Directed by:
Tobe HooperCinematography:
Robert CaramicoCast:
Neville Brand, Mel Ferrer, Carolyn Jones, Roberta Collins, Marilyn Burns, William Finley, Robert Englund, Stuart Whitman, Kyle Richards, Janus Blythe (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
The Starlight, a decrepit hotel run by Judd (Neville Brand), receives few customers. Perhaps it's the remote location in the Texas bayous. Perhaps it's the owner's violent mood swings. Or perhaps it's the man-eating crocodile in the backyard. But one dark steamy night finds the Starlight visited by a runaway prostitute (Roberta Collins), a young couple (Marilyn Burns and William Finley) and their child (Kyle Richards), a dying father and his daughter (Mel Ferrer and Crystin Sinclaire), and sex-obsessed Buck (Robert Englund), all of whom will experience an unforgettable night of terror at the hands of Judd and his pet croc. (Glass Doll Films)
(more)Reviews (2)
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.
()
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.
()