Eaten Alive

Tobe Hooper's 1977 follow-up to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre serves up another rural horror story, this one set in swampy southeast Texas. Neville Brand stars as Judd, the addled owner and manager of the Starlight Hotel, a backwoods establishment featuring a crocodile that is kept in a pen next to the hotel porch. The Starlight appears to be rotting away into the local swamp, although the water-stained walls and grimy rooms don't seem to faze the customers who somehow find this place in the middle of nowhere. Over the course of one night, Judd manages to kill nearly every resident in his fetid little hell away from home and terrorize the rest, including a little girl he chases under the porch (the croc chases her back out). A mad nightmare of hothouse swamp horror, Eaten Alive was shot entirely on soundstages lit with red hues that make the area look like a suburb of Hades. Hollywood veterans Mel Ferrer, Carolyn Jones, and Stuart Whitman have supporting roles next to cult horror actors Marilyn Burns (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), William Finley (Phantom of the Paradise), and Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street). More perverse than scary, the film is weirdly entertaining at times, but also inconsistent and often awkwardly directed. This minor horror item is given Arrow's deluxe treatment with a new restoration (the colors are intense), along with extras that include a new introduction by Hooper, a cast and crew audio commentary, new and archival interviews, a story featurette, and stills and promo galleries. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)