Alice in Murderland (film)

Last updated

Alice in Murderland
Alice in Murderland poster.jpg
Directed byDennis Devine
Written byDennis Devine
StarringMalerie Grady
Distributed by Brain Damage Films
Release date
2010
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Alice in Murderland (also known as The Alice in Wonderland Murders) is a 2010 low-budget American horror film written and directed by Dennis Devine, based on and inspired by both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll [1] . It stars Malerie Grady, Marlene McCohen, Kelly Kula and Christopher Senger.

Contents

The film has received negative reviews by critics and horror fans.

Plot

Twenty-year-old Alice Lewis is turning 21, and is upset about it. Her sorors want to cheer her up and decide to hold a birthday party with an Alice in Wonderland theme at Charlene Glass's house. Alice knows that in the basement of that house, her mother, Ann Lewis, was brutally hacked to death by a masked killer 20 years before. The girls set a rule that no cell phones and no boys will be allowed.

Everyone comes dressed as their favorite character from the books. Someone who was not invited comes as the Jabberwocky (a fierce dragon from Alice Through the Looking-Glass ) and brings mayhem to the girls' night, as he starts murdering them one by one while the party is taking place. [2]

Cast

Release

Alice in Murderland was produced in 2010 by Tom Cat Films [3] and was released on February 8, 2011, by Brain Damage Films. [4]

Reception

Alice in Murderland received negative reviews from film critics and many horror fans. Criticisms focused on the poor quality of the Jabberwockey's costume, lack of screen-time for the titular character, perceptions of characters as insincere and fake, numerous shots in which film crew and equipment are clearly visible, the identity of the Jabberwocky killer, the throwaway characterizations of Matt and Andrew who had less than five minutes of screen time each, the repetitive soundtrack, and the misrepresentation of the film on the DVD cover.[ citation needed ]

"HorrorNews" said, "In spite of whatever criticisms I can make, I have to admit I kinda liked it. It’s a low budget, indie horror film that both suffers and benefits from everything that entails. I’m not going to tell you this film is great, but there are moments of greatness peppered throughout the film. The concept itself makes the film worth watching." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jabberwocky</span> 1855 and 1871 nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll

"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). The book tells of Alice's adventures within the back-to-front world of the Looking-Glass world.

<i>Through the Looking-Glass</i> 1871 novel by Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a novel published on 27 December 1871 by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics lecturer at Christ Church, University of Oxford, and the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Alice again enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a mirror into the world that she can see beyond it. There she finds that, just like a reflection, everything is reversed, including logic.

Alice (<i>Alices Adventures in Wonderland</i>) Character from childrens novel

Alice is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Lewis Carroll's children's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass (1871). A child in the mid-Victorian era, Alice unintentionally goes on an underground adventure after falling down a rabbit hole into Wonderland; in the sequel, she steps through a mirror into an alternative world.

<i>Alice in Wonderland</i> (1985 film) 1985 two-part film directed by Harry Harris

Alice in Wonderland is a 1985 American two-part made-for-television adventure family fantasy musical film of Lewis Carroll's books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871). An Irwin Allen production, it used a huge all-star cast of notable actors and actresses. The title role was played by Natalie Gregory, who wore a blonde wig for this miniseries. Alice in Wonderland was first telecast December 9, 1985, and December 10, 1985, at 8:00pm EST on CBS.

<i>Alice in Wonderland</i> (1951 film) Animated film by Walt Disney

Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is based on Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass. The production was supervised by Ben Sharpsteen, and was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske. With the voices of Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway, Jerry Colonna, Verna Felton, J. Pat O'Malley, Bill Thompson, and Heather Angel, the film follows a young girl Alice who falls down a rabbit hole to enter a nonsensical world Wonderland that is ruled by the Queen of Hearts, while encountering strange creatures, including the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.

Caterpillar (<i>Alices Adventures in Wonderland</i>) Fictional character

The Caterpillar is a fictional character appearing in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

<i>The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland</i> 1987 film

The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland is a 1987 animated musical fantasy film and the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987, by Cineplex Odeon Films, and is based on Lewis Carroll's Alice stories. The fourth feature film made at Toronto's Nelvana studio, it was directed by staff member Raymond Jafelice and produced by the firm's founders. It starred the voices of Keith Knight, Bob Dermer, Jim Henshaw, Tracey Moore and Elizabeth Hanna. In the film, the Care Bears must rescue the Princess of Wonderland from the Evil Wizard and his assistants, Dim and Dumb. After the White Rabbit shows them her photo, the Bears and Cousins search around the Earth for her before enlisting an unlikely replacement, an ordinary girl named Alice, to save her true look-alike. Venturing into Wonderland, the group encounters a host of strange characters, among them a rapping Cheshire Cat and the Jabberwocky.

Works based on <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>

Lewis Carroll's books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) have been highly popular in their original forms, and have served as the basis for many subsequent works since they were published. They have been adapted directly into other media, their characters and situations have been appropriated into other works, and these elements have been referenced innumerable times as familiar elements of shared culture. Simple references to the two books are too numerous to list; this list of works based on Alice in Wonderland focuses on works based specifically and substantially on Carroll's two books about the character of Alice.

<i>Alice in Wonderland</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film directed by Tim Burton

Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American period adventure fantasy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay written by Linda Woolverton and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film stars Mia Wasikowska in the title role, with Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Lucas, and Crispin Glover, while featuring the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, and Timothy Spall. A live-action adaptation and re-imagining of Lewis Carroll's works, the film follows Alice Kingsleigh, a nineteen-year-old who accidentally falls down a rabbit hole, returns to Wonderland, and alongside the Mad Hatter helps restore the White Queen to her throne by fighting against the Red Queen and her Jabberwocky, a dragon that terrorizes Wonderland's inhabitants.

Red Queen (<i>Through the Looking-Glass</i>) Fictional character

The Red Queen is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Lewis Carroll's fantasy 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass. She is often confused with the Queen of Hearts from the previous book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), although the two are very different.

White Queen (<i>Through the Looking-Glass</i>) Fictional character from Carrolls Through the Looking-Glass

The White Queen is a fictional character who appears in Lewis Carroll's 1871 fantasy novel Through the Looking-Glass.

<i>Alice in Wonderland</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Alice in Wonderland (1931) is an independently made black-and-white Pre-Code American film based on Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, directed by Bud Pollard, produced by Hugo Maienthau, and filmed at Metropolitan Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

A variety of films and television programmes based onAlice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) by Lewis Carroll have been created. The following is a list of close adaptations, including sequels or original works set in the same universe:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wonderland (fictional country)</span> Setting of Alices Adventures in Wonderland

Wonderland is the setting for Lewis Carroll's 1865 children's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Red Kingdom Rising is an independent fantasy horror film written, produced and directed by Navin Dev. The film is inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking Glass. It marks Dev's first feature-length film, following on from his similarly themed fairy tale short films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portrayals of Alice in Wonderland</span> Fictional character

Alice, the main protagonist of Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871), has been adapted to several media.

<i>Alice Through the Looking Glass</i> (2016 film) 2016 Disney film by James Bobin

Alice Through the Looking Glass is a 2016 American live-action/animated fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures in association with Roth Films, Team Todd, and Tim Burton Productions. It was directed by James Bobin, written by Linda Woolverton, and produced by Tim Burton, Joe Roth, and the filmmaking duo of Suzanne and Jennifer Todd. It is based on the characters created by Lewis Carroll and is the sequel to Alice in Wonderland (2010). Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Lucas, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Barbara Windsor, Timothy Spall, Paul Whitehouse, Lindsay Duncan, Geraldine James, and Leo Bill reprise their roles from the previous film with Rhys Ifans, Andrew Sachs, Matt Vogel and Sacha Baron Cohen joining the cast. In the film, a now 22-year-old Alice comes across a magical looking glass that takes her back to Wonderland, where she finds that the Mad Hatter is acting madder than usual and wants to discover the truth about his family. Alice then travels through time, comes across friends and enemies at different points of their lives, and embarks on a race to save the Hatter before time runs out.

<i>Alice in Wonderland</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise based on the Alice books by Lewis Carroll

Alice in Wonderland, or simply Alice, is a Disney media franchise, commencing in 1951 with the theatrical release of the animated film Alice in Wonderland. The film is an adaptation of the books by Lewis Carroll, the 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass, which featured his character Alice. A live-action film directed by Tim Burton was released in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarrant Hightopp</span> Mad Hatter in 2010 film Alice in Wonderland

Tarrant Hightopp, also known as The Mad Hatter, is a fictional character in the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland and its 2016 sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, based upon the original character from Lewis Carroll's Alice novels. He is portrayed by actor Johnny Depp. He serves as the films' male protagonist.

<i>Alices Adventures Under Ground</i> (opera)

Alice's Adventures Under Ground is a 2016 one-act opera by Gerald Barry to his own libretto, based on Lewis Carroll's 1865 children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Alice Through the Looking-Glass. First performed in a concert staging at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles on 22 November 2016, it received its stage premiere at the Royal Opera House on 3 February 2020. The staging was a joint production by the Royal Opera House, Irish National Opera and Dutch National Opera, and was directed by Antony McDonald.

References

  1. "Moviefone.com". Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  2. "Alice in Murderland". Killer Film Details. KillerReviews.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  3. "Alice in Murderland, Through the looking glass and straight to Hell". Full Catalog. Midnight Releasing. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  4. "Film Review: Alice in Murderland (2010)". Horror News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.