Eaten Alive (1976) – Review

I’m betting Tobe Hooper has never been offered a spot on the Texas Tourism Board. Following the success of his groundbreaking The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, he would attempt to capitalize on the burgeoning popularity of slasher films by once again delving into the realm of Southern Gothic Horror with his film, Eaten Alive.

Who knew that refusing anal sex could be fatal? This rather distinct conflict is what kicks off Tobe Hooper’s Eaten Alive, where we are introduced to a naïve prostitute named Clara Wood (Roberta Collins) who is not too keen on Buck (Robert Englund), a crass and boorish John who desires this particular sex act. This refusal results in the owner of the brothel, Miss Hattie (Carolyn Jones), kicking the poor girl out on her proverbial ass. Before you can say “Deliverance,” Clara finds herself taking up residence at the decrepit Starlight Hotel, located deep in the remote swampland, which is owned and operated by Judd (Neville Brand), a psychotic individual who has a distinct love/hate relationship with women he thinks are immorally pure.

You can cut the tension with a scythe.

As more guests arrive, they quickly become victims of Judd’s psychotic behaviour. One by one, they are dispatched in gruesome ways, either by Judd’s own hands or by the hungry crocodile lurking in the nearby waters. First, we have a fractious couple, the well-dressed, pill-popping Faye (Marilyn Burns) and her disturbed husband Roy (William Finley) and their little girl Angie (Kyle Richards). Later, Harvey Wood (Mel Ferrer) and his daughter Libby (Crystin Sinclaire) also arrive at the Starlight Hotel, seeking information on Clara, who is now deceased, having rebuffed Judd’s advances and found herself pitchforked to death and fed to the Nile Crocodile that lives in a pen next to the hotel. Basically, it’s like a twisted game of ‘Hotel Roulette,’ where the only prize is a one-way ticket to the croc’s belly, as one after another, they find themselves at the wrong end of Judd’s ever-growing psychosis.

Filmed in Death Vision.

But what Eaten Alive lacks in plot intricacies, it makes up for in sheer audacity. Hooper throws everything but the kitchen sink into this swampy stew of horror and humour. From Judd’s unhinged rants to the downright ridiculous death scenes, it’s a buffet of B-movie delights that’ll leave you simultaneously scratching your head and wondering if it’s ever going to end. On the downside, even at 90 minutes in length, the film tends to drag, and while the deaths are gruesome, they aren’t particularly creative or interesting. The much-heralded croc has very little screen time and is more of a garbage disposable unit than an actual threat to our protagonists – that’s if any of the people in this movie could be called protagonists – and the crocodile in this movie is less than convincing and would probably be more at home at Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.

“Today’s secret word is Phoney.”

Stray Observations:

• Horror icon Robert Englund has provided us with plenty of memorable lines over the years as Freddy Krueger, but can any of them top “Name’s Buck… and I’m raring to fuck.”
• Why would the kindly maid at Miss Hattie’s give the distraught Clara some money to get away, but then suggest that she stay at the rundown Starlight Hotel, whose owner is clearly psychotic?
• A little girl is traumatized by seeing her dog get eaten by a crocodile, but instead of packing her back in their car and driving away, as a normal person would do, her parents decide to get a room at the scene of the crime. This is not a sign of good parenting or even common sense.
• Mel Ferrer would go on to appear in another film titled Eaten Alive, just four years later, which is a weird sort of typecasting.

Getting eaten is definitely a weird career choice.

One of the film’s primary weaknesses lies in its narrative coherence, while the premise of a crazed hotelier using a crocodile to get rid of victims holds some promise of a chilling exploration of madness and depravity, the execution is marred by disjointed storytelling and underdeveloped characters. The pacing is uneven, with sluggish stretches punctuated by sudden bursts of violence, failing to sustain tension or build suspense effectively. If you think spending a lot of time with a little girl crawling around under a crappy hotel is suspenseful then you may get some entertainment value out of Eaten Alive. It goes on forever and without even that good of a resolution.

An ironic death does not equal a satisfying one.

Moreover, the characterization in Eaten Alive are disappointingly shallow. Neville Brand’s Judd is a one-dimensional villain whose motivations remain largely unexplored beyond his penchant for sadism. The other characters, including the hapless guests who stumble upon Judd’s establishment, are similarly underwritten, lacking depth or complexity. They are nothing more than cannon fodder for the film’s required gruesome deaths. As a result, it becomes difficult for us to invest in their fates or feel genuine fear for their safety. Despite these shortcomings, Eaten Alive does have some redeeming qualities. Hooper’s direction occasionally shines through in moments of macabre imagery and kinetic energy, showcasing his flair for crafting memorable horror set pieces. The film’s gritty, exploitation aesthetic may also hold appeal for fans of cult cinema, who may appreciate its unapologetically lurid sensibilities.

Fifty Shades of Creepy.

In conclusion, Eaten Alive occupies a curious place in Tobe Hooper’s filmography, sandwiched between the monumental success of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and his later work in mainstream horror. While it demonstrates flashes of the director’s talent and a willingness to push boundaries, particularly in its depiction of graphic violence, it ultimately falls short due to its lack of narrative cohesion, underdeveloped characters, and technical limitations. While it may hold nostalgic value for some aficionados of exploitation cinema, it remains a flawed and ultimately forgettable entry in the horror genre.