Eaten Alive



After Clara, a reluctant prostitute, is kicked out of the brothel she works at, she finds herself at the Starlight Hotel, a rundown old place out in the swamp. It’s run by Judd, an odd eccentric who keeps a pet crocodile directly next to the hotel grounds. Judd just seems peculiar at first, but the second he finds out she’s a prostitute he freaks out, chases her out with a pitchfork, and chucks her over the fence where she’s devoured by his reptilian “pet”. He tries not to think any more about it, but as more people start showing up at the hotel and annoying him, he starts to spiral. And when Clara’s father and sister show up at the hotel looking for her, it’s really only a matter of time before his little secret is discovered.



Eaten Alive, occasionally styled as Eaten Alive! (but not to be confused with the Italian film Eaten Alive! AKA Mangiati Vivi! (confused yet?!? Haha!) because they are in no way connected) is an American horror film from 1976. It also happens to be one of the earlier directorial efforts of Tobe Hooper, which was one of the primary reasons for me to pick it this week. The other, in case you’re curious, was because the last two movies I watched also included people being eaten by…er, something, so I figured what the hell, I might as well continue with that theme.

Anyway, like Hooper’s previous film Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Eaten Alive also involves similar themes related to rural anger, and a number of characters suffering from bat-shit insanity out in the middle of nowhere in a rundown, grungy location. So naturally because of all that it’s become a bit of a cult classic over the years. But while both films have a lot of similarities, this one doesn’t quite live up to its big brother’s well known notoriety.



While I enjoy the movie for what it is, I think the film’s biggest downside, and possibly the reason why it tends to get overshadowed by TCM (and in some cases downright forgotten), is perhaps because it ends up being a little too much like its predecessor. It’s a shocking, sleazy, grime-y film that involves watching someone who’s absolutely insane chase around a bunch of randos who are just passing through, and most of the victims end up on the dinner menu. So, very similar plot, they just changed locations. That being said, it also doesn’t go quite as far as TCM either, so it might not feel like it “measures up”, so to speak. The biggest difference being that it lacks a lot of that realistic, raw intensity that makes TCM stand out so much, even today. Just about everything here is set on a sound-stage that seems to be perpetually covered in fog, so the film has a very dreamlike, almost nightmarish quality around it that takes out some of the “umph”. Many of the setups also feel a lot more “out there” compared to the previous film, so couple that with the absolute insanity of some of the plot points, and I can see how the movie may feel a bit too outlandish to produce the same kind of visceral impact for a lot of people. Despite the fact that it’s loosely based on a real case from Texas from the 1930s.



That said, the film still has a lot going for it. Though it doesn’t feel quite as realistic as some may prefer, it does still have an excellent sense of atmosphere. The sets may feel kind of cheap sometimes, but it’s the kind of cheap that adds to the grunge-y, run-down look they were going for, so it works in the film’s favor. As does the dim lighting and the dull, rusty color palette. Add in the mess, dust, and things like peeling wallpaper and even the soundtrack, and it feels like the movie really nailed its chosen gritty aesthetic.



The movie is also a lot more violent than Hooper’s last outing. TCM often gets remembered as this really violent film. But in reality it’s actually shockingly subtle. Beyond a couple of quick whacks with a hammer you actually see precious little in the way of blood or gore in that film. Not so in Eaten Alive. True, some stuff happens just out of camera range, likely due to budgetary constraints. But people are still getting shot, stabbed, beaten, eaten and sliced through the damn neck. So there’s quite a bit more here than you might otherwise expect. Most of it isn’t particularly gruesome, but it does have a couple of memorable shots that should at least appease most of the blood fiends.



I think the film’s standout though, is its characters. Because goodness…what a bunch. Of course there’s Judd, who can go from Zero to HolyShitYouCrazyRedneck in about 0.2 seconds. But you’ve also got Buck, the local-yocal whose defining feature seems to be that he likes anal, and pissing off Judd. Thankfully neither of those hobbies are inner connected to one another in any way, so the film doesn’t get too weird, but they’re puzzling primary personality traits to highlight nonetheless. There’s also the standard small town sheriff and various victim tropes wandering around alongside a kindly housemaid and the sleazy madame Miss Hattie (played by original Morticia Adams actress Carolyn Jones, who’d have thunk it?)


^{They gave her an intentionally hideous makeup job.}

Shockingly, most of the characters are also pretty likable. Even Judd is, in a crazy, demented sort of way. I WAS a little worried when I saw the kid hop out of the car, but even she ended up being okay. Admittedly she can be a smidge annoying, since her main purpose seems to be to scream and cry. But honestly, she’s like, what? Six? And she spends the entire evening being chased around while successfully eluding some crazy swamp loon with a scythe? I can’t say I would have handled the situation any better in her shoes, so good on you, kid. Really, the most annoying thing I can think to say about her is that it’s a shame she didn’t escape earlier, because it would have saved at least two people their lives. Because most of the characters shockingly end up being pretty solid human beings in this film, so when they hear the kid calling for help they go to investigate. Hell, even Buck, who is basically portrayed as the asshole of the film, goes outside looking to offer aid. Not that that keeps him from being an asshole, it just means that instead of being 100% asshole he’s only somewhere around 90% asshole.



The one weird out liner though is the husband of this small family that shows up at one point during the night. When his small daughter nearly gets eaten by the crocodile, that odd little bespectacled dude goes from demure, to useless, to looking like he’s trying to channel Dracula during the Silent Film era, before finally settling on proud NRA member when he decides to grab a rifle out of his trunk and just shoot the damn lizard. Of course that plan ends rather poorly for him, but for a while there it looked like he was giving Judd a run for his money on the road to crazytown.



As for the acting itself, some of it is pretty amateurish, as one would expect from an independent budget production like this. But there are a couple of standouts. Neville Brand is absolutely stellar as Judd. That guy is completely manic in some scenes and it is a delight to see, even if you’re constantly wondering what the hell is wrong with his character. I already mentioned Carolyn Jones, but she’s only in this for five minutes (maybe) and is damn near unrecognizable. Another familiar face is Stuart Whitman as the small town sheriff (but then, when wasn’t he playing a small town sheriff?) and even Marilyn Burns from Texas Chainsaw Massacre shows up for a couple scenes, because being chased by a crazy redneck once before apparently wasn’t enough for her. The most recognizable face though, is probably Robert Englund as Buck. It’s one of his earlier performances and he’s delightfully offbeat most of the time. But even he isn’t in that all that long, because the film’s primary character is Judd and whatever voices he happens to be talking to in his head.



So basically, Eaten Alive is a solid enough slasher/psychological horror film, and it has its moments, but it’s not great. The atmosphere is good, the characters are pretty fun, and Brand is an entertaining villain. But the plot is a bit too predictable and silly at times, even if I did enjoy getting to watch a fake crocodile eat a bunch of people. I still think it ends up being pretty fun though, even with the silliness. So if you don’t take your horror films too seriously, then give this one a shot. But if you see Hooper’s name and are hoping for something that’s going to feel more like Texas Chainsaw Massacre then I think you’re going to be a bit disappointed.

Eaten Alive is available on a variety of streaming services.

Eaten Alive is also available on DVD and Bluray.

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