“God took her from me on the day of her first communion, don’t you see? He waited until then to teach me that children pay for the sins of their parents.”
Is there anything quite so devastating as the concept of original sin? The idea that we’re damned at conception before we’ve had a chance to take our first breath? What will it take to find salvation and how much will we have to pay for the actions of those who came before us? It’s a particularly painful topic for women. With Eve’s first bite of the apple weighing heavily against us and men holding all the levers of power, the path to righteousness can feel like a minefield. Some women will kill to escape these oppressive gender-based norms while others double down and kill to make sure they stay in place. The Lady Killers conclude a month of hidden horrors by unmasking the feminine terror of original sin in the 1976 Catholic horror film Alice, Sweet Alice.
Despite director Alfred Sole’s angelic title, Alice Spages (Paula E. Sheppard) may not be as sweet as she seems. Not only is she jealous of the attention heaped on her younger sister Karen (Brooke Shields), she has an antagonistic relationship with her handsy landlord Mr. Alphonso (Alphonso DeNoble), and spends her days wandering construction sites in her yellow school slicker and creepy, clear mask. When Karen dies moments before taking her first communion, Alice shoots to the top of the suspect list. Her recently divorced parents reunite to defend her honor, but it may not be enough to protect this not-so-sweet girl from leering police, aggressive aunts, and a tiny killer still on the loose.
Co-hosts Jenn Adams, Mae Shults, and Sammie Kuykendall make their way to the podcasting altar for a blessed conversation on this unholy hit. They’ll chat about masked attackers, sassy sisters, communion-craving whores, and a plethora of priests. What does it mean to receive the host? Is there a parallel between menstruation and communion? Why is Aunt Alice always yelling, and will someone please wash Mr. Alohonso’s pants? They’ll wander through construction sites and rectories as they tackle these questions and more with Alfred Sole’s iconic film.
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