Jay Lee isn't the first person you think about when it comes to horror, but Alyce is his most assured movie to date. That's not really saying much though, this is the guy that gave us 2008's Zombie Strippers! His next feature, just for the record, goes by the name of Gutter Slut. Can't wait for that one. Jade Dornfield stars as the titular character, a pretty young thing with an axe to grind. It's actually a baseball bat but we'll let that go for now.
Life takes a downward spiral for Alyce after a night of partying leads to the death of her best friend. I say best friend, Alyce is clearly besotted with Carroll (Tamara Feldman) and who wouldn't be? It's evident from the start that Alyce is a little unhinged, and her affection for Carroll doesn't stop at friendship. She dresses like her, acts like her and really wants to be (with) her. So when she accidentally pushes Carroll off a roof, down the rabbit hole she must go.
The set up is slow, deliberate and a little clichéd, but Alyce's descent into madness is handled effectively enough, even if the numerous film references aren't as smart as Lee thinks. The second act does drag its heels though, and it's fairly obvious where we're going with this, but when Alyce finds her baseball bat Lee finds his groove, and suddenly the creaking set up explodes into an orgy of cartoon violence and pitch-black humour. One extended scene, in which Alyce attempts to dispose of a body, is pure cinematic gold. If only the rest of the film had dared to be so brave.
Slow out the blocks before sparking into life, Alyce is the most demented tortoise you are ever likely to see. I'm guessing she didn't just beat the hare, she probably cut him up and put him in the blender too. After a little persuasion (sixty minutes worth) Alyce is as mad as a hatter and definitely worth a look.
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