film Editor: Edward Salier
Original Music: Stephen Lawrence
Written by Rosemary Ritvo, Alfred Sole
Produced by Richard K. Rosenberg
Directed by Alfred Sole
Back in the 1970s horror films didn’t always get a fair critical reception, so it was difficult to know which ones were the winners. Alice, Sweet Alice is an accomplished post- Exorcist shocker about mayhem in a dysfunctional Catholic family.
- 8/13/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Stars: Linda Miller, Mildred Clinton, Paula Sheppard, Niles McMaster, Jane Lowry, Rudolph Willrich, Michael Hardstark, Alphonso DeNoble, Gary Allen, Brooke Shields | Written by Alfred Sole, Rosemary Ritvo | Directed by Alfred Sole
When ten-year-old Karen is killed in church on the occasion of her first communion, her seemingly innocent older sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) becomes the prime suspect. Matters become complicated as more of Alice s family members are attacked, along with residents of her apartment building. Can a twelve-year-old girl be capable of such mayhem, or is someone else with a vicious plan destroying her family?
1970s “killer kid” proto-slasherAlice Sweet Alice comes from from director Alfred Sole – who would later go on to spoof the genre a mere three years later with Pandemonium – and is one of those horror films that has become more notorious for its cast than it’s plot. In this case it for a very...
When ten-year-old Karen is killed in church on the occasion of her first communion, her seemingly innocent older sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) becomes the prime suspect. Matters become complicated as more of Alice s family members are attacked, along with residents of her apartment building. Can a twelve-year-old girl be capable of such mayhem, or is someone else with a vicious plan destroying her family?
1970s “killer kid” proto-slasherAlice Sweet Alice comes from from director Alfred Sole – who would later go on to spoof the genre a mere three years later with Pandemonium – and is one of those horror films that has become more notorious for its cast than it’s plot. In this case it for a very...
- 8/6/2019
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
August’s horror and sci-fi home media releases are kicking off with an eclectic, but fantastic bunch, led by Arrow Video’s special edition release of Alice, Sweet Alice. Raro Video is resurrecting Lucio Fulci’s Touch of Death this week, and if you happened to miss them earlier this year, both The Curse of La Llorona and Charlie Says will be hitting both formats on Tuesday.
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases arriving on August 6th include Room For Rent, The Reflecting Skin, St. Agatha, Division 19, Xenophobia, and Pentagram.
Alice, Sweet Alice: Special Edition
A young Brooke Shields meets an untimely end in this religious-themed proto slasher par excellence from director Alfred Sole. On the day of her first communion, young Karen (Brooke Shields) is savagely murdered by an unknown assailant in a yellow rain mac and creepy translucent mask. But the nightmare is far from over - as...
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases arriving on August 6th include Room For Rent, The Reflecting Skin, St. Agatha, Division 19, Xenophobia, and Pentagram.
Alice, Sweet Alice: Special Edition
A young Brooke Shields meets an untimely end in this religious-themed proto slasher par excellence from director Alfred Sole. On the day of her first communion, young Karen (Brooke Shields) is savagely murdered by an unknown assailant in a yellow rain mac and creepy translucent mask. But the nightmare is far from over - as...
- 8/5/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Alice Sweet Alice will be available on Blu-ray August 6th from Arrow Video
A young Brooke Shields meets an untimely end in this religious-themed proto slasher par excellence from director Alfred Sole.
On the day of her first communion, young Karen (Brooke Shields) is savagely murdered by an unknown assailant in a yellow rain mac and creepy translucent mask. But the nightmare is far from over – as the knife-wielding maniac strikes again and again, Karen s bereaved parents are forced to confront the possibility that Karen s wayward sister Alice might be the one behind the mask.
Bearing influences from the likes of Hitchcock, the then-booming Italian giallo film and more specifically, Nicolas Roeg s Don t Look Now, Alice, Sweet Alice is an absolutely essential – if often overlooked – entry in the canon of 1970s American horror.
Special Edition Contents
· Brand new 2K restoration of the theatrical version from the...
A young Brooke Shields meets an untimely end in this religious-themed proto slasher par excellence from director Alfred Sole.
On the day of her first communion, young Karen (Brooke Shields) is savagely murdered by an unknown assailant in a yellow rain mac and creepy translucent mask. But the nightmare is far from over – as the knife-wielding maniac strikes again and again, Karen s bereaved parents are forced to confront the possibility that Karen s wayward sister Alice might be the one behind the mask.
Bearing influences from the likes of Hitchcock, the then-booming Italian giallo film and more specifically, Nicolas Roeg s Don t Look Now, Alice, Sweet Alice is an absolutely essential – if often overlooked – entry in the canon of 1970s American horror.
Special Edition Contents
· Brand new 2K restoration of the theatrical version from the...
- 7/15/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Another month, another can't miss selection of classics from Arrow Video. This August may be light on quantity, but it's heavy on quality as Arrow delivers a trio of knock-out releases that fans will surely scamper to add to their collections. Only three releases this month, and only two releasing in the USA, but those two are surefire winners and long awaited films making their domestic Blu-ray debuts. First up is WIlliam Friedkin's oft requested sleazefest, Cruising, releasing both in the UK and in the Us/Can. Next is Alfred Sole's Alice, Sweet Alice, one of the most beloved horrors of the '70s, featuring the film debut of Brooke Shields, releasing in the North American markets only. Meanwhile, the UK gets a massively pimped out version...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/31/2019
- Screen Anarchy
As audience members, we sometimes take for granted what directors can accomplish with proper financial backing for a film. For contemporary studio fare, having a bigger budget often indicates a studio’s faith in the filmmaker or project, and in the best cases, that confidence translates to the screen, whether in production design, CGI, costuming, or star talent. A bigger budget undoubtedly gives the director more room to groove, allotting him or her more tools to ultimately help manifest their vision into a cinematic reality. And while I surely don’t mean to discredit artists fortunate enough to have millions at their disposal, there’s a certain beauty to the low-budget bravado of movies like Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead and John Carpenter’s Halloween.
If you’re Guillermo del Toro and have over $50 million to create a gorgeously ethereal haunt-scape like Crimson Peak,...
If you’re Guillermo del Toro and have over $50 million to create a gorgeously ethereal haunt-scape like Crimson Peak,...
- 4/19/2018
- by Nick Caruso
- DailyDead
One of the greatest low-budget thrillers ever made is finally making its debut on Blu-ray. Alfred Sole’s Paterson-nj-lensed Communion (1976), known better as Alice, Sweet Alice (and occasionally as Holy Terror), has been beautifully restored in 2K by 88 Films and is available for pre-order here. The film that introduced us to Brooke Shields comes …
The post Alfred Sole’s Alice, Sweet Alice Finally Coming to Blu-ray first appeared on Hnn | Horrornews.net 2018 - Official Horror News Site...
The post Alfred Sole’s Alice, Sweet Alice Finally Coming to Blu-ray first appeared on Hnn | Horrornews.net 2018 - Official Horror News Site...
- 2/23/2018
- by Jonathan Stryker
- Horror News
Nearly three years ago, we reported that Dante Tomaselli (Satan’s Playground) was working on a remake of his cousin Alfred Sole’s horror classic Alice, Sweet Alice, though we assumed the total silence about the project these last few years meant… Continue Reading →
The post Dante Tomaselli Provides Update on Alice, Sweet Alice Remake appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Dante Tomaselli Provides Update on Alice, Sweet Alice Remake appeared first on Dread Central.
- 5/24/2016
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
In this ongoing Shock column, editor Chris Alexander muses on classic and contemporary films and music worthy of a deeper discussion. I’ve been writing about and discussing co-writer/director Alfred Sole’s dark, effectively upsetting 1976 psychodrama Alice Sweet Alice for some time now. I first learned of the film when sifting through an early ’80’s edition…
The post Chris Alexander’s Shock Treatment: 1976’s Alice, Sweet Alice appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Chris Alexander’s Shock Treatment: 1976’s Alice, Sweet Alice appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 1/22/2016
- by Chris Alexander
- shocktillyoudrop.com
The Catholic Church (and religion in general) always seems to have a hard go of it in horror films. Whether seen as the last respite for the desperate (The Exorcist), or co-conspirators of evil (The Omen), the church has proven to be a wellspring of guilt and mistrust, useful tools for building a great horror tale. Alice, Sweet Alice (1976) is a sinister example of good old Catholic retribution, and the finest American version of a giallo to boot.
The film premiered in November of ’76 at the Chicago International Film Festival under its original title Communion. Columbia Pictures was originally supposed to distribute the film, but legal issues arose and they dropped it. Allied Artists stepped in but demanded a name change so people would not think of it as a religious film (which it is – but probably not the kind people would be expecting), came up with Alice, Sweet Alice...
The film premiered in November of ’76 at the Chicago International Film Festival under its original title Communion. Columbia Pictures was originally supposed to distribute the film, but legal issues arose and they dropped it. Allied Artists stepped in but demanded a name change so people would not think of it as a religious film (which it is – but probably not the kind people would be expecting), came up with Alice, Sweet Alice...
- 12/5/2015
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Special Mention: Un chien andalou
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Written by Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel
France, 1929
Genre: Experimental Short
The dream – or nightmare – has been a staple of horror cinema for decades. In 1929, Luis Bunuel joined forces with Salvador Dali to create Un chien andalou, an experimental and unforgettable 17-minute surrealist masterpiece. Buñuel famously said that he and Dalí wrote the film by telling one another their dreams. The film went on to influence the horror genre immensely. After all, even as manipulative as the “dream” device is, it’s still a proven way to jolt an audience. Just ask Wes Craven, who understood this bit of cinematic psychology when he dreamt of the central force behind A Nightmare on Elm Street, a film intended to be an exploration of surreal horror. David Lynch is contemporary cinema’s most devoted student of Un chien andalou – the severed ear at...
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Written by Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel
France, 1929
Genre: Experimental Short
The dream – or nightmare – has been a staple of horror cinema for decades. In 1929, Luis Bunuel joined forces with Salvador Dali to create Un chien andalou, an experimental and unforgettable 17-minute surrealist masterpiece. Buñuel famously said that he and Dalí wrote the film by telling one another their dreams. The film went on to influence the horror genre immensely. After all, even as manipulative as the “dream” device is, it’s still a proven way to jolt an audience. Just ask Wes Craven, who understood this bit of cinematic psychology when he dreamt of the central force behind A Nightmare on Elm Street, a film intended to be an exploration of surreal horror. David Lynch is contemporary cinema’s most devoted student of Un chien andalou – the severed ear at...
- 10/28/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
It’s lucky 13 — as in 13th annual edition — for Switzerland’s Lausanne Underground Film Festival, an epic celebration of cinematic weirdness, violence, filth and everything else that makes life worth living. The wild debauchery runs October 15-19.
The fest opens on Oct. 15 with the feature film debut by Leah Meyerhoff, I Believe in Unicorns, which tells the story of a troubled teenage girl who runs away with an aggressive older boy.
Other new films include the misanthropic comedy Buzzard by Joel Potrykus; the deep woods psychological thriller Mother Nature by Johan Liedgren; the complex Japanese drama Kept by Maki Mizui; and more.
Luff this year is really stuffed with great retrospectives beginning with a tribute to Beth B, who has been churning out controversial, thought-provoking flicks since the New York No Wave era to know. There will be screenings of her classic films, such as The Offenders and Salvation!, and her latest documentary,...
The fest opens on Oct. 15 with the feature film debut by Leah Meyerhoff, I Believe in Unicorns, which tells the story of a troubled teenage girl who runs away with an aggressive older boy.
Other new films include the misanthropic comedy Buzzard by Joel Potrykus; the deep woods psychological thriller Mother Nature by Johan Liedgren; the complex Japanese drama Kept by Maki Mizui; and more.
Luff this year is really stuffed with great retrospectives beginning with a tribute to Beth B, who has been churning out controversial, thought-provoking flicks since the New York No Wave era to know. There will be screenings of her classic films, such as The Offenders and Salvation!, and her latest documentary,...
- 10/10/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Prepare to be corrupted and depraved once more as Nucleus Films releases the sequel to the definitive guide to the Video Nasties phenomenon – the most extraordinary and scandalous era in the history of British film. Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide Part 2, a three-disc collector’s edition box set, is being released on DVD on July 14th 2014, to tie in with the 30th Anniversary of the Video Recordings Act 1984.
For the first time ever on DVD, all 82 films that fell foul of the Director of Public Prosecutions “Section 3” list are trailer-featured with specially filmed intros for each title, alongside a brand new documentary – Video Nasties: Draconian Days (review), directed by Jake West.
And to celebrate the release, Film4 FrightFest is hosting a special event – the world exclusive London Premiere of the finalised unseen extended 97 minute cut of Video Nasties: Draconian Days at The Prince Charles Cinema on Thurs 3 July, 8.30pm. The...
For the first time ever on DVD, all 82 films that fell foul of the Director of Public Prosecutions “Section 3” list are trailer-featured with specially filmed intros for each title, alongside a brand new documentary – Video Nasties: Draconian Days (review), directed by Jake West.
And to celebrate the release, Film4 FrightFest is hosting a special event – the world exclusive London Premiere of the finalised unseen extended 97 minute cut of Video Nasties: Draconian Days at The Prince Charles Cinema on Thurs 3 July, 8.30pm. The...
- 5/21/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Linda Miller, Mildred Clinton, Paula Sheppard, Niles McMaster, Jane Lowry, Rudolph Willrich, Michael Hardstark, Alphonso DeNoble, Gary Allen, Brooke Shields | Written by Alfred Sole, Rosemary Ritvo | Directed by Alfred Sole
88 Films expand their DVD repertoire with their first non-Full Moon flick Alice Sweet Alice (aka Communion), the 1970s “killer kid” proto-slasher from director Alfred Sole – who would later go on to spoof the genre a mere three years later with Pandemonium.
When ten-year-old Karen (Brooke Shields, in her first screen appearance) is killed in church on the occasion of her first communion, her seemingly innocent older sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) becomes the prime suspect. Matters become complicated as more of Alice s family members are attacked, along with residents of her apartment building. Can a twelve-year-old girl be capable of such mayhem, or is someone else with a vicious plan destroying her family?
Alice Sweet Alice is...
88 Films expand their DVD repertoire with their first non-Full Moon flick Alice Sweet Alice (aka Communion), the 1970s “killer kid” proto-slasher from director Alfred Sole – who would later go on to spoof the genre a mere three years later with Pandemonium.
When ten-year-old Karen (Brooke Shields, in her first screen appearance) is killed in church on the occasion of her first communion, her seemingly innocent older sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) becomes the prime suspect. Matters become complicated as more of Alice s family members are attacked, along with residents of her apartment building. Can a twelve-year-old girl be capable of such mayhem, or is someone else with a vicious plan destroying her family?
Alice Sweet Alice is...
- 2/16/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
10. Poltergeist
Directed by Gil Kenan
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire
USA
Release Date: November 14th
Production recently wrapped on the Poltergeist remake with Gil Kenan (Monster House) in the director’s chair and Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) producing. Little is known as they continue to put the movie together in post-production, but we do have a few details, beginning with the cast which includes Sam Rockwell (Moon), Rosemarie DeWitt and Jared Harris. We are also told that the psychic Angina (played originally by Zelda Rubinstein), isn’t going to be revived for the remake. Instead, they are replacing her character with a team of paranormal experts. Based on a vague plot summary, it sounds like the central plot points of the original movie are intact but other characters are added in, such as Carrigan Burke, a host of a TV show called Haunted House Cleaners, who stands in as the movie’s skeptic.
Directed by Gil Kenan
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire
USA
Release Date: November 14th
Production recently wrapped on the Poltergeist remake with Gil Kenan (Monster House) in the director’s chair and Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) producing. Little is known as they continue to put the movie together in post-production, but we do have a few details, beginning with the cast which includes Sam Rockwell (Moon), Rosemarie DeWitt and Jared Harris. We are also told that the psychic Angina (played originally by Zelda Rubinstein), isn’t going to be revived for the remake. Instead, they are replacing her character with a team of paranormal experts. Based on a vague plot summary, it sounds like the central plot points of the original movie are intact but other characters are added in, such as Carrigan Burke, a host of a TV show called Haunted House Cleaners, who stands in as the movie’s skeptic.
- 1/8/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. I am including documentaries, short films and mini series, only as special mentions – along with a few features that can qualify as horror, but barely do.
****
Special Mention:
Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...
****
Special Mention:
Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...
- 10/30/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
If you’re in the market for the fifth season DVD of Castle, you don’t really need to be sold, and if you aren’t, you should get there, despite the fact that I’m going to tell you that it wasn’t the show’s best season.
I’ve been a fan since the beginning (check out the original show review here), but the fourth and fifth seasons have not been quite as solid for me as the first three. The latest season still pulls you along, maintains most of the fun, and has some interesting cases, but it heads down a tricky road in some respects. Still, as far as I’m concerned you have to take that in the best possible light. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the better shows on television just because it isn’t quite as good as it used to be.
I’ve been a fan since the beginning (check out the original show review here), but the fourth and fifth seasons have not been quite as solid for me as the first three. The latest season still pulls you along, maintains most of the fun, and has some interesting cases, but it heads down a tricky road in some respects. Still, as far as I’m concerned you have to take that in the best possible light. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the better shows on television just because it isn’t quite as good as it used to be.
- 9/20/2013
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
A big part of many successful horror films and horror film franchises is a mask that disguises the killer’s identity. The mask is often just as iconic as the killer. A good mask lends an extra layer of intrigue to the killer’s persona and gives him or her a sense of anonymity. The mask also serves to distance the killer from their victims and makes the maniac seem even less human. The mask makes it more difficult for the killer to emote, thereby making the character seem that much more mysterious. An effective mask makes a killer much more terrifying to audiences. To celebrate some of the more memorable masks in horror cinema history, we've put together a list of eleven of the most iconic masks worn by on-screen psychopaths. [Warning: Some Spoilers Ahead] Mrs. Tredoni’s Mask from Alice, Sweet Alice Mrs. Tredoni was so wicked in Alice, Sweet Alice and...
- 7/3/2013
- by Tyler Doupe
- FEARnet
Dante Tomaselli has been making movies since the late '90s. But, he has been garnering a lot of attention over the past seven years, with extremely intelligent, visceral, unrelenting films like Satan’s Playground and the much buzzed about Torture Chamber. Tomaselli is a director to watch. He is quickly becoming a household name to horror fans. He makes thought provoking, intense films that say much more than what we see on the surface. FEARnet caught up with the genre great to get the details on his latest film Torture Chamber and his upcoming film, a redux of Alice, Sweet Alice. Tomaselli filled us in on why scoring his projects is so important to him, when we can expect Torture Chamber to be released, why the budget for Alice is going to be his biggest yet, and why he decided to relocate Alice to the 1970s for his re-imagining.
- 4/26/2013
- by Tyler Doupe
- FEARnet
Seventies slasher classic 'Alice Sweet Alice' is on the remake hit list with 'Satan's Playground' and 'Torture Chamber' helmer Dante Tomaselli behind the camera. And as preparations begin it seems that one of the leading ladies required for the redo has been cast. Kathryn Morris (below), better known for her role as Lilly Rush in long running CBS show 'Cold Case', has signed on to play the role of Mrs Spages the mother of Alice and murdered daughter Karen. Tomaselli spoke of the character recently to the Inquisitr stating that 'In keeping with the spirit of the original, Kathryn's character will look and feel similar, strikingly beautiful, perfectly sculpted dark hair, fiercely protective of her children and plagued by deep Catholic guilt.' The original hit screens way back in 1976 from writer/director Alfred Sole and starred Paula Sheppard and a young Brooke Shields....
- 4/22/2013
- Horror Asylum
The first bit of casting news for Dante Tomaselli's remake of Alfred Sole’s 1976 child slasher opus Alice, Sweet Alice has arrived with the addition of "Cold Case" star Kathryn Morris taking on the lead role of Catherine Spages, mother to a psycho killer kid.
The Inquisitr recently caught up with Tomaselli who went over some facts about his soon to be filming redux. “All of the same characters for the most part. Similar situations, though sometimes different outcomes. Wouldn’t it be boring to know what’s coming next? Definitely some new surprises, but I can’t reveal. You won’t know where it’s going. As far as locations, it’s working-class Italian Catholic Paterson, New Jersey. The main difference is whereas the original was set in the 60s, the new one will be in the 70s.”
In the original, "Paula Sheppard is Alice, a pouty, petulant...
The Inquisitr recently caught up with Tomaselli who went over some facts about his soon to be filming redux. “All of the same characters for the most part. Similar situations, though sometimes different outcomes. Wouldn’t it be boring to know what’s coming next? Definitely some new surprises, but I can’t reveal. You won’t know where it’s going. As far as locations, it’s working-class Italian Catholic Paterson, New Jersey. The main difference is whereas the original was set in the 60s, the new one will be in the 70s.”
In the original, "Paula Sheppard is Alice, a pouty, petulant...
- 4/16/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Monkeyshines! week concludes at Trailers from Hell with filmmaker Mick Garris introducing "Tanya's Island," a bizarre pseudo-sexploitation fantasy by director Alfred Sole ("Alice Sweet Alice"). New Jersey native Alfred Sole caught some critics' eyes with his creepily Hitchcock-influenced but poorly distributed Alice Sweet Alice (aka: Communion), and soon gave up directing for a more productive career as a production designer. His penultimate directorial effort is this even more obscure film starring sexy model Vanity (billed as Dd Winters), marooned on an imaginary tropical island with an amorous ape man played by Don McLeod, best known as Elizabeth Brooks' feral brother in The Howling.
- 3/22/2013
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
Onetime Enterprise commander Jonathan Frakes recently “took the con” — in more ways than one — at ABC’s Castle, directing an episode that lands its titular novelist (played by Nathan Fillion) at the “Supernova” convention where a murder happens to take place.
Frakes, whose recent directing credits also include Falling Skies (where he’s currently lensing a Season 3 episode), Burn Notice (next on his itinerary) and Leverage, gave TVLine a peek at the stellar genre-tv riff coming your way this Monday at 10/9c.
Video | Castle Exclusive: Get a First Look at Rick and Kate’s Meta-tastic Sci-Fi Adventure
Tvline | You directed Castle before,...
Frakes, whose recent directing credits also include Falling Skies (where he’s currently lensing a Season 3 episode), Burn Notice (next on his itinerary) and Leverage, gave TVLine a peek at the stellar genre-tv riff coming your way this Monday at 10/9c.
Video | Castle Exclusive: Get a First Look at Rick and Kate’s Meta-tastic Sci-Fi Adventure
Tvline | You directed Castle before,...
- 11/4/2012
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
The definition of a slasher film varies depending on who you ask, but in general, it contains several specific traits that feed into the genre’s formula. Author Vera Dika rather strictly defines the sub-genre in her book Games of Terror by only including films made between 1978 and 1984. In other words, she saw it as a movement. When someone describes Brick, they don’t define it as a noir, but instead neo-noir . In other words, it’s a modern motion picture that prominently utilizes elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in those from the 1940s and 1950s. So does one consider Scream a slasher film or a neo-slasher, or simply put, a modern slasher?
Some consider Thirteen Women to be the earliest slasher – released all the way back in 1932. Personally I think that is rubbish. Thirteen Women is more like Desperate Housewives on sedatives.
Some consider Thirteen Women to be the earliest slasher – released all the way back in 1932. Personally I think that is rubbish. Thirteen Women is more like Desperate Housewives on sedatives.
- 10/29/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Director Dante Tomaselli has begun teasing his remake of Alfred Sole’s 1976 child slasher opus Alice, Sweet Alice, which originally starred Brooke Shields, by releasing an early poster just in time for Afm. Check it out!
In the original, "Paula Sheppard is Alice, a pouty, petulant problem child at that awkward age living with her precocious little sister, Karen (Brooke Shields), and single mom. When Karen is murdered during her first communion and Alice takes her place in line, suspicion immediately falls on her. Then a diminutive killer in a yellow slicker and opaque mask continues the reign of terror, and Alice’s estranged father takes up the investigation to prove her innocence."
Look for more on this one soon!
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Make your communion in the comments section below!
In the original, "Paula Sheppard is Alice, a pouty, petulant problem child at that awkward age living with her precocious little sister, Karen (Brooke Shields), and single mom. When Karen is murdered during her first communion and Alice takes her place in line, suspicion immediately falls on her. Then a diminutive killer in a yellow slicker and opaque mask continues the reign of terror, and Alice’s estranged father takes up the investigation to prove her innocence."
Look for more on this one soon!
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Make your communion in the comments section below!
- 10/10/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
124: (Tie) Inside (À l’intérieur)
Directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury
Written by Alexandre Bustillo
2007, France
Four months after the death of her husband, a pregnant woman is tormented by a strange woman who invades her home with the intent on killing her and taking her unborn baby. This movie is not recommended for women on the brink of motherhood. Inside is one of the most vicious and...
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
124: (Tie) Inside (À l’intérieur)
Directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury
Written by Alexandre Bustillo
2007, France
Four months after the death of her husband, a pregnant woman is tormented by a strange woman who invades her home with the intent on killing her and taking her unborn baby. This movie is not recommended for women on the brink of motherhood. Inside is one of the most vicious and...
- 10/5/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
It's that time of year again - pumpkins line porches, bags of candy fill the drugstore shelves, and children everywhere are encouraged by their parents to ring the bells of strangers' houses and demand handouts.
Halloween season also is the one time of year where it's pretty much impossible to avoid horror movies. If you're a horror fan like I am, there's really no change in your viewing habits because you were probably going to be watching Suspiria and The Abominable Dr. Phibes tonight anyway. But if you're only a seasonal horror fan, it can be a bit daunting to navigate the sea of bloody entertainments that flood the airwaves this time of year.
To that end, we've put together a list of over 50 horror movies that are as funny as they are scary (whether intentionally or by accident). Hopefully with the list below as a reference, even the most...
Halloween season also is the one time of year where it's pretty much impossible to avoid horror movies. If you're a horror fan like I am, there's really no change in your viewing habits because you were probably going to be watching Suspiria and The Abominable Dr. Phibes tonight anyway. But if you're only a seasonal horror fan, it can be a bit daunting to navigate the sea of bloody entertainments that flood the airwaves this time of year.
To that end, we've put together a list of over 50 horror movies that are as funny as they are scary (whether intentionally or by accident). Hopefully with the list below as a reference, even the most...
- 10/28/2011
- by Brian Juergens
- The Backlot
Following rounds 1 and 2, this one will take us right on through the countdown to Halloween and will surely be the most actively updated of the bunch. Best to begin, then, by grounding it in a classic, so we turn to David Kalat: "Frankenstein isn't a science fiction story about an arrogant scientist who intrudes on God's domain, it's a metaphor about our relationship to God." That's his argument, and I'll let him explain, but I want to pull back to a couple of earlier sentences in his piece. Mary Shelley's novel, "and the 1910 film version, treated the 'science' of Frankenstein as just so much folderol, a MacGuffin to introduce the artificial man into the story. Whale was so good at providing a reasonably convincing visualization of reviving the dead — no, more than that, a stunningly satisfying visualization of reviving the dead — it focused popular attention on that part of...
- 10/27/2011
- MUBI
Dante Tomaselli is the director behind such films as Horror, Satan's Playground, Desecration and the upcoming Torture Chamber. He has worked with such legendary actors as Felissa Rose, Edwin Neal, Lynn Lowry, Vincent Pastore and Ellen Sandweiss. As a director in the horror genre, Dante Tomaselli stands out as the artistic visionary. Each of his films have a strong, stylish presentation and unique visuals & images. Dante has stated that it is his dreams that have influenced his films and that definitely comes across in each film as they all have a dreamlike, psychedelic tone, an ethereal feel to them. Each of his films have shown a director with a wild imagination who isn't afraid to push the envelope in terms of creativity, who isn't afraid to take risks and who isn't afraid to merge aspects of religion and horror. Starting with his very first feature, Desecration, Dante Tomaselli is a...
- 12/26/2010
- by Big Daddy aka Brandon Sites
- Big Daddy Horror Reviews - Interviews
Director Dante Tomaselli was kind enough to send us two stills and the official press release for his newest horror flick. Dante is known for his nightmarish indie pictures Desecration, Horror, and Satan’s Playground. Tomaselli has been a lifelong supernatural/horror aficionado and is also the cousin of film director Alfred Sole [Alice, Sweet Alice].
Dante Tomaselli’S ”Torture Chamber” Is Nearly Complete New York, NY – Chamber Productions, LLC, a New York based production company, today announced that director Dante Tomaselli is putting the finishing touches on his fourth occult feature, Torture Chamber, which is in its final stages of sound mixing. Tomaselli’s hallucinatory horror shocker is about a possessed 13-year-old boy who escapes from an asylum and discovers an old abandoned castle with a secret passageway to a cobwebbed torture chamber.
The peaceful New England town of Smithville trembles in fear as Jimmy and his deadly young followers attack and...
Dante Tomaselli’S ”Torture Chamber” Is Nearly Complete New York, NY – Chamber Productions, LLC, a New York based production company, today announced that director Dante Tomaselli is putting the finishing touches on his fourth occult feature, Torture Chamber, which is in its final stages of sound mixing. Tomaselli’s hallucinatory horror shocker is about a possessed 13-year-old boy who escapes from an asylum and discovers an old abandoned castle with a secret passageway to a cobwebbed torture chamber.
The peaceful New England town of Smithville trembles in fear as Jimmy and his deadly young followers attack and...
- 12/16/2010
- by Jason Bene
- Killer Films
The fact that film history barely acknowledges co-writer/director Alfred Sole's sophisticated, unbelievably disturbing 1976 dark thriller/murder mystery Alice, Sweet Alice as the major work of psychological horror it is, is patently ridiculous and borderline offensive.
The grim, grisly and offbeat movie (originally released under the title Communion then re-issued as Holy Terror before getting stuck with the moniker it now bears) is an eerie, emotionally draining and thoroughly fascinating picture that needs far more love ladled on it than the lowly level it now seems to command.
Sole's prickly, melodramatic fractured masterpiece tells the tale of New Jersey divorcee Catherine Spages (Linda Miller) and her two daughters, sweet little Karen (played by a pre-Pretty Baby Brooke Shields in her movie debut) and the slightly older (and more than slightly disturbed) Alice (Paula Sheppard, who would grow up to star in the counterculture punk rock / Sci-Fi classic Liquid Sky...
The grim, grisly and offbeat movie (originally released under the title Communion then re-issued as Holy Terror before getting stuck with the moniker it now bears) is an eerie, emotionally draining and thoroughly fascinating picture that needs far more love ladled on it than the lowly level it now seems to command.
Sole's prickly, melodramatic fractured masterpiece tells the tale of New Jersey divorcee Catherine Spages (Linda Miller) and her two daughters, sweet little Karen (played by a pre-Pretty Baby Brooke Shields in her movie debut) and the slightly older (and more than slightly disturbed) Alice (Paula Sheppard, who would grow up to star in the counterculture punk rock / Sci-Fi classic Liquid Sky...
- 11/16/2008
- Fangoria
Vampires and Slayers sent out the following update to their membersnbspI just wanted to let you know that weve posted an audio interview with Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and Moonlight production designer Alfred Sole.I also wanted to let you know that in the next few weeks well be launching the first print edition of Vampires Slayers offered as a trade paperback. Issue 1 will feature exclusive interviews with Twilights Catherine Hardwicke and Melissa Rosenberg profiles of that films Robert Pattinson Kristen Stewart and of course Stephenie Meyer plus writer Steve Niles on 30 Days of Night and vampire superherocomic Epilogue TCA transcripts of Moonlight and True Blood and from the archives we present Joss Whedons reflections of both Buffy and Angel when those shows were ending their run. Full details on the print VS will be coming soon.SOURCEflick myra msubandoIm not a member yet I might have to remedy that soon.
- 11/6/2008
- twilightersanonymous.com
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