40 years of Alfred Sole’s ALICE, SWEET ALICE will be marked as of November 13th of this year. The director’s cousin, Dante Tomaselli (Horror, Satan’s Playground), is working on getting a remake of the 1976 film in the works. Tomaselli’s been working on getting this off the ground for nearly 10 years. News of the remake was reported back in 2007. Flash forward 6 years to 2013, and the remake was almost in production, with Kathyrn Morris set to star as Alice’s mother. But the production’s pockets ran dry, and the project was put on hold.
“We’ve had a series of stop and go experiences mounting the remake,” said Tomasell regarding the on-again-off-again production. “First, Alfred’s ex-agent was confident she had funding but, ultimately, she didn’t. Then Kathryn Morris was going to serve as Executive Producer, but she couldn’t raise the funds. She did try. That was it.”
Years later, however, the remake is finally getting the push to move forward. But it could be a while before fans get to see it. I predict a 2018-2019 release date.
Tomaselli on the production:
“I never submitted Alice to any small studio or anyone for that matter. Meanwhile, I get asked about it almost every day on Facebook. More than anything, people want to know about Alice, Sweet Alice. When is it coming?
For a while it was just a concept, and there was no script. But, recently, Michael Gingold and I wrote a scary slasher screenplay, honoring the original film’s flavor. I always planned, or hoped, to finance Alice, Sweet Alice with private funding, so it could remain independent, like the original, but the financing is a beast unto itself. At this moment, I do have solid prospects from European production companies and producers that contacted me out of the blue, knowing that, through my cousin, I own the rights to the remake.
The original film has a huge worldwide cult following in the horror world. I’m following through and need to make sure that the money is really there.”
This time around, I’d except to see a crowdfunding campaign to help support financing for the film. If, however, funding is finally in check, the remake should start filming soon. Tomaselli has been reported to have already written the screenplay with Fangoria editor-in-chief Michael Gingold. Something should be going on soon!
The story focuses on Alice, a 12-year-old girl consumed with jealousy of her “perfect” younger sister Karen. When Karen is killed on the day of her first Communion, suspicion falls on Alice. Their mother, Catherine, struggles with the loss of one daughter and the potential guilt of another, and their community becomes overtaken by fear. As more people around Alice are savagely attacked and slain, the mystery deepens: Is this young girl responsible, or is someone else indulging a twisted obsession with murder?
Follow Us!