The Age of Commercialism

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Blistering performances.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Well, you can certainly tell this was a Tobe Hooper film. For the age and genre, you would think this was just going to be one of those old creature features that everyone sees and only laughs at. Surprisingly, this was not the case for me. I was quite alarmed and surprised at how horrible and macabre this movie truly got. Who is the real villain here? The Crocodile (and or Alligator) or Judd, the animals strangely affectionate keeper. To be honest, the Crocodile is really not even involved in the film that much, it's more or less only the means of disposal for Judd's victims. He's truly insane, and even seemingly schizophrenic. This movie really gets you on the edge of your seat, if nothing more for the fact you're so horrified at what's going on. That's pretty rare with most films of its age.

I've never been a great fan of Tobe Hooper's (I find him pretty average, though I do like quite a few of the movies he's shot) so I was happily surprised to find this was a treat to watch. The thing which I was unprepared for was the stylish way that Hooper directed the movie, full of vivid and startling reds and blues. Not the usual fair for Hooper though it does add an extra element to the atmosphere of the movie, as did the constant twangy country soundtrack about the most depressing things in life.The story about a Motel owner and his crocodile. Though, it's never stated you get the feeling that Motel owner Judd may be a veteran whose seen more than his fair share of action and has returned shell-shocked and schizophrenic, as some of his rantings have this impression. Either way, this man is mentaly broken. When a runaway girl takes a room for the night he get's the idea that she's a hooker who worked at Miss Hattie's place and he doesn't like those types of girls. She ends up being the entree for the crocodile who will be well fed before the end of the night.There's not much to the story and it all takes place in or around the motel, what makes this a really watchable film is the characterisations and the actors and actresses who portray them. In particular, Neville Brand who does a brilliant job with Judd from mannerisms to ticks to different personalities when the voices start speaking to him. He was the right choice for this role and very strong within it. Another strong actress is the beautiful Carolyn Jones (of King Creole and The Addams Family fame), though it's really hard to make her out as Miss Hattie. To be honest, the cast is pretty top-notch and has the likes of a young Robert England, Mel Ferrer, and Stuart Whitman.However, there is one family that turn up at the motel and the dynamic between the mother and father is damn strange, in fact, the father's personality is downright weird. This does deter from the power of the film and it's characters, to the point of severing the link of believability with the audience.Overall though this is a film that I would recommend to everybody who likes a good psychological thriller. It is definitely one to watch with the curtains drawn and the lights turned off.

This is my favorite Toby Hooper movie.It feels almost like a live theater experience with all the colorful stage lighting. Or something out of a Halloween haunted house stage craft. A most wonderful style for a horror movie in my opinion. The atmosphere is dank and swampy with old time country music (Is that George Jones I hear?) mixed with moments of erratic synth music and not to mention the out of tune ramblings of a crazy man. If you're into "Campy" movies, I recommend this as something a little more edgy than your typical slasher flick. For a truly unique experience watch this movie when stranded in a small town in a dumpy motel. One of my favorite horror movies. I give it 5 bags of popcorn with extra butter!

This movie is bizarre as well as creepy. "Eaten Alive" gives the meaning of making your skin crawl. You got this hotel keeper name Judd(Neville Brand) who not only runs an decrepit inn, but has a crocodile for a pet! The first person to meet their end is a prostitute named Clara(Roberta Collins) who came from a brothel to get away from a very wild customer (Robert Englund). She escaped from one bad place and into another that's far worse. Judd here's is considered a "grim reaper" with a deadly reptile. He feeds next, a father who is quite off kiltered. He goes off the deep end when his daughter Angie loses her dog to the crocodile. He does get back at Judd, only to become croc-bait. Now the mother get beaten and tied up by the madman, the daughter runs for her life underneath the hotel. Now that there's two prisoners, the victim's father and other daughter arrives and start to demand answers. Now that everyone is looking for answers, the madness has just began. Judd hacks away the victims he comes in contact with, then he feeds them to his pet. Although, he had it turn on him, costing him his right leg. There's plenty of scare factor in this movie, the crocodile was very vicious, and very deadly. Somebody must put a sign saying "DANGER! CROCODILE IN WATER, NO SWIMMING"