Eaten Alive

Horrorphile

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Eaten Alive

July 7th 2008 02:12

Tobe Hooper’s Eaten Alive (1977) is a strange brew. Desperately trashy, yet undeniably eerie, it lingers in the mind for days after viewing, like the mood of a creepy dream. It was known as Death Trap in the U.K. (and on the notorious video nasties list) and alternately in the U.S. as Horror Hotel.

Judd (Neville Brand) owns the run-down Starlight Hotel on the edge of the Bayou. Running alongside the porch is a murky pool where Judd keeps his pet alligator (although he claims it to be an African croc). Judd is a extremely dodgy, disheveled man with sex-crimes on his mind. All he needs is suitable clientele.

Neville Brand as Judd

Along comes troubled whore Clara (Roberta Collins). Judd tries his way with her. Along comes a dysfunctional family; Faye (Marilyn Burns), Roy (William Finley) and young Angie (Kyle Richards). Judd interferes. Along comes Clara’s father Harvey (Mel Ferrer) and her sister Libby (Crystin Sinclaire) wondering what’s happened to her. Judd provides details. Along comes cocky butt-lovin’ Buck - "I'm rarin' to fuck!" (Robert Englund) - and his squeeze Lynette (Janus Blythe) to use one of the rooms for a little hanky-panky. Judd grudgingly accommodates.

Judd wants a piece of the action, but he’s got murder on his mind … and a hungry croc to boot. And that’s Eaten Alive in one feel swoop (o’ the scythe). No plot, only piece meal.

Robert Englund as Buck

But there’s something about Eaten Alive, an elusive exploitation. It’s loosely based on the real-life post-Prohibition exploits of a seedy hotelier known as Joe Ball and his pet crocodiles. Like a Dario Argento movie, the tone and atmosphere floats with mysterious menace and languid intrigue. Characters don’t do much, and yet they still manage to do behave in oddly interesting ways, just enough quirks to beguile you, and keep you wondering where this crazy, mixed-up movie is plunging.

Clara (Roberta Collins) arrives at the swampy Starlight

Shot entirely within a studio (there appears to be only three or so sets), which you can tell immediately, especially when characters start raising their voices in exterior scenes: you can hear the roomy acoustics of the voice bouncing off the studio walls. However it is this cost-cutting measure (the shooting budget was probably less than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), although it probably cost Hooper more to hire the actors on this film) which actually adds to the movie. The dreamlike mood is enhanced by the unreality of the set.

Judd checks up on Faye (Marilyn Burns)

The intensely moody lighting, the over-use of the fog machine, and the histrionics of the acting makes Eaten Alive like some kind of wayward nightmare pantomime, or like reading a lurid, pulpy dog-eared paperback about southern sexual shenanigans soaked in a bourbon haze. Then there’s the hysterics; Tobe Hooper likes hysterics, and Marilyn Burns has got a great pair of lungs (‘tis a shame she only got down to her teddy before Judd tied her up).

Harvey (Mel Ferrer) gets a little more than he bargained for

The special effects are pretty cheesy, with the mechanical crocodile something else indeed. Makes Bruce the shark in Jaws (1975) look positively convincing! Very curiously there was an end credit which read: “Mechanical alligator and crocodile furnished by Bob Mattey”. The producers would’ve been wiser spending money on footage of a real croc and editing it in. But then the fake croc adds a little more gamey flavour to this gumbo horror stew.

The very fake croc, or is it a gater?

Robert “Freddy Krueger” Englund seems to be having as much fun as possible playing the redneck booty-lover, poor Marilyn Burns (whom Hooper had so ruthlessly terrorized in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) spends most of her time gagged and trussed to a bed, little Angie (Richards would play young Lindsey in Halloween and Halloween II) spends nearly all her time hiding under the hotel amongst the rats and creaky foundations. Neville Brand mutters and splutters from his hoarse throat (he’s a human reptile), relishing his own perverse form of justice: if you come to my hotel be prepared to be devoured.

Eaten Alive is a curious creature, certainly deep trash, very much ripe for the plucking, late night fodder armed with a large bourbon tumbler and a cut-glass ashtray full o’ bayou roaches, some country crooner lamenting a long lost love, and the deep growl of a beast swishing its tail in the pungent corner.

Horror Hotel aka Eaten Alive movie poster

Here's the unintentionally hilarious original trailer:

Eaten Alive DVD courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment, many thanks!

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

4 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Cibbuano

July 7th 2008 02:24

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

That's definitely a gator. America, right?

Robert Englund, though... sounds cool...

Comment by Bryn

July 7th 2008 02:29

Horrorphile

In the movie the Judd character mentions a couple of times that the gator is actually an imported African croc ... So are crocs not native to America? If so I didn't know that ... Then there's the weird credit at movie's end that says crocodile and alligator. Robert Englund looks very young. The whole movie is a trashy curiosity indeed.

Comment by Damo

July 7th 2008 03:27

Robert Englund is he the last of the B Horror stars or what? He looks like a kid in this.

I have no idea where you found this movie but I vaguely remember it being advertised.