EATEN ALIVE (1976)
Director: Tobe Hooper
Dark Sky Films/MPI

Neville Brand -- a decorated WWII veteran and character actor known for playing heavies in the 1950s -- stars as Judd, a sexually repressed nut who runs the disheveled Starlight Hotel somewhere in the swamps of Louisiana. It is never explained why he behaves the way he does, but in one single night, he decides to initiate a frenzy of bloodshed. The first guest is a wayward prostitute, Clara (played by women-in-prison film regular Roberta Collins), who is released of her duties by the local madam, Miss Hattie (Carolyn "Morticia" Jones, unrecognizable in heavy repulsive makeup) after she refuses to indulge a client's awkward sexual fetish. Almost immediately after she arrives at the hotel, Clara (Collins, hiding her beautiful long blond hair with a silly-looking Harpo Marx wig) is slaughtered by Judd with his scythe, and then fed to his giant crocodile who wallows in a large pen surrounding the hotel. By the way, an encounter with his pet croc left old Judd with a one leg, so he know sports a wooden imitation.

Next up is a dysfunctional family: Faye (Marilyn Burns, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), Roy (William Finley, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE) and their young daughter Angie (Kyle Richards, THE CAR). In the movie's most disturbing scene, the little girl's cute pooch is swallowed alive by the hungry croc, leaving the poor child traumatized. After settling into a room, Roy -- who himself appears to be nuts -- goes out to kill the giant reptile, only to be assaulted by Judd and fed to it. Judd then chases the poor little girl under the house (where she remains hiding until the finale) and gags and ties her mother to a bed (it feels as though Burns never left the horrors of CHAINSAW). Meanwhile Clara's father Harvey Wood (Mel Ferrer) and daughter Libby (Crystin Sinclaire) show up looking for their long lost family member. They enlist the help of the kindly Sheriff Martin (Stuart Whitman) since nobody in town owns up to seeing Clara or knowing her whereabouts. They too stay at the hotel as the body count continues to rise.

With a plot that's anything but solid, EATEN ALIVE still manages to succeed as pure exploitation. The performances by the familiar cast let them really get into their assorted roles, and Tobe Hooper's proficient directing never allows the film to drag. There's no time to learn about all the characters, so the actors have to instantly convey what they're all about: Collins as the prostitute who is now sorry for running away; Ferrer as the terminally ill father determined to make peace with his daughter before he dies; Jones as the homely, masculine madam who doesn't want any trouble from the police, etc.

Best of all is Brand, who, with his long gray hair and hard features, allows his character to reek of insanity. Judd mopes around the hotel uttering gibberish to himself while the most hickish country/western music continually plays in the background. One minute, Judd just seems like an old, oddball hillbilly who's cordial to his guests. The next minute, he's a madman, viciously slaying just about anyone that shows up at his porch. Also in the cast is Robert Englund, who's excellent in an early role as Buck, the town's trouble-making young pervert. Sinclaire and adorable Janus Blythe (later in THE HILLS HAVE EYES and THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN) both delight us with some welcomed nude scenes that are thrown in for good measure. There's an ample amount of gore, as the crocodile attacks are well edited and quite impressive, despite the technical problems that were encountered while tying to pull off the special effects. Surprisingly, EATEN ALIVE (originally shot under the working title, "Swamp Beast”) was made almost entirely in a Hollywood studio next to the Paramount lot.

Dark Sky presents the film anamorphic and in its original 1:85.1 aspect ratio, with color saturation looking quite good. Some foggy outdoor scenes -- mostly some early scenes outside the hotel that appear to be shot with bright red lighting -- are a bit dark and some of the detail is drowned out. There is some very minor wear on the source material, but for the most part, the film's presentation here is the cleanest it ever looked and makes for pleasurable viewing. The mono audio -- with all its screaming, gruesome sound effects, and the weird soundtrack music by Wayne Bell and Hooper -- is clean and clear for the most part. Spanish and French mono tracks are included, as well as optional English subtitles.

Extras on Disc 1 include a full audio commentary with co-writer/producer Mardi Rustam, make-up artist Craig Reardon and actors Roberta Collins, William Finley, and Kyle Richards. All of the participants were recorded separately, with Rustam (who shares a lot of production and background details) and Reardon (who shares more than a few fun anecdotes, including him having to apply make-up on one of the actress’s breasts!) given the most time. The three actors are heard briefly, usually accompanying the specific scenes they were in, and it’s quite interesting to hear their varied impressions about making the film. Collins reveals a pretty wild dinner date with Brand, Finley talks about he approached his seemingly mentally unfit character, and Richards humorously recalls how genuinely frightened she was while making it. A still gallery is also found on Disc 1, showcasing photos and various advertising art.

Disc 2 commences with a 20-minute video interview with director Hooper entitled, "The Gator Creator: Tobe Hooper." Hooper recalls how he got the assignment to do the film at a period when he waiting for the phone to ring after the success of CHAINSAW MASSACRE. He talks about the various cast members in a positive light (though Neville Brand -- known for his fondness for the sauce -- seemed too into his role!), and he also addresses the problematic spongy-material croc which apparently soaked up a lot of water overnight! "5ive Minutes with Marilyn Burns" is just that, as the actress recalls her co-stars and her delight to be acting with a number of cinema veterans. Despite the abuse her character takes in the film, Burns seems delighted to have been involved. "My Name is Buck" is a candid interview with star Robert Englund (discussing his early days as an actor and landing the role in EATEN ALIVE), and "The Butcher of Elmendorf: The Legend of Joe Ball," is a mini documentary about a real-life 1930s era murderer who allegedly fed several victims to crocodiles! The "Sideshow" supplement is actually a generous display of color-behind-the scenes photos (the most amusing shows Roberta Collins next to her male stunt double, garbed in identical drag!). The "Comment Cards" is a section of questionnaire type index cards which sneak-preview audience members filled out, and some of the remarks are priceless. These cards also gave those lucky patrons the opportunity to create a title the film, for a prize of $100! Only in the 1970s! There are a load of different trailers for the film under “Death Trap” (both green band and red band versions), “Eaten Alive,” (both green band and red band versions), “Starlight Slaughter,” “Horror Hotel,” and lastly, a Japanese trailer (it was known as “The Devil’s Swamp” there) which is accompanied by the opening of the Japanese version. Various TV spots and radios spots are included, as well as different opening credit sequences. (George R. Reis)

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