Muir, John Kenneth (2007). Horror Films of the 1970s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-43104-5. Alice, Sweet Alice trade advertisement". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p.4-B – via Newspapers.com. Alice, Sweet Alice trade advertisement". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. p.16-C – via Newspapers.com. In May 2019, Arrow Films, in conjunction with Warner Home Video and director Alfred Sole, confirmed they will be releasing a North American Blu-ray edition of the film on August 6, 2019. [80] Arrow's edition utilizes a 2K restoration of the camera negative, sporting both the original "Communion" and "Holy Terror" versions, along with several newly produced extras and the alternate "Alice, Sweet Alice" opening credits.

Squires, John (May 31, 2019). "Arrow Video's August Releases Include Deluxe 'Oldboy' Set and 'Alice, Sweet Alice' Blu-ray". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Bill Brownstein of the Montreal Gazette deemed the film "a gory and effective" surprise, praising its cinematography despite its story having "gaps and inconsistencies." [68] Armstrong, Kent Byron (2000). Slasher Films: An International Filmography, 1960 Through 2001. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-41462-8. Gonzalez, Ed (April 20, 2005). "Film Review: Alice, Sweet Alice". Slant Magazine . Retrieved December 14, 2016.Horror film scholar Scott Aaron Stine, in The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1960s and 1970s, notes the film as "Compelling, and not entirely predictable, Sole's first (and only truly worthwhile) effort is driven by strong anti-Catholic messages ( á la Pete Walker) and—even more pertinent—littered with unflinchingly disturbing scenes of violence that are reminiscent of [Dario] Argento's earlier handling of brutality." [87] Ruth, Daniel (November 21, 1977). " 'Sweet Alice' Bloody Bath, But Not Bad". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p.6-D – via Newspapers.com. Gross, Linda (May 12, 1978). "Gore Runneth Over in 'Sweet Alice' ". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p.34 – via Newspapers.com. O'Malley, Sheila (December 16, 2016). "TCM Diary: The Night Digger & Alice, Sweet Alice". Film Comment. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019 . Retrieved August 5, 2019. Hanley, Ken. " "ALICE, SWEET ALICE" remake grabs "COLD CASE" star; director talks". Fangoria. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014 . Retrieved February 14, 2014.

Writer-director Sole's own proclaiming of himself as an "ex-Catholic" supports this interpretation of the film's religious themes and undertones. [4] Prior to writing and directing Alice, Sweet Alice, Sole had directed his debut feature, an adult film titled Deep Sleep, in 1972. [5] The release of the film resulted in obscenity charges being brought against him in the state of New Jersey, as well as formal excommunication from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey; this event has been credited as influential to the apparent anti-religious bent of Alice, Sweet Alice. [6] Gunther, Marc (July 21, 1975). "For Lillian Roth, Paterson's an Upturn". The News. Paterson, New Jersey. p.10 – via Newspapers.com. Daniel Ruth of The Tampa Tribune praised the screenplay, referring to it as "a tight, well-paced melodrama that keeps its audience guessing who the murderer is until the last possible moment," [66] while Leonard Maltin awarded the film a mixed 2 out of 4 stars, calling it "[an] OK murder mystery." [67] William Whitaker of the Abilene Reporter-News similarly criticized the film's violence as "a little too much after awhile," but conceded that the "script has enough imagination and the direction enough insight to make it passable fare as far as these kind of films go." [73] The film's depiction of Catholicism in an unfavorable light also drew ire from reviewers: Tom McElfresh of The Cincinnati Enquirer was particularly critical of this, describing the film as "wholly, totally terrible," and a "mishmash full of sexual innuendo and rage at the Catholic church." [74] In Ireland, the film was notably controversial due to its perceived anti-Catholic themes. [75] Home media [ edit ]

Some critics, such as Vincent Canby of The New York Times, noted the authenticity of the film's characters and settings: "Mr. Sole, whose first feature this is, knows how to direct actors, how to manipulate suspense and when to shift gears: the identity of the killer is revealed at just that point when the audience is about to make the identification, after which the film becomes less of a horror film than an exercise in suspense. He also has a good feeling for the lower middle-class locale and the realities of the lives of the people who live in it." [69] Mrs. Tredoni rushes to the church, where the police are stationed. Spina arrives too late to save Mr. Alphonso. During Mass, Father Tom denies Mrs. Tredoni communion. She stabs the priest in the throat as the police rush in. While Father Tom bleeds to death, Alice walks out of the church with Mrs. Tredoni's shopping bag, and places the bloodstained butcher knife into it. King, Claire Sisco (April 2007). "Acting Out and Sounding Off: Sacrifice and Performativity in Alice, Sweet Alice". Text and Performance Quarterly. 27 (2): 124–142. doi: 10.1080/10462930701251199. S2CID 219640591. Writer David J. Hogan considers Alice, Sweet Alice among a series of films made between the 1970s and 1980s preoccupied with sibling rivalry, and which feature "violations of the integrity of the nuclear family." [12] Hogan views the film as an extension of such features as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), an earlier film that blended horror with familial drama between siblings. [13] Production [ edit ] Development [ edit ] The killer's yellow raincoat is a recurring motif in the film, and a direct reference to the killer with a red raincoat in Don't Look Now (1973) Barone, Matt (October 23, 2017). "The Best Slasher Films of All Time". Complex . Retrieved August 20, 2018.

The production was periodically postponed during filming, with Sole stating that sometimes two to four week breaks would be taken between filming sessions due to budget issues, during which the production sought out additional funding. [48] On one occasion, filming was temporarily halted after actress Linda Miller attempted suicide by slitting her wrists [15] while shooting the film's final sequence in the church. After a week of convalescing, Miller returned to the set and completed her scenes, though a bandage can be seen on her wrist in several sequences. [24] Because of the repeated starts and stops, the production had to recurrently hire new cameramen; Sole estimated that a total of six different cameramen worked on the film. [25] The total number of shooting days was around 20, as estimated by Sole. [49] Analysis and themes [ edit ] Catholicism [ edit ] Catholic iconography is a frequent motif in the film In 2014, 88 Films had put out on the first ever anamorphic widescreen DVD in the UK, utilizing a digitally processed and noise reduced version of the 1997 Laserdisc master used for the Anchor Bay and Hens Tooth DVD releases. 88 Films then followed up with a UK premiere on Blu-ray on July 9, 2018. This release utilizes a 2k restoration of a 35mm print being the 1981 "Holy Terror" reissue and bearing said title card. Numerous film scholars have noted the film's hysterical portrayal of Catholicism and religious institutions to be in direct confluence with the motives of its villain, Mrs. Tredoni, whose ultimate goal is to "punish" the sinning members of her parish; this has resulted in some claiming the film to be overtly "anti-Catholic". [3] Director Alfred Sole began writing the film in 1974, collaborating with co-writer Rosemary Ritvo on the script. Ritvo, an English doctoral student at Fordham University, [14] was Sole's neighbor, and the two often talked about films together. [15] "She was a Catholic and we would talk about the Catholic church, religion and stuff like that. Then we started talking about films and theater and I discovered she had a great love of horror films," Sole recalled. The two began meeting during weekends and workshopping the screenplay together. [15] At the time, Sole was working as an architect in New Jersey. [15]

In the years since its release, Alice, Sweet Alice has gained a cult following and is considered a contemporary classic of the slasher subgenre in critical circles. [2] It has also been the focus of scholarship in the areas of horror film studies, particularly regarding its depictions of Roman Catholicism, child emotional neglect, and the disintegration of the American nuclear family.

Leogrande, Ernest (April 6, 1981). " 'Holy Terror': Churchyard chiller". New York Daily News. New York City. p.133 – via Newspapers.com. Rose, Rita (March 10, 1981). "Looking for Brooke Better look fast". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. p.13 – via Newspapers.com. Blowen, Michael (July 15, 1978). " 'Sweet Alice' all too familiar". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. p.7 – via Newspapers.com. Publications of the Catholic Truth Society. Vol.16. The Catholic Truth Society. 1898. p.6 – via Google Books. Stine, Scott Aaron (2015). The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1960s and 1970s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-49140-7.

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a b c d First Communion: Alfred Sole Remembers Alice, Sweet Alice ( Blu-ray documentary short). Arrow Films. 2019.