While the Giallo subgenre of Horror cinema was born in Italy, some films outside the region are clearly inspired by the style. Yes, films like Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace from 1964, Lucio Fulci’s Don’t Torture a Duckling from 1972, and Dario Argento’s Deep Red from 1975 are brilliant examples of the art form, but in 1976, New Jersey-born Filmmaker Alfred Sole clearly found inspiration from Giallo with his film Alice, Sweet Alice.
Only Sole’s second-ever film, the first being 1972’s erotic feature Deep Sleep, it is worth mentioning that Italian cinema was not foreign to Sole, who actually attended college in Florence, Italy. With that in mind, Sole took to writing and developing the concept for Alice, Sweet Alice with Rosemary Ritvo (who oddly has no other known credits). Together, they crafted a script that explores the Roman Catholic establishment and family dysfunction, all wrapped in a who-done-it murder mystery.
Summarizing it, you have a divorced family (portrayed by Linda Miller and Niles McMaster) with two daughters, Karen and Alice, who attend St. Michael’s Parish Girls’ School. Amidst all of this, something is clearly not right with Alice, and it is believed she certainly could have an evil streak. In fact, it all but insinuates she does after Karen (portrayed by a very young Brooke Shields in her first-ever film) is tragically murdered inside the church walls. Did the emotionally disturbed Alice (played in a very unsettling manner by Paula Sheppard) kill her own sister, plus subsequent murders, or is something else unfolding that no one suspects?
A true mystery, Alice, Sweet Alice leaves you guessing throughout its runtime and wondering what the outcome will be until the final, shocking scene. A very effective film, it possesses the hallmarks of a film from the era: eerie atmospheres, a raw foundation, and superb emotional acting by the entire cast.
Making its broad premiere in theaters on November 15, 1976, the title was interesting, as it switched from Communion to Alice, Sweet Alice by Allied Artists. Done so perhaps for better marketing, following the release of the film, there certainly was a lot of displeasure from viewers who felt it was extremely anti-Catholic. It is hard to argue if you have seen the film; in a more modern interruption, perhaps the story is underlining the shortcomings of organizational religion as a whole as opposed to actual faith itself.
Nonetheless, Alice, Sweet Alice may not be the first Horror film that comes to mind for many viewers, but it certainly has sustained itself as one with a strong following that amazingly continues to grow even nearly fifty years later. That is why it is relevant to find out that UK-based film distributor Arrow Video will be offering Alice, Sweet Alice in 4K Ultra HD for the first-ever global release.
Set to arrive on February 11, 2025, it marks the second Arrow Films release of the film in the last ten years, following the 2K Blu-ray edition put out in 2019. At the time, done so in conjunction with Sole, taking his own life in 2022, tragically cannot experience his film revamped in 4K. A sad turn of events, may Sole rest in peace, and he know that the mastery of Alice, Sweet Alice lives on.
A legacy worth sustaining, it should be outlined exactly what the new release of Alice, Sweet Alice entails. First and foremost, you get three different cuts of the film. There is an original cut under the title Communion (with more graphic scenes), the theatrical cut Alice, Sweet Alice, and the 1981 re-released cut under the title Holy Terror. Quite complete, each cut is in 4K Ultra HD, and the clarification is quite noticeable.
Beyond these big features, the new release also features achieved commentary with Alfred Sole, interviews, deleted scenes, plus more. The more are bonuses like Locations of Alice, Sweet Alice, plus a lovely collector’s book and reversible artwork with newly commissioned art by Gilles Vranckx.
Overall, much of what you get here mirrors the 2K edition put out by Arrow Video six years ago, but you simply cannot go wrong with the new, improved 4K Ultra HD restoration. Worth the investment, it is recommended for long-time fans of Alice, Sweet Alice, or those who have only heard of it but have never seen it before. That is why Cryptic Rock gives this new 4K Ultra HD Limited Edition release of Alice, Sweet Alice 5 out of 5 stars.
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