Alice Sweet Alice (1976): A Porno, An Excommunication, and a First Communion | Part One (American Giallo)

In Part One of their two-part deep dive into Alfred Sole’s Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), Bill and Kevin are joined by Janecka Deer of Scream Queen Podcast to explore a now-classic Catholic adjacent horror films of the 1970s.

Set in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1961, Alice, Sweet Alice follows twelve-year-old Alice Spages as her younger sister Karen prepares for her First Communion. When Karen is murdered, a mysterious figure in a translucent mask sets off a disturbing mystery involving childhood, first communion, puberty, family dysfunction, and violence.

Bill, Kevin, and Janecka dig into the film’s religious imagery, First Communion iconography, grimy 1960s setting, Brooke Shields’ early role, Paula Sheppard’s unsettling performance, and Sole’s distinctive approach to horror.

The discussion also looks back at Sole’s controversial debut, Deep Sleep, which attracted Catholic criticism, the FBI, and got the director excommunicated from the church. While Alice, Sweet Alice had no Catholic reviews of its own, Sole’s history with Catholic censors provides important context for this strange and provocative piece of American horror.

And this is only the beginning. Part Two takes the investigation through the rest of Alice, Sweet Alice.

Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland

Follow our guest:

Janecka Deer: https://www.instagram.com/screamqueenpodcaster

Support the show:

AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN!
Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/

SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE
Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive

Website and Contact info:

https://www.morallyoffensive.com

Follow and watch:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod