Alison “Alicat” Wise submitted the following Feminist Slasher Project Investigation and Review
Alison’s history with this film:
I remember seeing the beginning when I was a kid and only really remember Brooke Shields. But I’m super excited about this movie.
Play by Play:
To explain the different titles and dates, according to Wikipedia…
It was released theatrically three different times, each time under a new title: first as ‘Communion’ in November 1976; as ‘Alice, Sweet Alice’ in 1978; and as ‘Holy Terror’ in 1981…The film is notable for being Brooke Shields' first acting role, which prompted distributors to re-release the film to market upon Shields' growing notoriety following her role in Pretty Baby (1978).
The Spages are at Father Tom’s house; Karen, Brooke Shields, is nine and just about to have her first communion. Her sister Alice, who is twelve, is a bit of a brat and jealous that Father Tom gives Karen a lovely crucifix. She scares the housekeeper, Mrs. Tredoni with a creepy mask.
Alice bullies Karen taking a doll their father gave her. Karen goes to look for Alice in an abandoned where house. Alice, again wearing the creepy mask jumps out and scares Karen. Alice is super jealous of all the attention that Karen is getting.
There’s a fat, sweaty gross guy, Mr Alfonso, who’s the landlord of the same apartment building the Spages live in and he has loads of cats.
It’s time for Karen’s first communion at the church and Alice is missing. Just before Karen goes into the main part of the church someone attacks her in a creepy mask and yellow raincoat, just like Alice’s! They put Karen’s dead body in a pew along with a lit candle.
Alice takes Karen’s place at communion and right before she gets the wafer an old nun finds Karen’s burnt body. Mrs. Spages tries to go find Karen but Alice keeps holding her back. Why does Alice have Karen’s communion veil? Did Alice kill Karen or was it someone else?
The police are staking out the funereal.
Mr. Spages finally shows up ‘before they put the body in the ground’. There seems to be tension regarding Mr. Spages. It looks like he doesn’t actually live with them.
Alice is told to take a cake to creepy Mr. Alfonso…total perv. But then again Alice kicks some frosting off her finger before giving him the cake.
Alice is a suspect in Karen’s murder. Everyone thinks she did it.
Mr. Spages goes to the police station to talk to the detective. They want to talk to Alice. They’ve talked to her principle who recommends that Alice see a psychiatrist. It also turns out that Mrs. Spages sister, Annie, doesn’t like Mr. Spages or Alice.
Mr. Spages then calls Father Tom, who tells him that police took Alice’s records from the school. Father Tom also wants to talk to Mr. Spages alone.
Catherine, Mrs. Spages, is lying on Karen’s bed and hears Annie and Alice fighting kitchen. She goes down to the stop it. It’s obvious that Annie doesn’t like Alice.
There’s all sorts of weird sibling rivalry going on in this movie.
She asks Alice to take the rent check down to creepy Mr. Alfonso. She antagonizes him by saying his apartment smells like ‘cat piss’ and calls him ‘fatty’. He says he ‘knows what she done’ and that he’ll show the police what’s in the basement. He tries to molest her and she kills one of his cats.
Alice goes down to the basement. She has this shrine thing with Karen’s doll and the veil and some cockroaches in a jar…and the creepy mask.
And then the masked raincoat again, creeping on the stairs, they stab Aunt Annie in the feet and legs as she comes down the stairs. She screams “Alice!’ and crawls out the front door in to the rain, screaming ‘Help me! Help me!’…it’s all quite (overly) dramatic. Mr. Spages pulls up in a car just then and goes to look for Alice in the basement, as Annie’s rushed off to the hospital. Alice cries ‘I didn’t do it daddy!’
But in the hospital Aunt Annie is blaming Alice…again. In a very (over) dramatic scene with lots of yelling, Annie tells the police Alice stabbed her in the legs. The police bring Alice and the Spages into the station and give her a lie detector test, with her parents watching behind a two-way mirror. Alice says it’s Karen...WHO’S DEAD! Poor Alice. There’s also a very weird scene with the lie detector guy acting all creepy and paedo about Alice.
Old crazy priest on one of those seated stair things!
Mr. Spages goes to Father Tom and tells him he thinks it’s Angela who’s done it…that’s Annie daughter.
The Spages go and speak to Alice’s doctor at the psych ward. Alice has ‘a lot of deep seeded problems’…no shit.
Mr. Spages promises to make things right and then he and Mrs. Spages get it on! And then his new wife calls…doh!
Angela calls Mr. Spages at his hotel saying she ran away…watch out dude.
I’m not saying anymore or else I’ll spoil the ending. All I am saying is some crazy shit happens!
My Conclusion:
This movie is awesome but gets a big bad Red Light! There really isn’t a heroine or a protagonist, except Mr. Spages, and throughout the whole movie Alice is considered a suspect. Also…Alice is 12 and she is grossly leched upon by older men! Prepubescent Objectification! EWWWW! Alice was played by an actress of 19 but that’s besides the point, she is 12 in the film!
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