Eaten Alive

Hooper fascinates me, first he makes the best horror film of all time, where every aspect works to perfection and fulfils its purpose, and then he produces something not unlike the limited fantasies of a patient of a polio sanatory. Every now and then a glimmer of an interesting idea flashes through, and it reeks of a kind of reverence for the classics of the genre in addition to narcissistic self-reference, but this sort of desecration of intelligence and taste is the last thing classics (including Hooper's previous film) deserve. There is a lack of logic, a lack of characters that aren't moronic, and a complete lack of necessary perspective. And a pair of boobs and one Robert Englund wisecrack are not enough to save it. (25/03/2018)

Yes, Hooper tried to incorporate some different elements into the film. There are scenes that are notably well-executed, especially the chase with the little girl holding a scythe. But then you realize that this isn't all that different from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Hooper himself started to recycle ideas just three years after his masterpiece. Of course, he had the right to do it, others did it too, and much worse. However, nowadays this film probably wouldn't succeed with the majority of audiences, mainly due to the lack of a compelling story. The few really good scenes can't save it. (17/01/2014)