It is a performances centric movie

A Masterpiece!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

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.

I finally caught up with this on MGM HD. I had heard so many good things about it over the last couple of decades. The most common mini-review boiled down to something to the effect of, "RAW MEAT is a crude title for a subtle and effective horror film." Have to say, I agree with the naysayers here. It is a very poorly paced film. It takes over 20 minutes to get to the underground lair stuff, and it just jumps right into that (admittedly brilliantly done) tracking shot the film is famous for. I'm not averse to slow build-ups, but, here, it's just drawn out police procedural stuff that the audience knows from the opening scene is NOT going to be central to the horror plot. Pleasence is amusing, but his scenes come off as a Pilot for a British police TV show.And, as superbly done as the tracking shot is, it just seems plopped into the movie because they realized that it was fast approaching the 30 minute mark and they better get on with it! All of a sudden we cut from the police and young couple story into the "horror plot". It's just too abrupt to be as effective as it could (and SHOULD) have been.As to the rest of RAW MEAT. It's OK, but there really is no forward momentum with the plotting. Although there are a couple of neat shocks (and I mean ONLY a couple), it's pretty obvious where things are heading. Christopher Lee is really good in his one 3 minute scene (but, damn, many fans must have been real angry over the years when they see how disproportionate his billing is!).Why does RAW MEAT have such a strong reputation? I can only surmise that in those Pre-Internet days, a few good reviews in mags like Cinefantastique carried a lot of weight. Combined with how hard it has been to see over the years, and those fleeting good moments such as the tracking shot grow to semi-legendary status. And, heck, it was pretty gory for a "classy" British horror film back in the day, so it had that going for it, too.Worth seeing once.

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.

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!