Eaten Alive (1976)

10% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
34% of users liked it
(3,132 ratings)

Director Tobe Hooper's follow-up to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre presents yet another Southern-fried psycho (this time in Louisiana) in the form of a scripture-mumbling, one-legged cracker named Judd (Neville Brand). The proprietor of a seedy bayou inn, Judd keeps a pet gator in the nearby swamp, to… More Director Tobe Hooper's follow-up to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre presents yet another Southern-fried psycho (this time in Louisiana) in the form of a scripture-mumbling, one-legged cracker named Judd (Neville Brand). The proprietor of a seedy bayou inn, Judd keeps a pet gator in the nearby swamp, to which he frequently tosses the remains of his unfortunate victims -- including anyone who offends his delicate sensibilities. One such casualty is Harvey Wood (Mel Ferrer), arriving at Judd's hotel in search of his missing daughter... who, unbeknownst to her old man, has already met her own doom courtesy of the scythe-wielding madman. Other patrons include one of the most annoying families on record -- with Chainsaw veteran Marilyn Burns as the strangely-bewigged mom, William Finley as the browbeaten husband and future Halloween tyke Kyle Richards as the endlessly-shrieking daughter (whose adorable puppy becomes a light gator-snack). Nightmare on Elm Street fans can spot a young, pre-Freddy Robert Englund in a small role as a lecherous cracker. Originally titled Death Trap and known by many aliases, including Starlight Slaughter, Horror Hotel Massacre and Legend of the Bayou. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Tobe Hooper
Written By: Alvin L. Fast, Mardi Rustam, Kim Henkel
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1976 Wide
On DVD: Feb 1, 2000

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Just something that those with a morbid curiosity for the unusual in sleaze might not be able to pass on.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Film Threat
A bizarre and largely flawed little beast, but I was pleased with the injected anarchy and direction from Hooper. However, it's clear from this that Hooper really wasn't destined for big things after "Massacre"...
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
[Its] off-the-wall hybridization of Tennessee Williams, Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, specifically), and Lucio Fulci is more often than not sloppy.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
Despite the incongruously sexy presence of Buck, Eaten Alive doesn't f**k with your head like Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre films.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
With an enviable, well-stocked cast of character thespians and a carefully dilapidated motel set, Eaten Alive is all ingredients, no recipe.
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
This bayou-set, thinly imagined Psycho knock-off is little more than a derisible piece of slasher mayhem, notable for Tobe Hooper's association and costar Roberta Collins' assertion that star Neville Brand later tried to sexually assault her.
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
The movie is called Eaten Alive, but we get very little in terms of dinner and dessert in the horror department.
Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk.com
One is tempted to wonder aloud if drugs and booze didn't actually direct this relatively woeful flick.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Above average horror from Hooper with a satiric bent
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
will always be more of a curiosity piece than a truly satisfying movie in and of itself
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com
Hooper's sophomore effort, which had a bigger budget but is lesser-known, repeats the same basic formula.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cory T

How did Tobe Hooper retrogress so far as to go from 'Texas Chainsaw', my absolute favorite horror film to this sophomore effort which could rank as one of the worst? The gap is quality is astonishing as are the formulaic similarities. Neville Brand is a rabid hotel owner,… More
How did Tobe Hooper retrogress so far as to go from 'Texas Chainsaw', my absolute favorite horror film to this sophomore effort which could rank as one of the worst? The gap is quality is astonishing as are the formulaic similarities. Neville Brand is a rabid hotel owner, but he is not spine-tingling; he is just unkempt, shambling and tiresome doppelganger of Scott Glenn. The film is also extremely redundant with the same patterned structure: guests arrive and shortly after, Brand attacks them with a scythe. On top of that, the assaults are ineptly directed (a struggle on the stairs is very clumsy) and the crocodile is rarely shown. The whole film looks like it was filmed on a horribly artificial soundstage with fog pumped in and lit with a distracting red gel. In summary, 'Eaten Alive' is sluggish, shallow junk that is scored with a shrill, frequency-scrambling soundtrack and edited with anticlimactic crossfades. At least Robert Englund's scenery-chewing Bud character inspired Tarantino for 'Kill Bill'.
Tim S

Not really that great. A mess of madcap insanity.
vieras e

"My name is Buck and I'm ready to fuck." I found Judd the weakest of the characters (Roy was just plain bizarre, I did not get what his problem was at all), which is kind of bad, considering that he's the main character of this little slaughter fest. He was just… More
"My name is Buck and I'm ready to fuck." I found Judd the weakest of the characters (Roy was just plain bizarre, I did not get what his problem was at all), which is kind of bad, considering that he's the main character of this little slaughter fest. He was just so obviously a nutjob. It would've been fine had he had a cause for his nuttiness, but Judd here didn't seem to have one - or, at least, it never became clear. I mean, in Chainsaw Massacre you could say the entire family's f'd up, so why wouldn't he be, but in this film Judd's boy Buck seems to be at least somewhat normal - despite his obsession with anal sex. Now Buck, Buck I liked. He was f'ing brilliant, and in all his horny patheticness (or pathetic horniness, you choose) my favourite character in the entire film. Without him, I would've definitely given this only two stars.
John M

Tobe Hooper's "Eaten Alive" is very trashy and weird, and although it is not really scary, and even gets a bit boring in some points, it is an entertaining little flick.
Patrick D

This film is strange. The colours are very prominent, like technicolor but like B-Movie technicolor, like it was shot by HG Lewis in the 60s or an early John Waters. Even the strange acting intensity is and hammy portrayals lend themselves to HG Lewis and John Waters. The sets… More
This film is strange. The colours are very prominent, like technicolor but like B-Movie technicolor, like it was shot by HG Lewis in the 60s or an early John Waters. Even the strange acting intensity is and hammy portrayals lend themselves to HG Lewis and John Waters. The sets seemed really fake as well as the crocodile in it as well. The story was kind of convoluted as well and didn't make much sense. The first lines spoken in the film are from a young Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) telling us "Name's Buck, rarin' tah fuck." All this said the film does retain a charm and is a unique and enjoyable little gem.
Donna D

Well, part of one the movies I saw in theatres a long time ago! I saw this flick when I was 6. Imagine that! But still, Tobe Hooper keeps it creepy and sinister as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre flick, only this time is a lonely old vermin out in a run down hotel with a pet crocodile… More
Well, part of one the movies I saw in theatres a long time ago! I saw this flick when I was 6. Imagine that! But still, Tobe Hooper keeps it creepy and sinister as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre flick, only this time is a lonely old vermin out in a run down hotel with a pet crocodile that eats everyone. Somewhat humorous in some scenes, and we get to see "Freddy" aka Robert Englund in his young days. A perfect scary flick for a typical Friday night show. ;)