MovieChat Forums > Eaten Alive (1977) Discussion > Do you Like, Love, or Hate this movie? W...

Do you Like, Love, or Hate this movie? Why?


I love it, I think it is one of the greatest movies around. I love it almost as much as THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE ('74). I think it is so special because the villain, Judd, reminds me a bit about myself. In one scene, Judd's rival, Buck (a sex-crazed hillbilly) and one of his girlfriends come to Judd's motel looking for a room for rent to "do the nasty" in. Judd denies them entrance, but they go in anyway.

Later, Judd punishes Buck for his intrusion by pushing him in a large pond where Judd's pet crocodile eats him. When people annoys me at school, this scene pops into my head. I wish I could express my anger like that to someone who intimidates me! i wish I had a crocodile pet of my own in my front yard.

"That ole croc'll eat anything, even ole Buck!"

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I just saw it for the first time last night. I love it. It out does TCM for suspense, though not for shock. I thought the music at the beginning was especially effective. The music would "scream" or say something to put me, the viewer, on edge. The music may have continued on like this, but after the insanity starts, I stopped paying attention.

I think Tobe Hooper did what many European filmmakers do, and that is to eschew plot and character development for raw terror. The print I saw was pretty dark so I can't say if his DP achieved the beauty of the Italians, but it was entertaining and suspenseful in a nightmarish type way.

Be well.

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LOVE IT!!

I saw it when it first came out back in '77. It was on a double feature with RABID, and ALIVE came on first. I was bored during RABID if you can believe that. I can't believe this film was filmed on a lot at Paramount. I loved seeing all the cult supporting players – David Hayward (Nashville), Stuart Whitman, etc.

I smoked a couple of foreign doobies before I went in for the flicks, and BOY DID I REGRET DOING THAT. At fifteen, I thought I would have a heart attack. At least RABID made me come down fast.

I loved the soundtrack. The country music, especially the song that went,
"Billy Bonny, here you, your guardian angel is gone, you've gone and waited so long..." and this is playing all throughout little Kyle Richard's chase scene from the house.

I have to admit this was better than TCM, and that was a damn good film.

Interstingly, I read somewhere, in an article with Robert Englund, and I hope this is not true, that Tobe Hooper did not finish this film. He left after a week of filming, and the film was completed by the Producer.

At a convention, I met Tobe Hooper who did a Q&A, and he was a very low key, ultra mellow individual who answered questions. I did not have the heart to be an a-----e and ask if he was replaced, but I did ask if you could get the soundtrack to the film, and he politely, got off the subject of the film fast.

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Love it. Pure madness throughout.

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OK, SOMEBODY has to disagree, right? LOL. OK, I appreciated how insane Judd was, how ugly Morticia Addams looked, seeing Marylin from "TCM" again...

and I didn't even mind the fake croc or that it only took place on two fake looking sets. Oh, and Robert Englund was great as always, I can't believe how young he looks.

The sndtrk was screechy and industrial and harsh, the background country music was weird and the overall tone was insane, ugly and nasty, which I always appreciate. Loved that they never explained what was wrong with the husband, or why his wife wears a wig!!

Only problems: **didn't appreciate the mysogny/rape stuff...I know it's ridiculous to object to that in a movie like this, but I think there's always a way to do it and keep a movie "fun" and not so mean-spirited towards women

**not enough constant tension, like when the little girl is getting chased, I kept wanting it to keep going like that

**didn't care about ANYONE in this movie, or know who they were at all, including Judd.

**Judd's death was anti-climactic--most of them were. Judd just shows up and kills them all, over and over--no tension at all there.

When it was over I just sort of went, "Huh. OK." Not like TCM where I want to start it over the minute it finishes!

That's all--just thought someone should post an alternative so this thread didn't get TOO dull, LOL! :)

If everyone around here is going to start telling the truth, I'm going to bed

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[deleted]

I personally love this movie as well; I think it's very underrated and creepy as hell. There's a grim, hopeless, beautifully stark and unceasing brooding gloom-doom sleazeball atmosphere which permeates every last fabulously fetid frame like a heavy fog. The movie's unsparingly bleakness and nihilism have this oddly haunting way of sticking in your head. Moreover, Neville Brand gives a marvelously deranged and inspired performance, especially in the scenes where he sings to himself. The wonky dissonant soundtrack and the blatant artificiality of the sets add greatly to the nightmarish tone. I think the film's garishly off-kilter style is very striking and effective. And the cast is simply incredible: Stuart Whitman, Mel Ferror, William Finley, Marilyn Burns, Roberta Collins, Kyle Richards, Carolyn Jones and Robert Englund, who nearly steals the pic with his excellent portrayal of no-count slimebag cowboy wannabe Buck. In fact, the latter character can be perceived as a scathing caricature of the ugliness and stupidity intrinsic to the appallingly extreme macho man mindset (Buck's unsavory penchant for sodomy in particular suggests severely repressed latent homosexual tendencies). I believe "Eaten Alive" is a truly terrific fright film and a worthy follow-up to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

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Like.

The raw doom and gloom setting sets in apart. Nice amount of suspense and craziness makes for a hetic ride.

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I love horror pics, especially drive-in classic types. This one achieves a nice level of hysteria madness and claustrophobia. Its rather bizarre & never boring. I like it.

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i didn't like it much. maybe watching it a few more times will help, but i just couldn't get into it. also the beginning really reminded me of psycho - the so far main character is running away from something, goes to a hotel with a creepy guy and gets killed. and people come looking for her.
i thought this was weak...the music annoyed me, the main character was over acted, an abndance of people just happen to rock up after the first film....
i LOVE TCM. but this...nah. i didnt like. i think others do though, and thats fine by me. to me the only real tension was me wanting to get to the end to see what would happen and how he would get eaten by the croc.
and i didnt like the filmography either. too dark. very grainy.
robert englund rocks as always

i wanna see what your inside look like
i bet your not f@*$en pretty on the inside

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Well, if you don't like the music or Neville Brand, then I could see not liking this. Personally, I love it. Love the otherworldiness of the set and the lighting. Love that everyone is insane and angry for no real reason. Love the scythe. Love the screaming.
The only things I wish were better are the pacing (would be nice if the insanity piled up and each event built on the last) and Judd's anti-climactic death. And I wish there was more of the husband and wife freaking out.

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I hope you are joking, movie was awful. Chain saw massacre was great, this was total opposite.

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I hope you are joking, movie was awful. Chain saw massacre was great, this was total opposite.
I definitely agree: his movie sucks so bad it made me laugh. I mean, everything is so lousy in it: no plot, ridiculous acting, etc. And the so-called crocodile is just a pathetic piece of plastic which looks so unreal that the director doesn't even dare to show it for too long.

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Vivre, c'est s'obstiner à achever un souvenir.

René Char

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