Review of Eaten Alive (1976) by Carl N — 07 Sep 2010
This was Tobe Hooper's follow-up to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Although it unquestionably lacks the pounding intensity and realism of TCM, It is certainly a very good horror film. Everything is grimly shot with a deep red tone that makes everything really creepy and gives the movie a claustrophobic feel.
The loose plot revolves around Judd, a crazed war vet who's haunted by ghosts from the past. He is the proprietor of a rundown hotel in the Louisiana bayou. He uses a giant scythe to kill his unlucky guests before he feeds them to his pet monster croc out back.
The crocodile aspect of the film makes it hard to take the film seriously. And apart from the one scene in which Judd tries in vain to goad a young child from under his hotel. (Which is very disturbing) the film has a very cartoonish feel to it.
But it's still very enjoyable to watch. There are some nice gory set-pieces and ample amounts of gratuitous nudity. Robert Englund makes a strong early appearance as fast talking would-be stud Buck.
He gets to open the film with the Shakespearean line "My name is Buck and I'm ready to f**k". My heart goes out to actress Marilyn Burns. She played Sally Hardesty in TCM (the one that survived) she yet again plays a lady in distress.
She once again gets tied up and tormented. But I suppose when you can deliver such a tormenting scream as she can, you going to get type cast. To sum up I think any fan of 70's horror will enjoy this movie.
This review of Eaten Alive (1976) was written by Carl N on 07 Sep 2010.
Eaten Alive has generally received mixed reviews.
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