Following the murder of her sister (played by a young Brooke Shields) twelve-year-old Alice Spages becomes the suspect in the ensuing investigation.
'Alice, Sweet Alice' is a heavily atmospheric part-slasher, part-psychological drama which successful maintains a disturbing undercurrent despite minor shortcomings in the technical department. The story is markedly if not abundantly complex despite a semblance of simplicity and the hastened pace in the final act elevates the tension and serves to give the film a distinctive, almost unique flavour. It is therefore unfortunate that the rather clumsy mishandling of pace at times detracts from the experience. However, in spite of this flaw the exhilarating, tense and powerful final stages of the movie greatly compensate for previous failings. Unfortunately, the most glaring failing with the film is the mediocre-to-inept acting abilities of the majority of the cast with Jane Lowry giving a particularly obnoxious, hammed and hard to tolerate performance (incidentally, Ms. Lowry would only appear in one further movie) and central performers Linda Milla, Paula Sheppard and Niles McAster providing only a minor guise of acting competence.
Perhaps the most accomplished aspect of this low-budget chiller can be found in Stephen Lawrence's masterfully ambivalent score which fuses the enchanting with the malevolent and the tepid with the zealous. The proficient, if not quite polished cinematography and presentation of director Alfred Sole readily coalesces with the haunting soundtrack to set the tone and ambiance of the movie in order to provide a great deal of thrills and chills as the captivating story unfolds. The atmosphere is heavy, brooding and inspires feelings of alarm and anxiety as the macabre imagery goads the senses and the grizzly occurrences provoke suitable revulsion which later become pure uncomfortable apprehension when the plot evolves to its conclusion. Alfred Sole's use of coincidence and camera-trickery aid in causing confusion and manipulating the thoughts and feelings of the audience, casting blame and doubt and leading to question after question. While the eventual climax seems forced and awkward it is not without power and is certainly unexpected. The various sub-plots assist in provoking strong emotional responses and even when all is said and done there is a lingering sense of discomfort as one considers just what has transpired.
It is perhaps impossible to ignore the all-too-glaring faults of this film but considering the budget will perhaps lessen negative feelings towards such faults. The overall film is strong and an admirable example of the essence of Seventies American horror film-making. Stylistically potent if lacking the elegance of similar movies and with a plot-driven approach, 'Alice, Sweet Alice' is recommended viewing for the horror fan.
'Alice, Sweet Alice' is a heavily atmospheric part-slasher, part-psychological drama which successful maintains a disturbing undercurrent despite minor shortcomings in the technical department. The story is markedly if not abundantly complex despite a semblance of simplicity and the hastened pace in the final act elevates the tension and serves to give the film a distinctive, almost unique flavour. It is therefore unfortunate that the rather clumsy mishandling of pace at times detracts from the experience. However, in spite of this flaw the exhilarating, tense and powerful final stages of the movie greatly compensate for previous failings. Unfortunately, the most glaring failing with the film is the mediocre-to-inept acting abilities of the majority of the cast with Jane Lowry giving a particularly obnoxious, hammed and hard to tolerate performance (incidentally, Ms. Lowry would only appear in one further movie) and central performers Linda Milla, Paula Sheppard and Niles McAster providing only a minor guise of acting competence.
Perhaps the most accomplished aspect of this low-budget chiller can be found in Stephen Lawrence's masterfully ambivalent score which fuses the enchanting with the malevolent and the tepid with the zealous. The proficient, if not quite polished cinematography and presentation of director Alfred Sole readily coalesces with the haunting soundtrack to set the tone and ambiance of the movie in order to provide a great deal of thrills and chills as the captivating story unfolds. The atmosphere is heavy, brooding and inspires feelings of alarm and anxiety as the macabre imagery goads the senses and the grizzly occurrences provoke suitable revulsion which later become pure uncomfortable apprehension when the plot evolves to its conclusion. Alfred Sole's use of coincidence and camera-trickery aid in causing confusion and manipulating the thoughts and feelings of the audience, casting blame and doubt and leading to question after question. While the eventual climax seems forced and awkward it is not without power and is certainly unexpected. The various sub-plots assist in provoking strong emotional responses and even when all is said and done there is a lingering sense of discomfort as one considers just what has transpired.
It is perhaps impossible to ignore the all-too-glaring faults of this film but considering the budget will perhaps lessen negative feelings towards such faults. The overall film is strong and an admirable example of the essence of Seventies American horror film-making. Stylistically potent if lacking the elegance of similar movies and with a plot-driven approach, 'Alice, Sweet Alice' is recommended viewing for the horror fan.
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