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Powerful

Just what I expected

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre co-writer Kim Henkel was inspired by Joe Ball, the Alligator Man, who owned a live alligator attraction in the 1930s. Despite being suspected of several murders, legend had it that Ball would feed the dead women to his alligators. Ball started as a bootlegger before opening his Sociable Inn in Elmendorf, Texas, which was surrounded by a pond where he'd charge people to watch him feed them live cats and dogs. After former girlfriends, barmaids and even his wife went missing, two policemen tried to question him. He pulled a gun and shot himself — either in the head or the heart. That said — there are many that believe the stories about Joe Ball to be simply Texas folklore. He did exist, though.Working under the title Death Trap (the film is also known as Horror Hotel and Starlight Slaughter), this entire film was made on a soundstage, using the Raleigh Studios pool as a swamp. This enabled Hooper to create what he called a "surrealistic, twilight world." True to form, issues with the producers took him away from the film before the shooting ended, but he had a decent relationship with the actors. Cinematographer Robert Caramico finished the direction of the film once Hooper left.This movie starts grimy and stays that way. Buck (Robert Englund in an early role) demands kinky sex from Clara Wood (Robert Collins, Matilda the Hun from Death Race 2000!), who refuses. This scene contains the line, "I'm Buck and I'm here to f," line that Quentin Tarantino used in Kill Bill.No one says no in Miss Hattie's (Carolyn Jones, who is better known as Morticia Addams!) house of women, so Clara is kicked out. One of the girls takes pity and gives her money to stay at the Starlight Hotel, a rundown motel in the swamp. There, she meets the owner, Judd (Neville Brand, famous for playing Al Capone in The Untouchables TV series and The George Raft Story), who we soon learn is a demented sex maniac. He attacks her, chasing her into the swamp where a Nile crocodile eats her. Yep — don't get too attached to anyone here. This is very Psycho territory, where bad people meet even worse ends.A couple soon arrives — Faye (Marilyn Burns, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Roy (William Finley, Winslow Leach from The Phantom of the Paradise), along with their daughter Angie (Kyle Richards, Lindsey Wallace from Halloween!) and dog Snoopy. Don't get attached to Snoopy, who isn't long for this world. As Angie finds a dead monkey and screams, the dog runs into the swamp where he is eaten. Roy goes to kill the gator, but is stabbed by Judd's scythe. Then, the insane motel owner ties Faye to the bed and tries to grab Angie, who hides under the porch of the building.Read more at bandsaboutmovies.com/2017/09/15/eaten-alive-1977/

I first saw this in the late 80s on a VHS. Revisited it recently on a DVD. Too much of red color n fake studio settings but nonetheless the cinematography, editing n most importantly the acting of the psycho was good enuff. Given this was Hooper's follow up to one of the greatest horror films (Texas chainsaw massacre) ever made, it brought with it some high expectations. Some may find shades of Psycho. Its about a hotel run by a psycho, (an older version of Anton Chigurh look-alike) n his pet crocodile. The highlight of the movie ain't bah the croc but Neville Brand's portrayal of the psycho, who kills the visitors with a scythe n sometimes jus pushes them in the pond to his gator. Ignore the viewers who complains bout the mechanical gator, although some shots r effective in small doses. Jus enjoy the gruesomeness and the humor. It isn't all that scary, but the sense of hilarity throughout n the kills, especially the scythe piercing thru the cheeks was over the top. One great scene has Judd repeatedly slashing a victim with the scythe when suddenly, the crocodile bursts through the rails on the porch and snatches the victim by the head and pulls him into the murky pond. The scene wher the psycho comes running with his scythe is comical n tension filled at the same time. Also the chase scene with the kid is full of tension. So there is enuff tension, mayhem n enuff nudity. Its atmosphere, madness, surrealism, gruesome sights and sleazy nature is immensely effective. Lots of veteran actors. Check out a very young Robert Englund n his dialogue, "my name is buck n m raring to **ck". Tarantino included this line in Kill bill.

Tobe Hooper's cheapo follow-up to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is more like a grindhouse sleaze flick than a proper horror film, featuring as it does tons of gratuitous nudity, sleazy and grim characters. Hooper's greatest flaw is squandering the not inconsiderable talents of a game exploitation cast – featuring no less than six genre talents and one proper "star" – on what is a very boring and very derivative psycho-killer flick which very obviously models itself on PSYCHO. Filmed on the cheap, on pretty much a single set, this doesn't have a lot to recommend it, featuring as it does the looney Judd who feeds the guests at his hotel to a fake-looking crocodile in the lake underneath it (!). Unlike Texas, Hooper is happy to let the blood run free here, showcasing a series of graphic murders as Judd dispatches various unfortunate folk with his wicked-looking scythe.Although the run-time is comparatively short, there is tons of needless padding, including a game of pool in the local bar which serves no purpose whatsoever, lots of pretty young girls stripping off and bathing/going to bed and most annoyingly, tons of scenes of Judd wandering around muttering to himself. Brand is ugly and haggard as the psycho, very convincing but his wild cackling does get a bit much after a while and the all-too-obvious twist at the end doesn't come soon enough.Marilyn Burns returns from Texas and goes through the gruelling scream queen ritual again, getting beaten, humiliated, bloodied, and tied to the bed for most of the movie. Still, from what I see I do think she's a good actress and certainly an attractive one. Not, however, as attractive as Morticia from the devilishly good '60s TV series THE ADDAMS FAMILY, and guest-starring here is Carolyn Jones, who played Morticia. Sadly, Jones has aged incredibly, and being only in her late '40s she is unrecognisable from the Gothic glamour queen she once played; in fact it is very sad seeing her like this (surely her given date of birth – 1929 – must be incorrect). Thankfully she is on the screen for only a short time.Stuart Whitman and Mel Ferrer, a couple of old-timers fallen on hard times, play the sheriff and a dying father respectively. Whitman has little more to do than look macho with a badge, but Ferrer has a briefer yet meatier role and I always get a kick out of seeing him on film. Also on hand is the kooky William Finley from PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE; although he makes up the numbers as a victim, he's also a bit of a psycho himself and starts barking like a dog in one scene! Strangely enough the film's most memorable character is that of the supporting perv Buck, as played by future Freddy Krueger Robert Englund. Englund is certainly the best thing in the film, playing one of the dumbest, sleaziest dirtbags I've ever seen, and it doesn't surprise me that he went on to stardom as a child-molesting zombie killer on the strength of his performance here. All in all a quirky movie, but also a boring one that doesn't stand up to repeat viewing.

After being thrown out of an East Texas brothel for refusing to perform a certain service "Clara Wood" (Roberta Collins) walks to an old hotel down the road and rents a room. Unfortunately, the mentally insane owner by the name of "Judd" (Neville Brand) recognizes her and after viciously assaulting her feeds her to his pet crocodile which he keeps nearby. Not long afterward a family of three drive up and he proceeds to do the same thing with the husband, "Roy" (William Finley). He then assaults the wife, "Faye" (Marilyn Burns) and ties her up. After that he chases the young daughter, "Angie" (Kyle Richards) who escapes to safety underneath the floorboards of the hotel. While this is going on yet another family consisting of a father named "Harvey Wood" (Mel Ferrer) and his adult daughter "Libby Wood" (Crystin Sinclaire) arrive also seeking accommodation. Now, rather than reveal any more of the film and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this turned out to be a satisfactory "slasher" film. Directed by Tobe Hooper it had many similarities to his previous work, "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" except that I thought this particular movie had a bit more depth, better acting and a better script. Admittedly, while as far as "slashers" go it's clearly not as good some movies which appear a few years later, I think it would make a fine double feature companion with either "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" or possibly "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" if one were so inclined. Average.