Death Line (1972)

Director:

Gary Sherman

Writers:

Ceri Jones (screenplay)
Gary Sherman (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:

London Underground | Detective | Railway | Tragedy | Inspector

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

Also Known As:

Raw Meat (USA)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) (1989) (uncut) | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | West Germany:18 | 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 film is set at an uncompleted London Underground station called "Museum", on a non-completed Underground line somewhere near the real Underground stations Russell Square and British Museum (the latter of which closed in 1933). No such line or station exists, but it is notable that this was partly filmed at Aldwych, which has become more famous as a film set since its closure in 1994 (and more profitable than during its life as a working tube station). Currently, Aldwych may reopen as part of the expansion of the Docklands Light Railway, which would reopen the most convenient station for the London office of High Commission of India.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References "Ironside" (1967)

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.