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I saw this in the theater when it was released, only because I was a fan of Tangerine Dream. I was expecting a mediocre B movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a good conspiracy thriller, well worth your time. Unfortunately, it hardly had a release - probably because it was part of HBO's failed attempt to break into the theatrical market ("the Hitcher" was another one of their titles). And sadly, it's been poorly treated on physical media. It was on VHS and DVD, but both in full frame and both out of print. I would love a proper widescreen Blu-ray. It's a movie that deserves to be discovered.

This film DID get a theatrical release, but it quickly disappeared. It's unfortunate, because it's very thoughtful film. As a director, Caan made some interesting choices.

As a side note, I saw Caan discussing it in an interview a long time ago. He said the studio had no faith in the film, so they dumped it without much advertisement. And then they were shocked when it received great reviews. But by then, it was already dead. He also mentioned that the pan & scan version that was on TV changed a lot of wide-screen two shots into separate shots! I'm not sure if the same thing happened with the VHS, but I'll bet it did. Hopefully, a proper version will come out on DVD one of these days.

I won't rehash what you've already read. All I can say is that I don't believe that Tobe Hooper directed this film. I, too, am a fan of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." That film's budget was so low that they shot on 16mm, but the films still looked stylish. "Eaten Alive," on the other hand, looks like it was shot by film students. The lighting is amateurish, the sets awful. And the script! Actually, I'm pretty sure there wasn't a script. Do yourself a favor and avoid this misfire.