Unholy Communion (hardback)

<p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Paterson New Jersey-March 1961. A joyous day of celebration turns into a waking nightmare when a young girl is brutally murdered. With the police making slow progress the child's grief-stricken parents decide to launch their own investigation and uncover some ugly secrets about their family friends and neighbors. Among the many possible suspects the most likely culprit proves to be the girl's own sister... but could an angelic-looking child be capable of such a ghastly crime?</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Originally titled </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Communion</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> but also known by such monikers as </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Alice Sweet Alice</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> and </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Holy Terror</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> Alfred Sole's Catholic-themed horror-thriller has gone on to attract a well-deserved cult following. Though mostly ignored on its original checkered theatrical release the film is now revered among devotees of the offbeat. </span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Architect-turned-filmmaker Alfred Sole brought a distinctive artistic eye to bear on what could have been yet another routine potboiler. Working well outside the confines of Hollywood he used his connections to secure atmospheric locations while scouring the New York theater scene for the right actors to bring his quirky characters to life. The road to realizing his vision was not without complications however. Here you will learn about his ill-fated foray into the then-profitable porno chic market by making his own blue movie in his home town; the fallout was immense and he found himself facing the possibility of jail time as well as absolute professional disgrace. Once the dust settled he decided to try for something equally commercial but far more palatable for mainstream consumption. At a time when the likes of Tobe Hooper George A. Romero John Carpenter Wes Craven and David Cronenberg were emerging as the great new </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>auteurs</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> of North American horror Alfred Sole seemed poised to join their ranks; sadly some bad breaks ensured that lightning would not strike twice. No matter what disappointments came in its wake Sole's respectable mainstream debut scaled artistic heights that leave no doubts as to his singular talents.</span></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> </strong></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Troy Howarth</strong><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> the award-nominated author of such books as </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>The Haunted World of Mario Bava</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> and </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Assault on the System: The Nonconformist Cinema of John Carpenter</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> explores the genesis production and reception of one of the key horror films of the 1970s. In addition to a brand new in-depth career-encompassing interview with co-writer/director Alfred Sole </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Unholy Communion: Alice Sweet Alice from Script to Screen</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> also reproduces the complete original shooting screenplay. There's also ample analysis of the state of the genre during the counter-culture boom of the late 1960s and '70s and of the film itself giving readers insight into what makes this such a special stand-out piece of independent filmmaking.</span></p><p><br></p>