Death Line (1973)

After a series of strange accidents, a local police inspector ties the incidents to a subway station in the heart of the city that was the site of a cave-in years earlier and produced a race of cannibalistic killers feeding on stranded travelers forcing them to stop the beings left.This here was a potentially enjoyable but overall problematic affair. Among the few enjoyable elements found here is the rather enjoyable backstory concocted for the group of killers here. The whole idea of the group of workers trapped underground in an accident and left for dead only to still be alive and living for years underground by feeding on lost travelers is a fantastic concept which plays off the urban legend rather nicely. It adds an extra sense of eeriness with the idea of them being alive and capable of so many atrocities over the years which is what you want in a creature backstory. With the whole final half taking place under the station inside the creatures' lair, there's plenty to like in this section which features not only the scenes of the girl being held hostage with the killer or the big final brawl in the ruins which finally offers some action into this one. That also moves into the series of kills which are somewhat brutal and bloody which aids in the film's brutality levels as well as the fine make-up effects on the deformed beings which makes for the only elements to really like here. Among the main flaws involved here is the fact that there's just not a whole lot of exciting action going on for the vast majority of the first half. That there's more time sitting around a police station listening to people go through their stories and experiences in a typically stiff, dry British manner that makes for a dull, plodding experience. It's not interesting in the slightest to see these people go through these situations and scenarios at all with this type of pacing going through the first half and it's investigation leanings which keep this one so lacking in action and activity that it's really impossible to sustain interest in this. The disinterested air the authorities have in the matter is also problematic and just adds to the overall lame feeling in this section. There's also the issue here in that the film just doesn't really capitalize on its horror leanings for much of the running time. With the film completely ignoring not only the chance to really play up the abductions for horror since they're barely even covered much less mentioned, there's very little about the action in here that really represents much about this being horror. The focus on investigation is just deadly to the film by not offering the action to complement the notes in their investigation as that should not only make for some added thrills but also help out the storyline by helping to enhance the points offered about the family within. Instead, this manages to just get by on the story which is just dull. Even more lacking is the rather dull attacks we do get, from the non-event of the brawling with the station-workers to the pointless attacks we see of them lurching out of the darkness to grab their victims which are extremely mishandled. These here are the film's biggest and most damaging issues.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language.

This movie's story: in the bowels of the Earth below the streets of London, there exists an area that had been buried in the late 19th century by a cave-in. One might not think it possible, but the people who were sealed off managed to survive. Now, 80 years later, their last living descendant (Hugh Armstrong) is about to make his existence known to the outside world. People start disappearing, but the ball only really gets rolling when a prominent public servant (top character actor James Cossins) vanishes. The chief police inspector on the case, Calhoun (Donald Pleasence), realizes that he has his hands full, but vows to stick it out, despite the matter now being more in the domain of MI5.This marked the debut fictional theatrical feature for the young American director Gary Sherman, who also came up with the story; he went on to direct such nifty 1980s pictures as "Dead & Buried" and "Vice Squad". He and his crew make excellent use of some *extremely* atmospheric locations. They're dark, they're filthy, and they're dripping with water. "Death Line" (a.k.a. "Raw Meat") can take credit for bringing horror to the London tubes almost a decade before "An American Werewolf in London". The makeup effects and gore are very well done, and this is additionally blessed with a highly offbeat music score composed by Wil Malone and Jeremy Rose. The camera-work is utterly fantastic - wait for the approximately 10 minute sequence from about 23 minutes in to 33 minutes in for a memorable tracking shot showcasing the monsters' lair.It's well worth noting that our hideous killer is far from being malicious. He's really more pitiable than anything else, especially as he goes into mourning at one point, and tries to make a connection with lovely young Patricia Wilson (Sharon Gurney), uttering the only English words that he's ever managed to learn. You really feel his despair and sadness when it comes to his companion, the Woman (June Turner).Donald Pleasence is an absolute delight in our lead role, playing the material with a heavy dose of humour. His Inspector Calhoun is hilariously surly, and witty. David Ladd (one of Alan Ladds' sons) does okay as American student Alex Campbell, but the character is pretty insensitive and hostile for a while, only earning our sympathy towards the end. Gurney is highly appealing as his girlfriend. Top notch supporting players include Norman Rossington, Clive Swift, Heather Stoney, Hugh Dickson, and Ron Pember. Sir Christopher Lee is great fun to watch, albeit kind of wasted in a cameo role as MI5 agent Stratton-Villiers.Horror fans need to add this one to their watch list, if they haven't seen it already. It's too good to pass up.Eight out of 10.

Death Line is set in London & starts as British minster & OBE no less James Manfred (James Cossins) finds himself on the platform for Russell Square Underground train station where he is attacked, the last train from the station drops off American students Alex Campbell (David Ladd) & Patricia Wilson (Sharon Gurney) who find Manfred laying down on the floor. Patricia wants to help Manfred but her boyfriend Alex is reluctant, eventually they agree to leave him & seek help but upon their return with the police Manfred has gone. Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence) is interested in the case because of who Manfred was & starts an investigation & discovers that other's have also mysteriously disappeared at the station, unknown to Calhoun an inbred cannibalistic man lives in the Underground tunnels of an uncompleted station & likes to take unsuspecting train passengers & kill them...More widely known as Raw Meat in the US this British production was directed by Gary Sherman & produced by Paul Maslansky who went on to produced the Police Academy series of films & subsequent television show & gets points for being the first horror film to use the dark, grime filled tunnels of the London Underground as it's main setting the likes of Creep (2004) would go on replicate. Death Line has it's fair share of positives & negatives, it's a nice claustrophobic story & has a great moody atmosphere but the story is rather fragmented with little connecting narrative & it's just too slow. Things are introduced but then go nowhere, the importance of Manfred & MI6 sniffing around is completely abandoned, the point raised about the inbred killer having a disease is mentioned a couple of times but again nothing becomes of it & the police investigation seems rather half hearted (two people are brutally murdered & they don't even close the station?). However the more defined than usual character's help carry it, the working class Inspector Calhoun played by Pleasence in particular is great to watch & listen to as he makes constant sarcastic remarks while a great intelligence & cool personality occasionally comes through. The script tries to give inbred killer a sympathetic side & tries to make us feel sorry for what he is rather than make us despise him for what he does to survive. The one main killer is the slow pace, at almost an hour & a half long virtually nothing happens, there's lots of talking & while I appreciate a good build-up as anyone else there's not much tension or suspense & it feels very laboured. Death Line certainly has it's moments, there's a few nicely humorous moments, there are some surprisingly gory moments & it tells a story competently enough but you have to sit through a lot of forgettable padding to get to the good stuff. Despite all the reviews & the US title Raw meat suggesting that the inbred killer is a cannibal he is never shown eating any human flesh, maybe the implication is that he is a cannibal but it's never shown on screen that he is. Good overall but not great.Death Line manages to really the early 70's London feel, the dirty Underground tunnels with the dripping water a constant motif are used to very good effect. Well made with one particularly impressive panning shot of the killers hideout that starts on a Rat nibbling a severed arm & continues as the camera pans round to reveal dead mutilated bodies & the killer for the first time. It's a very slow moving & long shot that set the tone & layout of the setting very nicely. There's some good gore here too, a man gets a shovel in his head, someone in impaled on a broom handle, various dead & decaying bodies are seen, there's a slit throat & a Rat's head is bitten off.Filmed in London in the UK apparently the Underground station Aldwych was used to double up for Russell Square. The acting is pretty good, this is easily one of Donald Pleasence's best roles & he gives his character a lot of life in what could have been a very one dimensional & routine part. Christopher Lee makes a small cameo appearance in one scene.Death Line, or Raw Meat, is a good early 70's British horror set on the grimy London Underground that is maybe a little slow, it has some good moments including some good gore & a great tracking shot but there's a lot of padding to sit through to get to them.

The more I watch horror movies, the more I look for old, hidden gems to watch. While I don't think this is a finely polished ruby, it certainly has some moments, and the atmosphere I felt was really good. Despite some odd pacing, I would recommend it to horror fans for certain.One thing I loved was Inspector Calhoun- Donald plays him with such a biting, cynical tone that you find yourself looking forward to the next time he'll berate someone. The supporting inspector characters are suitably amused by him, and it was nice to see Clive Swift, long before playing poor Richard on "Keeping up Appearances".The underground dwellers were also fascinating characters, with 'The Man' being an interesting mix of vicious cannibal and sympathetic victim.The characters that really seem lost and uninteresting are the young hero and his gal. Alex just comes across as annoying, while she is too wishy-washy to be genuinely interesting.But finally, a few things that stood out. One was the quality of the makeup and gore effects- for 1972, these are tremendously effective and fun to watch. The second thing I really enjoyed is the atmosphere, especially in the underground setting- creepy! And last, we get treated to a fantastic, single reveal shot in the early goings, which circles the entire room filled with corpses and pieces. That single shot, which wheels about the whole room continuously and slowly, establishes more creepiness than in entire films made these days.Again, I recommend this to anyone who loves old horror movies. Enjoy!