Very well executed

terrible... so disappointed.

Overrated

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Well, you can certainly tell this was a Tobe Hooper film. For the age and genre, you would think this was just going to be one of those old creature features that everyone sees and only laughs at. Surprisingly, this was not the case for me. I was quite alarmed and surprised at how horrible and macabre this movie truly got. Who is the real villain here? The Crocodile (and or Alligator) or Judd, the animals strangely affectionate keeper. To be honest, the Crocodile is really not even involved in the film that much, it's more or less only the means of disposal for Judd's victims. He's truly insane, and even seemingly schizophrenic. This movie really gets you on the edge of your seat, if nothing more for the fact you're so horrified at what's going on. That's pretty rare with most films of its age.

I've never been a great fan of Tobe Hooper's (I find him pretty average, though I do like quite a few of the movies he's shot) so I was happily surprised to find this was a treat to watch. The thing which I was unprepared for was the stylish way that Hooper directed the movie, full of vivid and startling reds and blues. Not the usual fair for Hooper though it does add an extra element to the atmosphere of the movie, as did the constant twangy country soundtrack about the most depressing things in life.The story about a Motel owner and his crocodile. Though, it's never stated you get the feeling that Motel owner Judd may be a veteran whose seen more than his fair share of action and has returned shell-shocked and schizophrenic, as some of his rantings have this impression. Either way, this man is mentaly broken. When a runaway girl takes a room for the night he get's the idea that she's a hooker who worked at Miss Hattie's place and he doesn't like those types of girls. She ends up being the entree for the crocodile who will be well fed before the end of the night.There's not much to the story and it all takes place in or around the motel, what makes this a really watchable film is the characterisations and the actors and actresses who portray them. In particular, Neville Brand who does a brilliant job with Judd from mannerisms to ticks to different personalities when the voices start speaking to him. He was the right choice for this role and very strong within it. Another strong actress is the beautiful Carolyn Jones (of King Creole and The Addams Family fame), though it's really hard to make her out as Miss Hattie. To be honest, the cast is pretty top-notch and has the likes of a young Robert England, Mel Ferrer, and Stuart Whitman.However, there is one family that turn up at the motel and the dynamic between the mother and father is damn strange, in fact, the father's personality is downright weird. This does deter from the power of the film and it's characters, to the point of severing the link of believability with the audience.Overall though this is a film that I would recommend to everybody who likes a good psychological thriller. It is definitely one to watch with the curtains drawn and the lights turned off.

A crazed motel owner murders his guests and feeds them to his pet crocodile in Eaten Alive. It begins with a young girl who is prostituting for the first time. She realizes quickly that she isn't cut out for that lifestyle when a guy named Buck (Robert Englund) gets rough with her. She is thrown out of the brothel and heads to the rundown motel. When Judd the motel manager discovers that she was working as a prostitute, he flips out and murders her, then disposes her body by throwing it to the crocodile in the swamp surrounding the shack. Things get hairy for Judd when that girl's family (as well as other motel guests) arrive and start snooping around. Tobe Hooper directed this film, and he of course did Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Eaten Alive has a lot of the same elements from that film mixed with Hitchcock's Psycho. Neville Brand plays the crazed psychopath Judd to perfection. He is manic and verbally erratic at almost all times, it's really unsettling. When he chases some of the women around in the tight corners of the motel, it's really intense. Hooper was just a marvellous director. The Judd character reminds me a lot of Jim Siedow's character (The Old Man/Drayton Sawyer) from the first two 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' films. There are also parts that are so strange like the father of the little girl who completely loses his mind after seeing his little dog eaten by the crocodile. Normally I would be wondering what the hell those scenes were all about but, in Eaten Alive, EVERYTHING happening is crazy, strange and off-beat. I loved seeing Robert Englund before his Freddy Krueger days, he did a fine job in this film. Marilyn Burns from 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' has a lead role playing pretty much the same character as Sally from that film, and does a terrific job as well. Overall Eaten Alive is a gritty disgusting but intense horror film. The craziness from Judd the motel manager really takes away from the horror of the giant crocodile moving around in the swamp. Watching this movie, you'd almost rather face the croc than Judd!Where the film fails is at tying up loose ends and explaining why Judd was so crazed. And why did no one in the town catch onto his strange behaviour? I find it hard to believe that the prostitute at the beginning was his first victim. Nevertheless, I recommend Eaten Alive to horror fans. It's very intense and brutal, with some gore as well. 7/10

Watching Eaten Alive threw my mind back to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974. I kept waiting for Leatherface to emerge, squealing like a pig. The film has the same gritty, grimy feel to it drenched in atmosphere with fog, strange lighting, shots of the moon and piercing, haunting music.The fact that Marilyn Burns is in this film and tied up and screaming and pleading for her life is disorienting. And Neville's performance as the insane hotel keeper is very reminiscent of the older brother from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He even wears the same type of clothing.I do like this film. At times I myself felt very on edge because of the performances. Several people in the film seem like they themselves were on edge and it plays off well. The story is simple; the insane hotel keeper has a giant Alligator from Africa in a large pond and he throws people into it to get rid of them. Why? Because he is psychotic. The problem with the film is the script, the dialog. The acting isn't always great either. But I can't dismiss it as a cheesy 70's horror film. It is effective, it is interesting. It does have that Tobe Hooper stamp on it. I would say horror fans will probably enjoy it but it'll never become the cult TCM became.