Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

Director: Alfred Sole
Stars: Linda Miller, Mildred Clinton, Paula E. Sheppard
Runtime: 98 minutes

Synopsis: Alice, a young girl with psychopathic tendencies, is suspected of brutally murdering her sister Karen.

Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 5/10
Special Effects: N.A. 
Costumes/Makeup: 5/10
Editing: 5/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10

Verdict: I was in the mood for a good old horror film since I haven't seen one in a while. I somehow stumbled across "Alice, Sweet Alice", which was originally called "Communion" and which is also Brooke Shields' film debut. I was immediately sold when I learned that the flick was centered around a deranged kid, which is a horror subgenre I really enjoy watching. The fact that it came out during what many consider to be the golden age of horror films was a huge plus as well. However, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with the end result. The movie's biggest asset is by far the character of Alice, portrayed by an excellent Paul E. Sheppard who truly knocked it out of the park. I had chills every time she appeared on screen, and I absolutely had a blast hating her. Unfortunately, the story doesn't do her justice at all. The character was much more interesting than the narrative, which completely lost me in its last third. Some somewhat supporting performances also didn't really work for me, and neither did the score which I didn't feel added a lot to the film. I was really rooting for this movie to work, but, unfortunately, it let me down.

Final Grade: 6/10