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
Product Description
Deep in the Texas bayous, amidst the dankest of whorehouses and bars, resides the decrepit Starlight Hotel. Owned and operated by intensely lonely Judd (Neville Brand), the Starlight receives few patrons. Perhaps it’s the remote backwoods location. Perhaps it’s Judd’s violent mood swings. Or perhaps it’s the giant flesh-hungry crocodile in the backyard. But one dark steamy night finds the Starlight visited by a runaway prostitute (Roberta Collins), a very strange young couple (Marilyn Burns and William Finley) and their ward (Kyle Richards), a dying father and his daughter (Mel Ferrer and Crystin Sinclaire), and a sex-starved local named Buck (Robert Englund) who really likes to… Directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist), Eaten Alive is a raw, sweaty, and bizarre portrayal of madness run amok in rural America.
DVD ~ Jill Banner
DVD ~ Lewis Fiander
DVD ~ Lynne Bradley
DVD ~ Jack Palance
DVD ~ Elizabeth Berridge
on 
