Alice, Sweet Alice

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Alice, Sweet Alice

R

Released Nov 13, 1976

1h 42m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Favorite daughter Karen (Brooke Shields) is viciously strangled and set afire in church on the day of her First Communion, and suspicion falls on her jealous and emotionally unstable sister, Alice (Paula E. Sheppard). When the girls' aunt, Annie (Jane Lowry), is later stabbed on an apartment complex stairway, Alice is sent away. But the attacks continue, prompting priest Father Tom (Rudolph Willrich) and Alice's dad, Dominick (Niles McMaster), to go in search of the real killer.

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Critics Consensus

Alice, Sweet Alice offsets some of its more ludicrous elements with campy slasher thrills and a dazzlingly macabre atmosphere.

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Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

Possibly the closet American relation to an Italian giallo.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 20, 2005

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

...the writing is sub-par, most of the performances are campy bad (as opposed to campy good) and the scares are pretty minimal. I’m not even sure I get the cult status surrounding it.

Rated: D

Feb 17, 2025

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...increasingly tedious and tiresome...

Rated: 1/4

Aug 8, 2021

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

While its plotting sashays into the ludicrous, with its campiness always underlined by a queasy peculiarity, Alice, Sweet Alice is a captivating exercise in the macabre.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 13, 2020

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A flop upon its original release, Alice, Sweet Alice has since been saved from complete irrelevance by film scholars and cultists, even if it still doesn't quite enjoy the reputation it deserves.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 10, 2019

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C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

Prominently placing Catholic iconography in certain frames, Sole does violence to the idea that Christ is the redeemer of anything; least of all our sins.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 4, 2019

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g j

The acting is painfully bad, making it feel like a chore to sit through. The third act is decent though

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/08/25

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 42 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/14/25

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SkyRo P

Alice, sweet Alice, is yet another film from the 1980s that was intended to be a shocking spectacle. The story centers around a church lady who turns out to be a serial killer, even committing murder right in front of the congregation, including the priest. The film embraces its purpose, managing to capture the audience's attention for a brief moment. However, it doesn't hold up well over time; its narrative feels disjointed, leaving viewers confused about the plot and the characters' motivations as they shift around. Ultimately, I found it lacking in enjoyment. While some critics and viewers may have appreciated it, I personally didn't see it as a noteworthy horror film. To me, it was merely passable—often dull and hindered by subpar acting.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/16/25

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Audience Member

It’s somewhat enjoyable but overly campy and irritating.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/25

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Farah R

Suspenseful and shocking, this campy horror movie offers an intriguing mystery that’s only outdone by a crazy plot twist. It’s also weirdly acted and slightly annoying.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

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nick s

It was looking quite promising in the first half, with great acting, nice pacing and compelling drama. I really enjoyed it. The characters acted a little oddly at times but I was expecting that to be explained later. However in the second half the writer gave it a plot twist that felt improbable and cheap. It would have been better to stick with the main antagonist.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

Full Review

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Alfred Sole

Director

Paula E. Sheppard

Alice Spages

Brooke Shields

Karen Spages

Linda Miller

Catherine Spages

Tom Signorelli

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Louisa Horton

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Synopsis

Favorite daughter Karen (Brooke Shields) is viciously strangled and set afire in church on the day of her First Communion, and suspicion falls on her jealous and emotionally unstable sister, Alice (Paula E. Sheppard). When the girls' aunt, Annie (Jane Lowry), is later stabbed on an apartment complex stairway, Alice is sent away. But the attacks continue, prompting priest Father Tom (Rudolph Willrich) and Alice's dad, Dominick (Niles McMaster), to go in search of the real killer.

Director: Alfred Sole
Producer: Richard K. Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Rosemary Ritvo, Alfred Sole
Production Co: Harristown Funding
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 14, 2017
Runtime: 1h 42m

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