(I'd rather not be) Eaten Alive

Eaten Alive is a low-budget, independent 70's horror film, and it looks like it. Understand, I don't necessarily mean that as a criticism, rather just an observation. Director Tobe Hooper tells a story that is part Psycho, part Suspiria, part Jaws, and a lot of his own Texas Chaninsaw Massacre. It tells the story of a creepy, backwoods, motel owner who has a pet crocodile (from Africa). Apparently these beasts don't die, they have to be killed. They also have voracious appetites, so the creepy motel owner, ocasionally feels obligated to feed the croc one of his unsuspecting guests. But when one person goes missing, others immediately begin to wonder what happened, and when people start asking questions and the heat comes on the creepy motel owner, well, the croc gets more and more satisfied. The film is shot with a lighting scheme that Dario Argento would be proud of, consisting of rich, unnatural reds to the point that you are wondering how the sky could ever possibly be that color; but it's okay, because when confronted with such bold, unusual lighting choices, I can't help but smile and nod with admiration. However, Hooper doesn't have the visual flair of a director like Argento, so the visuals remain unimpressive in every other aspect. It's an unpleasant film because of it's total lack of humor. Most films of this type are enjoyable because you know that they can't be taking themselves seriously, but Hooper's film takes itself deadly serious, creating some very unpleasant murders and torture. It's horrifying, ocasionally suspenseful, and generally well-directed, but I would have trouble recommending the film due to its nature. One thing that Hooper does very well are scenes of total chaos. He uses people moving frenetically, with overlapping, almost unintelligible speech, with either an avante-garde score or a gentle country song playing on the phonograph downstairs. He so effectively combines these elements, that you get to the point of feeling as frightened and disoriented as the characters and want nothing more than to scream out loud for it to all stop. He manages to get a visceral reaction from his audience, which is good, but I would have trouble saying that I would like to see this film again, which is bad, despite the fact that, to a certain point, I enjoyed it. Also an interesting point is that it has an early performance by Robert (Freddy Krueger) Englund who looks like a child molestor. And if you've seen Kill Bill vol. 1, then you will quickly learn where the scene, "My name is Buck, and I'm here to #@$%" comes from. One other thing, the crocodile is pretty corny looking, and fortunately, not the focus of the suspense, despite the title.