Movies
Alice Sweet Alice (Communion)
“Overall, this is a great and very atmospheric slasher film that deserves more appreciation from the horror genre. Great story, stunning visuals and direction, as well as some awesome kills and tension make this flick a true gem to watch.”
The 70s was great for many reasons in the horror realm. We were given great slasher films(Halloween), zombie films(Dawn of the Dead), and one fun yet not often realized tidbit…great lesser known horror flicks like Alice Sweet Alice. This American slasher flick (known to some as Communion) is a joy to watch not merely because of its great slasher element, but it brings us along for a beautiful and artsy ride perfectly crafted and disguised as a slasher film, a creepy slasher film.
Alice is a strange and ugly 12 year old child who suffers from the favoritism her mother , Catherine, shows her younger sister Karen(Brooke Shields in her first role). When Karen is brutally murdered during her fist Communion, all eyes turn to the jealous and mischievous Alice as the suspect. While the body count of those closest to Catherine continues to rise, all fingers a pointed at Alice, but Catherine is not convinced. Could a 12 year old girl really murder so many people, or is something entirely more grave going on?
If you enjoy atmospheric horror, then this film is sure to please your atmospheric desires. Right from the get-go we are thrown into the pleasant yet dreadful feeling you will constantly be bombarded with throughout this film’s 105 minute runtime thanks to superb direction from co-writer/director Alfred Sole. Mr. Sole’s cinematography is excellent, and this musical score is perfectly correlated with his somewhat Argento-esque stunning visuals and nicely panned shots.
Story-wise this flick excels and gives us a captivating “who-dun-it” thanks to great character development and many twists and turns that leave you wondering if little Alice really could commit the crimes we see on screen. While this is an American made film, it sure does come off as a giallo in many ways. The story, the direction, and another little tidbit I will get to later lead to the giallo feel. We get some great character use out of Catherine(Alice’s mother) as she copes not only with Karen’s death, but the fact that everyone around her believes that her only other child, Alice, is the culprit. Things become worse for her when Alice is blamed for several other murders of those around her, and she must cope with those deaths as well.
So what besides writing and direction give this flick a “giallo” feel? Well…simply put, the gory kills! I know that falls a bit under direction, but I was really surprised to see such gory kills in this beautifully crafted film. Not that I did not want to see such kills, because I did, but I just did not expect them to be so great with the way this film felt. It felt as if this flick was too good for such fascinating giallo-esque kills and would settle more for Psycho kills, but that was not the case with this one, and I loved it.
I really do not have any major complaints with this film, although it does tend to slow down pacing-wise from time to time. Thankfully, we get some nice story and character developments during those slow times so at least we get something for it.
Overall, this is a great and very atmospheric slasher film that deserves more appreciation from the horror genre. Great story, stunning visuals and direction, as well as some awesome kills and tension make this flick a true gem to watch.
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The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
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