Besides some of Brian DePalma's films, this one always seemed to me to be the closest thing to an American made Giallo film. It has the crazy camera shots, mysterious killer and gory yet stylish murder scenes. I generally love movies with anti-social little girls with problems and in this one our main gal Alice isn't very sweet at all, in fact at one point a detective remarks about how nuts she really is. Although she may be a bit nutty she seems to have somewhat valid reasons for being a little off with her getting the blame for everything and her cute little sister(Brooke Shields) getting all the praise. Of course my favorite character of this film is the absurdly obese, sweaty mess of a man, Mr. Alphonso. Played by the rotund, over-acting powerhouse Alphonso DeNoble, who unfortunately only appeared in 2 other films before I'm guessing his heart exploded! (both by director Joel M. Reed: BLOODSUCKING FREAKS & NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES). This Mr. Alphonso has to be one of the most disgusting displays in film history as he seems to never change his piss-stained underpants and lies around all day in his apartment full of cats. You can almost smell the scent of urine waft off the screen while viewing him. It is truly an unforgettable performance! This is also the first theatrical film of young Brooke Shields who's filmography is full of stuff that I don't care about very much. Although, not having been raised Catholic, I might be missing some of the religious(or is it anti-religious) significance of the film I still say check it for a good slice of 70's giallo-esque horror.
A.K.A. HOLY TERROR:
Alice Sweet Alice is very disturbing. The girl of the title isnt sweet at all. She has a cruel murderous streak in her. The overweight guy who keeps cats is an odd character. Why he refuses to change his urine stained clothes is unclear. Perhaps he is too poor to afford new clothes. Iits also unsanitary keeping so many cats. I watched this movie and the movie Burnt Offering trying to find a particular scene which I vaguely remember from the mid 70s. While watching an unknown movie or T.V. show I vaguely remember seeing the mannequin or doll of a hideous woman sitting by a fireplace. This mannequin or doll could move and talk. I dont remember what it said but for some reason that short scene scared me. I guess it was scary because one doesnt expect mannequins or dolls to move and talk and it was scary looking. Does anyone know which movie or which TV show this is from?
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the movie TOURIST TRAP? There's a bunch of creepy mannequins in that one that scream and move around.
ReplyDeleteYes Ive seen Tourist Trap and was impressed by it. Excellent special effects with the mannequins. There are a bunch of movies with animated puppets mannequins and dolls such as Child's Play and Puppet Master. I couldnt find the movie where the hideous woman mannequin sits by the fireplace. I just remember seeing it on TV in 1976. My memory is vague. The 70s had some interesting movies and TV shows. This movie Alice Sweet Alice is similar to Kiss of the Tarantula and The Bad Seed. Its somewhat similar to Carrie as religion is a big part in both movies. Carrie is a much better movie. Thank you for reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments.
ReplyDelete