Alice, Sweet Alice (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Feb 27, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
-
Director
Alfred SoleRelease Date(s)
1976 (February 11, 2024)Studio(s)
Harristown Funding, Ltd./Allied Artists/Warner Bros. (Arrow Video)- Film/Program Grade: A-
- Video Grade: A+
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A-
Review
Whether it’s appreciated for its exploration of the facets of Catholicism, its take on how a broken marriage can affect both parents and their children, or its memorable horror sequences, Alice, Sweet Alice (aka Communion and Holy Terror) managed to make its mark, mostly on home video throughout the 1980s. Besides featuring a performance from a young Brooke Shields, its rain slicker-clad, translucent mask-wearing, knife-wielding killer persona, as well as its unorthodox themes and unsettling atmosphere, was a memorable entry in the horror genre for many who saw it.
In 1960s New Jersey, Karen (Brooke Shields) is due to take part in her First Communion at the insistence of her mother Catherine (Linda Miller). Jealous of the attention Karen is getting, her sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) is constantly berating her and acting up in front of everybody, which has been an on-going issue since Catherine’s divorce to their father Dominick (Niles McMaster). It doesn’t help that Catherine’s sister Annie (Jane Lowry) is also quite hard on Alice, making her feel like even more of an ugly duckling. During the Communion ceremony, Karen is murdered is another room, and all eyes fall on the unstable Alice. Her father Dominick soon re-appears and takes it upon himself to find out who was behind Karen’s murder and clear Alice’s name, even at the skepticism of everyone involved, including Detective Spina (Michael Hardstark), Father Tom (Rudolph Willrich), and the family’s oddball landlord Alphonso (Alphonso DeNoble).
The history of Alice, Sweet Alice is tricky. The film was released in several different forms in its lifetime outside of its initial theatrical release. It was recut and given different titles at various points, but for the majority of people who discovered it on VHS (as I did through Goodtimes Home Video—double featured with Psychomania), the title will always be Alice, Sweet Alice, which the film’s director, Alfred Sole, hated from the beginning.
Made independently, the film was originally meant to be released as Communion through Columbia Pictures, but the company backed out and a deal was struck instead with Allied Artists who gave the film its well-known moniker. Arguably, it’s more befitting since it gives you an idea of what the film is actually about, whereas the title of Communion is rather vague. Alternatively, the title Holy Terror from a theatrical re-release, cheapens the film’s quality even further.
Regardless of what it’s called, it’s a film that only gets better with age. Highly influenced by everything from Vertigo to The Godfather, and most especially Don’t Look Now, it’s an effective film with an interesting twist, which actually occurs in the middle of the film rather than at the end, further illustrating the Hitchcock influence. It also upset many folks who perceived it as an attack on Catholicism, which is clearly not the case. One disturbed individual doing something in the name of religion does not equate to belief as a whole, but I digress.
There are also plenty of memorable performances, though some believe them to be over the top. On the other hand, the murder sequences are absolutely gripping. Director Alfred Sole believed that on-screen deaths were made up of clichés with no real impact, opting instead for them to be a bit more sloppy and, therefore, real. As such, characters are stabbed in the thigh or the foot (in a scene that has given the film its legs, so to speak), they’re hit in the face with shoes, or they’re pushed from high places. These moments often lack score as well, making them even creepier.
It’s not a perfect film as it does leave you with a few questions at the end (not to mention a brief moment of animal cruelty), but Alice, Sweet Alice is more than just a genre film looking to get a large body count. The emotions of the characters, the impact of the murders, and the relationships and dynamics between mothers and daughters, and husbands and wives, gives the film an edge over its slasher counterparts. And with a score by Stephen Lawrence that seems like a Sicilian mobster film and funeral dirge combo, it oozes atmosphere until the final frame.
Alice, Sweet Alice was shot by directors of photography John Friberg and Chuck Hall (listed as simply “cameramen” in the credits) on 35mm film, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Arrow Video debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K 16-Bit scan (carried out by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging) and restoration (by Arrow Video themselves at Silver Salt Restoration) from the original camera negative, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. All three versions of the film (Communion, Alice, Sweet Alice, and Holy Terror) are presented via seamless branching utilizing additional materials, which were most likely interpositive elements. The 2019 Arrow Blu-ray was a revelation unto itself, but this presentation takes things even further. The heavy grain is much tighter, outside of opticals and credit sequences, and detail is much more abundant. Bitrates sit between a healthy 80 to 100Mbps most of the time, frequently climbing far above that range. The HDR grades boost detail in the color palette tremendously, allowing for bolder 1970s-tinged hues, but also deep blues, reds, and yellows. Contrast has also improved with deep blacks and plentiful detail in the shadows. It’s also much crisper and cleaner, with only minor speckling here or there if you’re paying close enough attention. It retains a highly organic, film-like appearance, never falling victim to an overt use of digital noise removing tools. It’s outstanding.
The audio for the film is included in English mono LPCM with optional subtitles in English SDH. Despite being a single channel source, there’s a lot of texture to it; whether it be rain, kittens meowing, or people whispering, it offers plenty in terms of atmospherics. Dialogue is always clear and discernible, and even sound effects have a surprising amount of impact. It’s also clean with no leftover instances of hiss, crackle, distortion, or dropouts.
The 4K Ultra HD release of Alice, Sweet Alice sits in a black Amaray case with double-sided artwork, featuring artwork on one side by Gilles Vranckx and the US theatrical art for Alice, Sweet Alice on the reverse; and a 24-page booklet containing cast and crew information, the essay Malice, Sweet Malice by Michael Blyth, restoration information, and a set of production credits and special thanks. Everything is housed in a slipcover featuring the same Gilles Vranckx artwork. The following versions of the film and extras are included:
- Communion (4K w/HDR – 107:08)
- Alice, Sweet Alice (4K w/HDR – 107:17)
- Holy Terror (4K w/HDR – 107:09)
- Audio Commentary for Communion with Alfred Sole, Edward Slier, and William Lustig
- Audio Commentary for Communion with Richard Harland Smith
- First Communion: Alfred Sole Remembers Alice, Sweet Alice (HD – 18:45)
- In the Name of the Father: Niles McMaster on Alice, Sweet Alice (HD – 16:03)
- Alice on My Mind: Stephen Lawrence on Alice, Sweet Alice (HD – 14:59)
- Lost Childhood: The Locations of Alice, Sweet Alice (HD – 16:03)
- Sweet Memories: Dante Tomaselli on Alice, Sweet Alice (HD – 11:19)
- Deleted Scenes (HD – 2 in all – 2:43)
- Version Comparison (HD – 2:13)
- Holy Terror Re-Release Trailer (HD – 1:44)
- Communion/Tintorera UK TV Spot (Upscaled SD – :16)
- Image Galleries:
- Image Gallery (HD – 39 in all)
- Screenplay (HD – 135 pages in all)
As previously mentioned, all three versions of the film are presented via seamless branching. All three carry their own title card. Alice, Sweet Alice also features the vintage Allied Artists logo, while Communion contains a pair of alternate explicit moments of violence, which are present on the original camera negative, but were replaced for theatrical distribution.
As for the extras, there’s a vintage audio commentary with director Alfred Sole and editor Edward Salier, moderated by William Lustig (who also performed duties on the film as a special make-up effects assistant, albeit and admittedly briefly); and an audio commentary with author Richard Harland Smith, who gives a thoughtful analysis of the film, as well as plenty of background information about its cast and crew. Both of these commentaries can only be selected during the Communion version of the film. First Communion contains an interview with director Alfred Sole about how he got into the film business and the making of the film. Alice on My Mind features an interview with composer Stephen J. Lawrence, who speaks about the film’s score and plays a few excerpts from it. In the Name of the Father offers a Skype interview with actor Niles McMaster, while Lost Child showcases a tour of the film’s shooting locations, hosted by Michael Gingold. Sweet Memories contains an interview with filmmaker Dante Tomaselli, cousin of Alfred Sole, who discusses his connection with the film. Next are two short Deleted Scenes, which are presented without sound as the original elements couldn’t be found, as well as a split-screen Version Comparison between the three versions of the film. Last is the film’s 1981 re-release trailer under the title Holy Terror; a UK TV spot under the title Communion, double featured with Tintorera; and two Image Galleries, one containing 39 production photos, behind-the-scenes stills, lobby cards, posters, newspaper clippings, trade ads, and home video covers, and another featuring the film’s 135-page screenplay. It’s worth noting that the lower quality version of Holy Terror has not been carried over from Arrow’s previous Blu-ray release, for obvious reasons.
Many have tried to dismiss Alice, Sweet Alice as nothing more than a garden variety slasher film and lumped it in with everything that came after it. However, it has more in common with something like Psycho than it does with Halloween or Friday the 13th. It’s competent in all the right ways, and being that it was made with a lack of budget as the funds were acquired during filming, it’s all the more remarkable that it not only has a solid story, but a visual and aural cohesion, as well. Arrow Video has given the film a beautiful 4K Ultra HD makeover, improving mightily upon their previous Blu-ray release, and treating the film with the respect it deserves. Highly recommended!
- Tim Salmons
(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)