Eaten Alive

I didn't think much of this when I first saw it--Tobe Hooper trying to show he's not a one-hitter by resorting to child abuse--but each time I see it I'm more impressed. It's much better than THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, which is a comedy. What's wrong is the timing. The prelude-episode, from the beginning until the death of one of the main characters--has so much adrenaline that the rest of the movie, which drags anyway, fails to sustain it. The protagonists in TEXAS CM were ordinary; these protagonists are activly dislikable, including Marilyn Burns' character, whose screams and thrashings give me no pity nor terror this time. The prelude also has the best acting, including Robert Englund hilariously imitating, or at least borrowing from, George C. Scott's performance as another "Buck" in DOCTOR STRANGELOVE, and, better simulated death by penetrating trauma even than the meathook episode in THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. And yes Neville Brand is fantastic but Carolyn Jones who p... Read more

This review is for the 2-Disc Special Edition of Eaten Alive: Based on what I read about the plot of this movie and the fact that a young Robert Englund acted in this film, I thought Eaten Alive would be worth the purchase, especially seeing how I'm such a fan of the horror genre. Well, once I finished watching it, I was set straight. So allow me to do the same for you: Don't waste your time or your money. It's really that simple. Dark Sky must have had to work extra hard to restore this film and it's still a grainy mess! Grain ran for over 95 percent of the movie, which seem to enhance the atmosphere, but it was way too much. I imagine the original negative was not properly cared for. The croc looked half real and half fake depending on the angle it was shot. The nudity was okay and the idea of using a scythe was kind of original, but the whole damn mess was poorly executed. Stay away. You've been warned.

This is one of the worst horror movies I can remember watching, and I have watched a lot of them over the years, and I want those 90 minutes back. I won't go into a detailed analysis, because the movie doesn't deserve one. The movie is supposedly based on the true story of a hotel owner who had an alligator as an attraction and where several women were murdered, though it was never proven he fed them to the alligator. I watched it because it was directed by Tobe Hooper (this was his follow-up to Chainsaw). The other notable horror connections are Robert Englund in his first significant role (listen for his first line at the beginning) and Marilyn Burns (from Chainsaw). What can you expect from this movie? A hotel owner that mumbles incoherently to no one for most of the movie, bad dialogue, bad special effects (though Steve Martin would be proud of the scythe killing), and the worst music ever contained in a horror movie. Are you getting the picture yet? It's bad! I o... Read more

The amazing thing that jumped out at me while watching EATEN ALIVE was that Tobe Hooper made this AFTER he made THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. This movie definitely looks like a debut: it's horrible. Everything that worked in TEXAS CHAINSAW doesn't work here. It looks and sounds horrible. The sets are cheap and the story--what story there is--drags along. Marilyn Burns appears to spend her entire part of the movie tied to a bed. In one long scene--a very long scene--a mother squirms and bounces and tries to scream through her gag in one room of a house. A couple tries to get busy (a young Robert Englund!) in another room. And under the house is a crying little girl trying to elude the psycho and then his fake-looking alligator. All of this noise is drowned out by a radio blasting terrible Country music. I've never been a big fan of Country music...but I really hated it after enduring this movie. (That it switched to Mariachi music for the finale didn't help). I've never r... Read more

Warning: This is NOT THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE! Nope, EATEN ALIVE isn't TCM, nor is it supposed to be. This movie has elements not found in Tobe Hooper's first film offering. EATEN ALIVE contains actual blood, nudity, and is more exploitative than TCM. It also has a far less serious approach. Judd (Neville Brand) is a self-righteous, homicidal maniac who sees himself as judge, jury, and executioner of those he convicts of being unclean / sinful. The guilty are slain, either by scythe or Judd's handy pet alligator (or both)! Judd also has a serious problem w/ his temper. He just cannot control it! This all leads to multiple murder, and some entertaining, gruesome moments. The Starlight hotel becomes a funhouse / slaughterhouse when some of the guests get uppity and Judd has his hands full trying to contain them. Marilyn Burns (TCM) does her usual screaming, squirming, and running. Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger himself!) is annoying, yet good as Buck. Carolyn Jones (House Of Wax, Inva... Read more