I am a fan of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre so when I saw Tobe Hooper had directed Eaten Alive (1976) I had to check it out. The movie also features Robert Englund, an actor that again I am a fan of.
In some ways this movie reminds me of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but strangely it reminds me of Dario Arfento with its use of red lighting. Unfortunately that is about the only similarly.
Imagine if Leatherface and the Hitchhiker had a baby, and that baby grew up, got himself a motel and a pet crocodile. Well, that is basically the character of Judd. Poor old crazy Judd, its not easy looking after a giant crocodile and a motel.
Judd is of course completely insane, but there again the majority of people in this movie appear to be insane, or overreacting to such a degree they appear insane. The little girls father is either crazy or some of the most extreme overacting I have ever seen.
Anyway, the plot of the movie is really rather simple. People keep coming to this motel, despite the fact its rundown and the owner looks like a serial killer. The people, some of them, then end up getting eaten by a giant crocodile, hence the title of the movie. Whilst people stumbling into by accident the Sawyers house in Texas Chainsaw Massacre is believable, people actually choosing this motel is not.
The movie also features one of the most ridiculous looking rubber crocodiles to ever appear in a movie. That said there are good chase scenes, for a man with a wooden leg Judd sure can run fast. Also, the performance of Robert Englund is perhaps the best part of the film, also you get to see a very young Robert Englund.
Eaten Alive really is quite a strange movie. So many of the characters behave in strange ways. The ending of the film is, however, all so predictable. I am left with very conflicting views about the movie. I dont hate it, but I doubt I would ever watch it again.
4 out of 10