Product Details

• Actors: Neville Brand, Mel Ferrer, Carolyn Jones, Marilyn Burns, William Finley
• Directors: Tobe Hooper
• Writers: Alvin L. Fast, Mardi Rustam, Kim Henkel
• Producers: Alvin L. Fast, Larry Huly, Mardi Rustam, Mohammed Rustam
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: ELITE ENTERTAINMENT
• DVD Release Date: November 18, 2003
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000D9PFC
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #108,958 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A wild mix of surreal fantasy and grindhouse splatterfest, Tobe (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Hooper's 1976 sophomore feature pits an all-star cast against the homicidal owner of a backwoods hotel and his pet crocodile, with expectedly bloody results. Veteran character actor Neville Brand gives a memorably eccentric performance as the deranged hotelier, whose unpredictable rages frequently end in the violent death of his guests; Mel Ferrer is the inquisitive father of one victim, Robert Englund is a lusty local yokel, and William Finley and Marilyn Burns (Chainsaw's heroine) are a married couple on the verge of a meltdown who make the mistake of renting a room from Brand. Naturally, Brand's homicidal impulses get the better of him, and the film's finale nicely echoes the sheer bedlam of Chainsaw's final act, with all parties (including Stuart Whitman as a very laid-back sheriff) struggling to escape Brand and his croc with all body parts intact. While Eaten Alive never hits the same nerve-jangling heights of terror as its predecessor, Hooper does bring considerable style and verve to its crazy-quilt story, most notably in its garish lighting scheme, which suggests the exaggerated panels of '50s horror comics. And horror fans who don't mind a dash of black humor with their grue will appreciate Brand's stream of consciousness mutterings, as well as the cat-and-mouse game conducted by Finley and Burns' daughter (Kyle Richards) and the monster croc under the hotel. The impressive double-disc set includes a widescreen presentation of the original feature taken from vault materials (the picture was available under a variety of titles, each with different running times); disc one also offers commentary by Finley, Richards, producer Mardi Rustam, and makeup artist Craig Reardon. Hooper is profiled on disc two in an interview that details how he became involved in the project, and the difficulties encountered in bringing it to the screen. Englund and Burns are also interviewed about their careers and participation in the film, and a short documentary titled "The Butcher of Elmendorf: The Legend of Joe Ball" sheds like on the obscure real-life crime that in part inspired the movie. The extras are rounded out by a battery of behind-the-scenes photos, theatrical trailers and radio spots for Eaten Alive's numerous retitlings (including a preview from Japan), and two alternate credit and title sequences. The most amusing extra, however, comes in the form of comment cards filled out by test screening viewers, which run the gamut from disgusted to enthralled. -- Paul Gaita

From the Back Cover
If you're a fan of Tobe Hooper's classic film THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, then you are in for a treat. This was Hooper's follow-up film to Chainsaw. In fact, it features the same damsel-in-distress, Marilyn Burns, and was co-written by Chainsaw collaborator Kim Henkel. Eaten Alive is a very disturbing movie and features some of the most truly horrific scenes ever filmed. Look for an early performance by "Freddy Krueger" himself, Robert Englund.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meet the Maniac and his Friend!, February 15, 2000

By	Steve Woods (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eaten Alive (DVD)

First off: Elite's widescreen DVD is terrific - this is the best this film is ever going to look. This semi-disappointing follow-up to Texas Chainsaw Massacre involves a lunatic who kills guests and feeds their bodies to a crocodile that lives in the next door swamp. Things are off to a slow start at the beginning (you get a lot of sleazy decor) but once Hooper cranks up the action to ram speed there are enough ladies screaming, prostitutes running, lords-a-leaping, maids-a-milking - you get the idea. The only problem is the hotel set. It looks like a cheap set. In the chase scenes, there is no camera movement - everyone just runs around in circles in one wide shot. The crocodile is not the most realistic thing ever (the victims can be seen forcing themselves into its mouth). Yet, the performances are good and the whole affair is actually very disturbing. On that note, I recommend you check into this "Horror Hotel" for a little "Starlight Slaughter" if you know what I mean.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars - Especially for fans of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!, March 13, 2006

By	Korwedge (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Eaten Alive is a fun and twisted low-budget horror that fans of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre will enjoy. Three of the original cast and crew take part in this movie, and as you watch, you will often be reminded of TCM. The soundtrack to this film is very similar to TCM, but still original.

There is a fair amount of unnecessary dialogue and adding crocidiles to this storyline seems a bit gimmicky, besides, they look really fake. Expect a small amount of really well done gore effects.

The story here isn't really about the crocodiles at all, it's about the creepy motel manager. He is really strange, but not nearly as creepy as some of the characters in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Overall Eaten Alive is a better than average horror flick that verges on being really creepy! 3 1/2 STARS

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eaten Alive (1976) d: Hooper, Tobe, June 3, 2001

By	Tony Crosgrey (Peterborough, Ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eaten Alive (DVD)

Aka: Death Trap; Starlight Slaughter; Legend of the Bayou; Horror Hotel Massacre. Not to be confused with the Jim Jones inspired film by Umberto Lenzi, [whose film Cannibal Ferox was featured in Fringe Video Issue #1], Eaten Alive is another U.K. nasty better known as Death Trap, that has been recently released on DVD. After completing the drive-in horror success Texas Chainsaw Massacre, director Tobe Hooper followed it up with a similar tale of backwoods, inbred rednecks. The plot consists of a nutty loner running a dilapidated motel (The Starlight) in the Louisiana swamps. The guests, troublesome visitors, and small puppies end up being fed to his pet crocodile, which is kept out back. Far from being "the ultimate in underbelly sleaze movies" that it was tagged upon the film's initial release, Eaten Alive comes across as more of a bad acting comic book comedy, than a video nasty. The one thing that did make the film so vile, is that Hooper chose to make one of his victims a little girl. Although never harmed either on screen or implied it is rare, even in the most brutal of films to see a child chased by a scythe-wielding maniac. Disturbing yes, but I find it strange that most typical killers have the moral aptitude not to attack a child, but a million sequels of innocent horny teenagers is fine.