(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When a government official disappears in the London tunnels, after several reports of missing people in the same location, Scotland Yard start to take the matter seriously, along with a couple who stumble into a victim by accident.”
Honestly, Raw Meat (1972) was a flick that – for a very long time – I’d never even heard about.
That isn’t necessarily unusual. Some of it was owed to a name change, and the rest is chalked up to the reality that no single person can clearly know everything about every production around the world ever; so please don’t read too much into that admission. But on the commentary track for 1981’s Dead & Buried – a very solid atmospheric Horror that was directed by Gary Sherman (reviewed here) – it was mentioned several times, most of which were by only loose associations (except for Sherman’s involvement in both), so I took note. I did a bit of digging at that time and discovered it under its original title – Death Line – and started actively seeking out where it was available for viewing. Alas, that turned fruitless, so I’d all but forgotten about it again … until it was presented to me via the fine folks at Blue Underground with an opportunity to watch and review for their 2025 pressing.
Of course, I’m glad to announce that such a circuitous path was rather richly rewarded yesterday when I put the disc in for a spin. Like so many Horror films of the bygone days, Raw has several raw elements – somewhat campy performances (even one surprisingly by a big-name talent), some rather bloated editing (or lack thereof) here and there, and an occasionally bizarre musical score in a few spots. However, as to the final regard? Wowza. Raw Meat is actually a very good Thriller/Chiller, one that might be a bit hard-to-swallow as to how this band of subterranean cannibals beneath the London subways went unnoticed for so long but manages to hold up otherwise quite well, including a wonderfully underplayed top role by the late Donald Pleasence.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When a government official disappears in the London tunnels, after several reports of missing people in the same location, Scotland Yard start to take the matter seriously, along with a couple who stumble into a victim by accident.”
Honestly, Raw Meat (1972) was a flick that – for a very long time – I’d never even heard about.
That isn’t necessarily unusual. Some of it was owed to a name change, and the rest is chalked up to the reality that no single person can clearly know everything about every production around the world ever; so please don’t read too much into that admission. But on the commentary track for 1981’s Dead & Buried – a very solid atmospheric Horror that was directed by Gary Sherman (reviewed here) – it was mentioned several times, most of which were by only loose associations (except for Sherman’s involvement in both), so I took note. I did a bit of digging at that time and discovered it under its original title – Death Line – and started actively seeking out where it was available for viewing. Alas, that turned fruitless, so I’d all but forgotten about it again … until it was presented to me via the fine folks at Blue Underground with an opportunity to watch and review for their 2025 pressing.
Of course, I’m glad to announce that such a circuitous path was rather richly rewarded yesterday when I put the disc in for a spin. Like so many Horror films of the bygone days, Raw has several raw elements – somewhat campy performances (even one surprisingly by a big-name talent), some rather bloated editing (or lack thereof) here and there, and an occasionally bizarre musical score in a few spots. However, as to the final regard? Wowza. Raw Meat is actually a very good Thriller/Chiller, one that might be a bit hard-to-swallow as to how this band of subterranean cannibals beneath the London subways went unnoticed for so long but manages to hold up otherwise quite well, including a wonderfully underplayed top role by the late Donald Pleasence.
Now, I’ve often pointed out that Horror – as a genre – is all too often plagued by the fact that its stories rely far too much on convenience, especially when situated in big cities. On that front, Raw is no different. Simply put, there are far, far, far too many people to be walking about these utterly massive and sprawling urban environments for a reasonable person to believe the same villainy would statistically strike the same man and woman twice in so short a timeframe. (That’ll make more sense once you’ve seen it.) Raw’s script – attributed to Ceri Jones and Sherman (who also directed) – capitalizes on that trope in order to tie all of the action together; and, yes, it’s a narrative weakness. Still, set that little quirk aside and what emerges is – as I said – a very plausible yarn that should have every watcher glaring into the dark end of the tunnel and fearful of what might lie in the shadows … hungry …
Late one evening at the Russell Square station, American university student Alex Campbell (played by David Ladd) and his live-in gal pal Patricia Wilson (Sharon Gurney) stumble across a well-dressed fallen unconscious man on the stairs; and they head up to alert the police. Once Alex returns with an officer, he’s shocked to find that James Manfred, OBE (James Cossins) has all but disappeared. Following proper procedure, Alex and Patricia are taken to headquarters to be further questioned as well as file a report, but the somewhat crusty Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence) believes it’s little more than a case of tomfoolery or an honest misunderstanding. He rather abruptly dismisses it, allowing the student and his girlfriend to get off with a bit of a warning.
Calhoun has a change of heart in the morning once he learns that Manfred has failed to report to work. He and his assistant Sergeant Rogers (Norman Rossington) begin looking into Manfred’s disappearance a bit further only to then be summarily dismissed from the case any further by Mr. Stratton-Villiers (Christopher Lee) of MI-5, London’s counter-intelligence agency tasked with handling issues of terrorism or other state threats. Naturally, the agency’s sudden interest in what he originally discharged as a potential prank further tweaks Calhoun’s professional curiosity. As such, he and Rogers continue pursuing leads of their own accord.
Late one evening at the Russell Square station, American university student Alex Campbell (played by David Ladd) and his live-in gal pal Patricia Wilson (Sharon Gurney) stumble across a well-dressed fallen unconscious man on the stairs; and they head up to alert the police. Once Alex returns with an officer, he’s shocked to find that James Manfred, OBE (James Cossins) has all but disappeared. Following proper procedure, Alex and Patricia are taken to headquarters to be further questioned as well as file a report, but the somewhat crusty Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence) believes it’s little more than a case of tomfoolery or an honest misunderstanding. He rather abruptly dismisses it, allowing the student and his girlfriend to get off with a bit of a warning.
Calhoun has a change of heart in the morning once he learns that Manfred has failed to report to work. He and his assistant Sergeant Rogers (Norman Rossington) begin looking into Manfred’s disappearance a bit further only to then be summarily dismissed from the case any further by Mr. Stratton-Villiers (Christopher Lee) of MI-5, London’s counter-intelligence agency tasked with handling issues of terrorism or other state threats. Naturally, the agency’s sudden interest in what he originally discharged as a potential prank further tweaks Calhoun’s professional curiosity. As such, he and Rogers continue pursuing leads of their own accord.
What the police officers eventually uncover are hints to a scandal involving the original construction of the London Underground. According to local legend, the Russell Square station has been tied back to a tale of railway workers who were trapped in a cave-in but allegedly survived by hunting and feeding off the usual vermin as well as other unfortunate souls trapped in the remaining space. Even Calhoun and Rogers find the possibility a bit far-fetched and choose to let their investigation end … only they’re aghast to find out that young Patricia has no gone missing one evening after taking the last train home, leaving Alex to head into the subterranean caves to find her.
So … yes, Raw suffers from a bit of contrivance, the twist that would have our fetching young British lady in the – ahem – wrong place at the wrong time not once but twice. As I’ve mentioned, Horrors in particular over the years have relied on such expediency mostly because writers don’t see the need to craft all-new players for what might be the second-half of an otherwise competent terror. Furthermore, it’s another screenwriter’s trick that allows for a somewhat fallen hero to get a bit of redemption: with the original discovery of Manfred’s sleeping body, Alex didn’t want to get involved in any way, and he tried putting off Patricia by saying the old man was likely a drunkard or a fool on some other self-serving binge. But bookending the entire film with the young couple works well enough to bring the story full circle even if such a balanced reality is pretty much reserved for only in filmdom.
As a director, Sherman invests a great deal of cinematography is fleshing out (pun intended) the hidden lair of his cannibal tribe. Production designer (art director) Denis Gordon-Orr makes fabulous use of the space, splashing about hints of a kinda/sorta subterranean culture developing all of its own while being cut-off from civilization at large. It’s at the both times enlightening as well as minorly disturbing; and – given the fact that we learn that its evolved down to the last inhabitant (Hugh Armstrong simply credited as ‘the Man’) – it’s arguably even a bit saddening. He’s grown into adulthood without the ability to communicate beyond the skills of what primitive peoples might possess – a bit of a incongruity chronologically given that he apparently grew up around others who more likely would’ve taught him – and in a few sequences the performance likely earns even a modest bit of the audience’s sympathy.
Stylistically, Sherman commits to several long sequences throughout the picture; and, personally, I think his creative choice slows down the pace. While everything comes in at under the widely-preferred 90-minute running time (for Horror), a trim here and there would’ve served the ends better. After awhile it isn’t as if seeing anything more of the lair’s dire environment expanded upon much that the audience didn’t already know. Perhaps the attachment to working so hard to achieve the look kept him always choosing for more instead of less in the editing booth; but – as I often say at this juncture – to each his own.
So … yes, Raw suffers from a bit of contrivance, the twist that would have our fetching young British lady in the – ahem – wrong place at the wrong time not once but twice. As I’ve mentioned, Horrors in particular over the years have relied on such expediency mostly because writers don’t see the need to craft all-new players for what might be the second-half of an otherwise competent terror. Furthermore, it’s another screenwriter’s trick that allows for a somewhat fallen hero to get a bit of redemption: with the original discovery of Manfred’s sleeping body, Alex didn’t want to get involved in any way, and he tried putting off Patricia by saying the old man was likely a drunkard or a fool on some other self-serving binge. But bookending the entire film with the young couple works well enough to bring the story full circle even if such a balanced reality is pretty much reserved for only in filmdom.
As a director, Sherman invests a great deal of cinematography is fleshing out (pun intended) the hidden lair of his cannibal tribe. Production designer (art director) Denis Gordon-Orr makes fabulous use of the space, splashing about hints of a kinda/sorta subterranean culture developing all of its own while being cut-off from civilization at large. It’s at the both times enlightening as well as minorly disturbing; and – given the fact that we learn that its evolved down to the last inhabitant (Hugh Armstrong simply credited as ‘the Man’) – it’s arguably even a bit saddening. He’s grown into adulthood without the ability to communicate beyond the skills of what primitive peoples might possess – a bit of a incongruity chronologically given that he apparently grew up around others who more likely would’ve taught him – and in a few sequences the performance likely earns even a modest bit of the audience’s sympathy.
Stylistically, Sherman commits to several long sequences throughout the picture; and, personally, I think his creative choice slows down the pace. While everything comes in at under the widely-preferred 90-minute running time (for Horror), a trim here and there would’ve served the ends better. After awhile it isn’t as if seeing anything more of the lair’s dire environment expanded upon much that the audience didn’t already know. Perhaps the attachment to working so hard to achieve the look kept him always choosing for more instead of less in the editing booth; but – as I often say at this juncture – to each his own.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out how well Pleasence plays the lead here. (Again, others might disagree with who the main character truly is in this dark tale.) I’d never seen him in anything like this before – a bit of a fuss-bucket and/or authoritarian contrarian more concerned about where his next cup of tea is coming from than much else – and he was both delightful and looked like he might’ve been having fun as a bit of a dandy. Thematically, he crosses foils with the great Christopher Lee, an interesting collision more because of who Lee was as a talent at that stage of his career than anything else; and I’m honestly surprised the man would’ve taken such a small and insignificant role on his shoulders. Mind you: I don’t think it would’ve been as good by another actor (his gravitas was absolutely needed for the dynamics of their exchange), but I’m still amazed.
Raw Meat (aka Death Line) (1972) was produced by Harbor Ventures and K-L Productions. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Blue Underground. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure you that this brand-new 4K restoration looks and sounds fabulous: there’s some grain in the darker sequences, but my experience is that such minor deficiencies are a bit common with film of this age. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? This 2-disc set offers up an archival commentary along with a new one along with an assortment of extras that truly make this a solid purchase if you’re into that kind of thing.
Strongly Recommended.
Realizing that my tastes of what works and what doesn’t is markedly different than most who cover Horror releases, I’ll confess that I had a lot of fun with Raw Meat (1972) even though director Sherman had a slowed down a bit too much in a few spots. The story has a taste of what generally gives like-minded fare a bad name (some mild predictability and the kinda/sorta overused victim mentality), but those failings are small by comparison to the ambition of bringing an urban legend to life. If anything, maybe Sherman and friends revealed their ‘villain’ a bit too soon; but that disclosure comes more so as a consequence of the way this story is told, meaning that there’s no startling conclusion. It’s grim, yes, but it still feels a bit too much ‘as scripted’ for my cannibalistic tastes.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Blue Underground provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Raw Meat (1972) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Raw Meat (aka Death Line) (1972) was produced by Harbor Ventures and K-L Productions. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Blue Underground. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure you that this brand-new 4K restoration looks and sounds fabulous: there’s some grain in the darker sequences, but my experience is that such minor deficiencies are a bit common with film of this age. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? This 2-disc set offers up an archival commentary along with a new one along with an assortment of extras that truly make this a solid purchase if you’re into that kind of thing.
Strongly Recommended.
Realizing that my tastes of what works and what doesn’t is markedly different than most who cover Horror releases, I’ll confess that I had a lot of fun with Raw Meat (1972) even though director Sherman had a slowed down a bit too much in a few spots. The story has a taste of what generally gives like-minded fare a bad name (some mild predictability and the kinda/sorta overused victim mentality), but those failings are small by comparison to the ambition of bringing an urban legend to life. If anything, maybe Sherman and friends revealed their ‘villain’ a bit too soon; but that disclosure comes more so as a consequence of the way this story is told, meaning that there’s no startling conclusion. It’s grim, yes, but it still feels a bit too much ‘as scripted’ for my cannibalistic tastes.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Blue Underground provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Raw Meat (1972) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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