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Communion (1976)
Giallo Meets Slasher Film Anti Catholic Style
The 70s, more than any other decade produced many what I would call "socially conscious horror movies" or message films. Alice Sweet Alice is no exception.
Karen (Brooke Shields in an early role) plays Karen, a young girl who is about to receive her first communion.She is the darling, apple of her mother's eye and can do no wrong. Karen has an older sister, Alice (Paula Sheppard), who likes to go around in her yellow rain slicker scaring people,cursing, and giving them the evil eye. During Karen's communion, someone kills her and all suspicion falls on the outcast, Alice. Someone wearing a yellow rain slicker and plastic doll mask begins killing people in the town. Some suspect Alice, but is it really her?
The remainder of the film focuses on Alice. Many people may have very mixed emotions about her. Are we supposed to like and care about her? She does come across as a bit bratty, foul mouthed and "off" but we can cut her some slack because she also has to deal with her emotionally detached mother (Linda Miller)not to mention the obese landlord, Mr. Alphonso. I,personally really like the Alice character.Paula Sheppard, who plays the role, does an excellent job. She looks like a normal 12 year old girl one moment, and a deranged psychopath the next. Her eyes and facial expressions speak volumes about what she is thinking. Sheppard was actually 19 at the time of filming and sadly would only appear in one other movie, the ultra weird Liquid Sky.
A word or two must be said about Mr. Alphonso. He is quite unlike any other character you will see in a movie,horror or otherwise. He is bald,always wears a stained white tank top, weighs close to 400 pounds and eats cat food. There are also a few not so subtle hints that he dabbles in pedophilia. Alice has a few run ins with Mr. Alphonse.He is, in my opinion,one of the most disturbing characters ever in a movie.
Alice Sweet Alice was directed by Alfred Sole who would later direct one of my favorite horror spoofs, Pandemonium. I do not know much about Sole or his upbringing but one senses that there is a bit of self referencing in this movie.It seems to be a very personal film for Sole and the fact that he grew up in the same state (New Jersey)where the film is set adds to this feeling.
Catholicism plays an important role in movie. Many of the characters attend the same church that Karen was killed in. Every character in Alice Sweet Alice has emotional baggage and are often unhappy with their lives. Guilt combined with a dreary late season setting make the movie very pessimistic in its atmosphere. If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted horror movie, this is not the one to watch.
The killer's identity and motive may become obvious to some as the movie progresses but it takes nothing away from the overall effectiveness of the film. Although filmed and set in the United States, it looks and feels more like a giallo, which at the time was more prevalent than the slasher movie.
Overall I would give Alice Sweet Alice 8/10 plastic doll masks. It is available on DVD and comes well recommended from this reviewer. Just don't let Mr. Alphonso catch you sneaking around his apartment door.
Bad Dreams (1988)
One of the Better Slasher Movies of the Late 80s
As any long time horror fan will tell you, by 1988, the slasher well that had been prominent earlier in the decade was pretty much dried up. Horror films from this period tended to be on the comedic side with less of an emphasis on straight horror. One of the films to buck this trend however was Bad Dreams.
In the beginning of the film we see a young girl, Cynthia, a member of a cult involved in a ritual with her fellow members. The cult leader played by(Richard Lynch)is a Jim Jones/Charles Manson combination tells the group how they will be together as one following the ritual. What Cynthia soon realizes is that ol' cult leader man actually has mass suicide in mind. We soon witness various cult members dowse themselves with gasoline and set themselves alight. The house soon becomes a bonfire with the cult members trapped inside. The police and ambulances arrive but are there any survivors? In fact there is one survivor, Cynthia.
Flash forward 13 years, Cynthia,now played by Jennifer Rubin (Nightmare on Elm Street 3), wakes up from her coma. Yes, she has been kept alive all of these years. She is now a ward of the state and lives in the hospital cum mental institute. She begins a group therapy session to readjust to after being in a coma that has spanned half of her life. The doctor in charge of the therapy, is played by Bruce Abbott (from the first two Re Animator films.)Cynthia meets the assorted oddballs who are members of the group. We have our kooky love birds, our bi-polar comedian/aggressor, our bitter conspiracy theorist, and two women; one who looks like a female Steve Urkel and a tiny brunette who apparently borrowed Jennifer Tilly's voice.
Once Cynthia emerges from her coma, she begins to see her former cult leader in various places throughout the hospital. Is he still alive or is it all in her mind? The members of the group begin dying in mysterious ways. At first they are marked off as suicides but after a while it becomes apparent someone wants them dead.Does Cynthia's reawakening have anything to do with the deaths?
If you read my review of Killer Party,you know I enjoy talking about songs in movies. Bad Dreams does not have anything as awesome as "April" or "The Best Times of Our Lives", but does include "Time" by The Chambers Brothers. It's one of the more unsettling songs from the late 60s and by far the creepiest of the seemingly endless songs named "Time." If you missed it the first time it plays in the movie, don't worry. You'll hear it again and again throughout the film.
The acting, with a few exceptions, is one of the main drawbacks of the film. Jennifer Rubin, although easy on the eyes, does not exactly give a stellar performance. Her character in Nightmare on Elm Street 3 tells us that in her dreams she is "beautiful and bad." She carries the beauty into Bad Dreams but the way in which she is bad has a different connotation this time around.That's not to say she is terrible by any means,but she's not exactly Amy Steele in Friday the 13th part 2.The notable exception in Bad Dreams is Ralph, played by Dean Cameron. He gives quite a good performance as the joke and sex crazed funny man one minute, and the startling psychotic the next.I've always enjoyed his work, especially his role in one of my all time favorite guilty pleasures, Miracle Beach, in which he co-starred with the super adorable Ami Dolenz. That's a review for a different time.
Overall, Bad Dreams is parts hit and miss. I'm a slasher completest, and would find something good to say about the movie whether it was good or not. As a slasher it works for the most part. It's not the most obvious whodunit I've seen but it's in the top 10.
My rating: 6.5/10 blood pouring air vents.
Killer Party (1986)
Music videos, pledging a sorority and enjoying the best times of our lives
Killer Party is one of those titles that does not often get mentioned when people discuss 80s slasher movies.It's relatively unknown yet seems to have a loyal following amongst its fans. Filmed in 1984 under the title The April Fool but not released until 1986, Killer Party is three films rolled into one.
It begins as a music video, then becomes a college comedy filled with sex jokes and pranks. It is only in the final hour that it fully becomes a horror movie. We cannot go any farther into a discussion on Killer Party without mentioning the characters. One of the main reasons that the movie has a loyal fan base is because almost every character is likable. Our three main characters (Jennifer, Phoebe, and Vivia) are friends and are pledging the same sorority. The actresses playing those roles are great and the viewer feels as if they truly are friends. Their dialogue and banter is realistic. They care for each other and we cheer for them to survive.Jennifer is the studious, sensible one. Phoebe is excitable one and goes along with the group, and Vivia is the nerdy prankster.The actress who played Vivia, Sherry Willis-Burch, was also in the 1981 slasher movie Final Exam.The girls must go through the typical sorority hazing and tasks in order to become members. The most memorable line from the movie comes from a scene in which the snotty head of the sorority, Veronica (Alicia Fleer) tells the girls that when asked a question in class, they must respond by saying "I myself prefer a big, fat cucumber." Oh those wacky sororities and sexual innuendos.
There are also great secondary characters like Professor Zito, played by the always entertaining Paul Bartel, Martin played by Ralph Seymour and Blake played by Martin Hewitt.Bartel is probably best known to genre fans as the director/star of the cult classic Eating Raul, Chopping Mall, Death Race 2000 and Piranha. He also directed one of my personal favorite horror movies, Private Parts. Ralph Seymour was also in the 1980 backwoods slasher classic, Just Before Dawn.
The criticism of Killer Party is that it takes much too long to become a horror movie. While I see that point, I do not mind because I like the characters enough and enjoy the comedy aspects of the film. It all depends on your moods and tastes, but I am never bored whenever I sit down to watch it. The final half of the movie takes places at an abandoned frat house which was the site of a fraternity prank gone wrong 20 years before.Does this tragedy from the past have something to do with the recent killings? Could be...
All of the before mentioned comedy hi-jinx makes the final 30 minutes all the more surprising and affective.It is a jolt to the viewer when our killer begins to dispatch the remaining characters without a hint of humour. In fact, I would argue the final act of Killer Party is one of the best found in a slasher movie.I remember watching it for the first time in an edited form on TBS in 1989 and was amazed by the performance of the killer. I won't reveal who that is. No spoilers here. Special mention should be made of the two main songs featured in the movie. The first is April by the band White Sister. It is a catchy tune in the rousing tradition of 80s hair rock. All depending on your feelings toward said hair rock, you'll either enjoy it or hate it. I personally love the song and listen to it occasionally. However, April is just a warm up to what is the theme song of Killer Party: a song that goes by the name These Are The Best Times of Our Lives. Those who have seen the movie know the song and if you haven't, you will soon know it the minute you hear it.I'm a fan of cheesy songs from horror movies and These are the Best Times is pure cheese but it also happens to be one of my favorite songs ever in a movie. Try not to sing along...I dare you.
Currently Killer Party does not have an official DVD release but is a part of the Warner Archives.My old VHS copy has seen better days but I return to it like an old friend I have known for years. While not one of the greatest horror movies by any means, slasher fans and horror fans in general could do much worse than seeking out this movie. You may even find yourself preferring a big, fat cucumber after watching this.
My rating based on nostalgia and love for the movie: 10/10 My rating as a non biased slasher fan 7/10