When ten-year-old Karen (Brooke Shields) is killed in church on the occasion of her first communion, her seemingly innocent older sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) becomes the prime suspect. Matters become complicated as more of Alice's family members are attacked, along with residents of her apartment building. Can a twelve-year-old girl be capable of such mayhem, or is someone else with a vicious plan destroying her family?

Alice Sweet Alice features a surprising amount of bloodletting along with a heavy dose of Catholic iconography. This was the first (albeit brief) screen appearance for Shields. The film is alternately known as Communion and Holy Terror.