Raw Meat (1973) Death Line (original title)

Director:

Gary Sherman

Writers:

Ceri Jones (screenplay)
Gary Sherman (original story)

Release Date:

September 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Beneath Modern London Lives a Tribe of Once Humans. Neither Men Nor Women...They Are the Raw Meat Of The Human Race!

Plot:

There's something pretty grisly going on under London in the Tube tunnels between Holborn and Russell Square...

Plot Keywords:

Tunnel | Inspector | Bookstore | Rape | Rat

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Donald Pleasence	...	Inspector Calhoun
Norman Rossington	...	Detective Sergeant Rogers
David Ladd	...	Alex Campbell
Sharon Gurney	...	Patricia Wilson
Hugh Armstrong	...	The 'Man'
June Turner	...	The 'Woman'
Clive Swift	...	Inspector Richardson
James Cossins	...	James Manfred, OBE
Heather Stoney	...	W.P.C. Alice Marshall
Hugh Dickson	...	Dr. Bacon
Jack Woolgar	...	Platform Inspector
Ron Pember	...	Lift Operator
Colin McCormack	...	Police Constable 1
Gary Winkler	...	Police Constable 2
James Culliford	...	Publican
Suzanne Winkler	...	Prostitute
Gerry Crampton	...	Tunnel Worker
Terence Plummer	...	Tunnel Worker (as Terry Plummer)
Gordon Petrie	...	Tunnel Worker
Christopher Lee	...	Stratton-Villiers, MI5

Directed by
Gary Sherman

Writing credits
Ceri Jones		(screenplay)
Gary Sherman		(original story)

Produced by
Paul Maslansky	....	producer

Original Music by
Wil Malone
Jeremy Rose

Cinematography by
Alex Thomson

Film Editing by
Geoffrey Foot

Casting by
Mary Selway

Art Direction by
Dennis Gordon-Orr

Makeup Department
Harry Frampton	....	makeup artist
Peter Frampton	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Joyce Herlihy	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lewis More O'Ferrall	....	assistant director

Art Department
Tony Teiger	....	property master

Sound Department
Cyril Collick	....	sound
Peter Gilpin	....	dubbing recorder
John Hackney	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
David Cadwallader	....	key grip
Dave Clarke	....	chief electrician
Colin Corby	....	camera operator
John Golding	....	focus puller

Music Department
Wil Malone	....	musical director
Jeremy Rose	....	musical director

Other crew
Dustin Bernard	....	production assistant
Kay Rawlings	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Harbor Ventures
• K-L Productions

Distributors

• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1972) (UK) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (1973) (Canada) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (1987) (Spain) (VHS)
• Video Search of Miami (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  lighting

Also Known As:

"Death Line" - UK (original title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | UK:18 (video rating) (1989) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | West Germany:18 | Spain:18 (video rating) | France:-12 | USA:R | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | Canada:R

Filming Locations:

Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London, England, UK

Company:

Harbor Ventures

Trivia:

The original UK cinema and video versions were cut by the BBFC to heavily edit the broom impalement, a shot of a spade in a man's head, the cannibal biting off a rat's head, and his pursuit and attempted rape of Sharon Gurney. The full uncut version was finally passed by the BBFC for the DVD release in March 2006.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
The 'Man':Mind the doors!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "TCM Underground: Sugar Hill/Raw Meat (#1.41)" (2008)

Frankenstein reborn

In the early 70s, Hammer Production's star was fading fast, yet the UK was able to churn out this little gem. Based on an intriguing story concerning the underground-dwelling descendants of turn-of-the-century caved-in miners, it however starts off as a typical murder mystery. Donald Pleasance does a pretty good Eastend accent as a working-class, pug copper investigating the disapearance of a man of some importance in his district. Christopher Lee is wasted in little more than a cameo role whose character's intentions remain clouded and obtuse. The film borrows heavily from the 1931 version of Frankenstein with 'The Man', originally seen as the monster, is the most empathetic character in the movie, who does not understand the cruel world around him, whilst society as a whole, including those few 'humans' who get involved are cold, aloof, and far more monsterous. A film works better when the apparent villain is given three dimensions and isn't just a parody, as is the case here. A real sleeper.