Donald Pleasance at his best. The creepy atmosphere of the London Underground is the perfect setting for an unrelenting excercise in graphic and gruesome horror, but with a great sense of humour. From the art direction to the acting, the whole thing feels very real. Some may find it rather ... Read review
When Students Alex and Patricia (David Ladd and Sharon Gurney) discover a dying man in ... more
their local underground station, they spark off an investigation that reveals a sinister and macabre plot that even turns the stomachs of hardened police officers Ca...
Advantages: Donald Pleasence at his best. Disadvantages: It's alternative American title; 'Raw Meat' is abysmal
Donald Pleasance at his best. The creepy atmosphere of the London Underground is the perfect setting for an unrelenting excercise in graphic and gruesome horror, but with a great sense of humour. From the art direction to the acting, the whole thing feels very real. Some may find it rather too gruesome but other than that, there is nothing to fault this classic British horror!
Death Line is a masterpiece of simplistic excess. The use ... ...together in a symphony of terror, horror and humour. I have nothing but praise for this film. Fantastic!
THE FILM
‘Beneath modern London buried alive in its plague-ridden tunnels lives a tribe of once humans. Neither men nor women, they are less than animals… they are the raw meat of the human race!’
U.S. tagline for ‘Raw Meat’
A civil servant (James Cossins) returning home after a night on the ... more
Donald Pleasance at his best. The creepy atmosphere of the London Underground is the perfect setting for an unrelenting excercise in graphic and gruesome horror, but with a great sense of humour. From the art direction to the acting, the whole thing feels very real. Some may find it rather too gruesome but other than that, there is nothing to fault this classic British horror!
Death Line is a masterpiece of simplistic excess. The use of real-life locations creates an atmosphere of super-realism. Everything comes together in a symphony of terror, horror and humour. I have nothing but praise for this film. Fantastic!
THE FILM
‘Beneath modern London buried alive in its plague-ridden tunnels lives a tribe of once humans. Neither men nor women, they are less than animals… they are the raw meat of the human race!’ U.S. tagline for ‘Raw Meat’
A civil servant (James Cossins) returning home after a night on the tiles is attacked on a London Underground station. He is found unconscious by a young couple (Sharon Gurney and David Ladd) who alert a policeman. When they return, the body has disappeared. Further investigations by Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasance) and Detective Rogers (Norman Rossington) lead to a chilling discovery.
FURTHER INFORMATION
THE PRODUCTION
Death Line is possibly one of the most underated British horror films of all time. When lesser films have since gained cult popularity, Death Line still seems to have attracted only a handfull of devotees.
Director Gary Sherman had seen the BBC Play for Today: Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1971) in which Patricia Hayes played an alcoholic bag-lady. A part which won her the best actress award from the Society of Film and Television Arts.
It was directed by Ted Kotcheff, who went on to direct Rambo: First Blood (1982) and Weekend at Bernie’s (1989), and written by Jeremy Sandford who had previously penned the ‘kitchen sink’ drama The Wednesday Play: Cathy, Come Home (1966) for the BBC.
The play won best production at the same awards, and was voted the best original television production by the Writers' Guild and also won the Critics' Circle award for best television play.
Some of this docu-drama dealt with the existence of a group of homeless people who had taken to living in the disused catacombs beneath London.
In an interview with Fangoria magazine published in Issue 221 he said,
“It talked about the tube tunnels that these people live in and that was the first time I had heard of them. That’s when I started doing my research and found out there were over 500 miles of them under London. Then I started finding out why, and I just started getting all the material I could find.”
It was an American International production from a story by Gary Sherman and co-written with Ceri Jones who took the sole Screenwriting credit. The original title had been The Ghoul of Dover Street before it underwent a number of changes and became Death Line.
The title was changed from Death Line to Raw Meat in the U.S. by the head of AIP, Samuel Z. Arkoff. It was such a late descision that Sherman was unable to object to it. A title Sherman so dislikes that he now says that he pretends Raw Meat doesn’t exist.
It was filmed on location in London with much work being undertaken on the city’s famous underground system. A setting that has been used in such cult films as Quatermass and the Pit and An American Werewolf In London. The London Underground based horror film Creep (2004), in which a woman is stalked by a flesh-eating man-monster, owes much to Death Line for it’s setting and premise.
Popular British science fiction series Doctor Who, even had the underground over-run by Yeti (Doctor Who: The Web of Fear) and Dinosaurs (Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs).
Interviewed by Fangoria in 1995 shortly before his death at the age of 76, Donald Pleasance said,
“I did admire the attitude and the social resonance of Death Line. I rather enjoyed the crack it allowed me at playing a character with no class at all but a fgood deal of arrogance – all in compensation for the fact he’s not a particularly effective policeman and knows as much”.
“I am grateful to Death Line - a little film, of course, but with a big social conscience and a sort of epic sense to its horrors - for allowing me to come as close as I ever would to working on a Hammer type film. Naturally Death Line wasn’t a Hammer - not by a long stretch - but it had that attitude, that intelligence and, too, that sense that the burdens afflicting the masses tend to stem from their exploitation by the ruling class.”
THE CREW
GARY SHERMAN - DIRECTOR
Screenwrote Phobia (1980) and Fire And Rain (1989). Directed Dead and Buried (1981), Mysterious Two (1982), Follow Me If You Dare (1982), Vice Squad (1982), After Shock (1990) and Murderous Vision (1991) which he also Executively Produced. Directed & Screenwrote Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1986) and Lisa (1990). And was Executive Producer, Director and Screenwriter on Poltergeist 3 (1988).
PAUL MASLANSKY - PRODUCER
Produced Castle of the Living Dead (1964), The She-Beast (1966), Eyewitness (1970) and Directed Sugarhill (1974). He went on to produce comedy western Cactus Jack (1979), which starred Kirk Douglas & Arnold Scwarzennegar. This led to his producing all seven of the Police Academy films from 1985-94, plus the Police Academy television series (1997). The last Police Academy film (Mission to Moscow) featured Christopher Lee. He also executively produced the Police Academy clone Ski Patrol (1989). Also the Producer of Return to Oz (1985), The Russia House (1990), Honeymoon Academy/For Better Or For Worse (1990), Cop and a Half (1991) and Fluke (1995).
ALEX THOMSON - CINEMATOGRAPHER
Was a Camera Operator on Roger Corman’s The Masque of the Red Death (1964) before going on to become Cinematographer on such films as Alfred the Great (1969), The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), The Cat and the Canary (1978), Excalibur (1981), The Keep (1983), Electric Dreams (1984), Legend (1985), Labyrinth (1986), Raw Deal (1986), High Spirits (1990), The Krays (1990), Alien 3 (1992), Cliffhanger (1993), Demolition Man (1993), Black Beauty (1994) and The Saint (1997).
GEOFFREY FOOT - EDITOR
Worked on British comedies Blue Murder at St. Trinians (1956) & The Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery (1966). Aswell as the Norman Wisdom comedy Trouble In Store (1953), and the bawdy sex comedies Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1977), Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977) and Stand Up Virgin Soldiers (1977). Was also employed as Editor on John Hough’s Eyewitness (1970) & The Legend of Hell House (1973). And on historical biopics Rob Roy (1953), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) and Genghis Kahn (1965). He also edited the horrorish The Watcher in the Woods (1981) starring David McCallum and Bette Davis.
DENNIS GORDON-ORR - ART DIRECTOR
Dennis Gordon-Orr also worked on Never Too Young To Rock (1975) featuring Freddie Jones, John Clive and Peter Noone and Cuba (1979) starring Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott and David Rappaport.
JOHN HORTON - SPECIAL EFFECTS
John Horton tackled the Special Effects on Death Line and came out on top. The corpses are bloody gruesome and the gore is in good supply. His dead bodies have such an unsettling aura of realism, and are filmed in such a matter of fact simplicity (no quick flashes, but lingering tracking shots) that makes them all the more believable. Stomach churning stuff.
THE SOUNDTRACK
The bizarre title and the incidental music were written by Wil Mallone, with Jeremy Rose also contributing incidental music.
THE CAST
DONALD PLEASENCE - INSPECTOR CALLHOUN
Donald Pleasence enjoyed a long and varied career in horror films, from the glorious The Flesh and the Fiends (1959) to the mildly peculiar Edgar Allen Poe’s… Buried Alive (1989), which also featured John Carradine in one of his last roles.
Like Christopher Lee, he also played a Bond villain, in the guise of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967). By way of a little anorak fact, a photo of Pleasance in his Blofeld Make-up is seen in The Uncanny (1978), in which he plays a fading star of the big screen. He also appeared in Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) the sequel to which featured Christopher Lee.
He is probably best known by modern cinema audiences as Dr. Sam Loomis in John Carpenter’s Hallowen films; Halloween (1979) and Halloween 2 (1981). He continued his association with the franchise in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995). He worked with Carpenter again in Escape From New York (1981) and Prince of Darkness (1987).
During the 1950’s he appeared on television in The Adventures of Robin Hood. Also turning up in House of the Damned (1954), 1984 (1954), A Tale of Two Cities (1958) and Look Back In Anger (1958).
In the 1960’s he made an appearance in the Twilight Zone episode The Changing of the Guard (1962). The 70’s saw him make a guest appearance in Columbo: Any Old Port In A Storm (1973) and in the 80’s in Dick Turpin: Dick Turpin’s Greatest Adventure (1981).
In later years he also made appearanes in the BBC’s Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery (1989) and Lovejoy: The Prague Son (1992).
NORMAN ROSSINGTON - DETECTIVE ROGERS
His film career spanned many genres. Comedy; Carry On Sergeant (1958), Carry On Nurse (1959), Carry On Regardless (1961), I Only Arsked! (1958), The Wrong Box (1966) and alongside Benny Hill in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965). Stars with The Beatles in A Hard Days Night (1964).
Drama; A Night To Remember (195?), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1961), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Longest Day (1962), Young Winston (1972), S.O.S. Titanic (1979).
He can also be seen in The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970), Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973), The Prisoner of Zenda (1979), The Krays (1990) and Let Him Have It (1991).
Appeared with Christopher Lee in House of Long Shadows (1982) along with John Carradine, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price.
DAVID LADD - ALEX CAMPBELL
Son of Hollywood actor Alan Ladd, and brother of producer Alan Ladd Jr.
After appearing in Death Line, The Wild Geese (1978) and Beyond the Universe (1981), he became co-producer on The Serpent and the Rainbow (1987) and produced The Mod Squad (1999), A Guy Thing (2002) and Hart’s War (2002).
SHARON GURNEY - PATRICIA WILSON
Appeared on television in The Portrait of a Lady (1968), Armchair Theatre: The Dolly Scene (1970), Cold Comfort Farm (1971) and Jason King: Zenia (1971).
Her film roles included parts in Women In Love (1969), The Corpse aka Crucible of Horror (1970) and La Chambre Rouge (1972).
HUGH AMRSTRONG - THE ‘MAN’
In his interview with Fangoria Gary Sherman said that Hugh Amrstrong had been a performance artist who after working on Death Line, disappeared to South America. However the Internet Movie Data-base credits him as appearing in The Beastmaster (1982) and How to Get a Head in Advertising (1989) post Death Line and pre Death Line in Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1969). It is claimed that Marlon Brando very nearly portrayed the last decendant of the tunnel collapse victims.
CHRISTOPHER LEE - STRATTON-VILLIERS, MI5
Christopher Lee has made cameo appearances in many films throughout his long and varied career from; Hamlet (1948) and Moulin Rouge (1952), to Talos the Mummy (in fact you may aswell turn off after his exit, he is the only good thing about it!) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005).
JAMES COSSINS - JAMES MANFRED, O.B.E.
Was a familiar face in films and on British television for many years, with his recognisable balding head and beautifully maintained moustache.
He starred in; The Lost Continent (1968), Wuthering Heights (1970), The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970), Young Winston (1972), Hitler; The Last Ten Days (1973) and Gandhi (1982).
He also turns up in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) which of course starred Christopher Lee as the eponymous villain Scaramanga.
Comedy appearances included roles in; How I Won the War (1967) alongside Michael Crawford, John Lennon, Roy Kinnear, Michael Hordern & Ronald Lacey.
He would go on to appear with Michael Crawford again, in an episode of the 70’s BBC sitcom Some Mother’s Do Ave Em.
Can also be seen in A Dandy In Apsic (1968) which also featured Peter Cook.
His other horror film appearances include The Deadly Bees (1967) for Amicus and Hammer’s The Anniversary (1968), The Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) & Fear In The Night (1972) Also; Possession (1973) and Sphinx (1981).
CLIVE SWIFT - INSPECTOR RICHARDSON
Best known for his portrayal of Richard Bucket the down-trodden husband of Hyacinth in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
His other television work has also included; Doctor Who: Revelation of the Daleks (1985) & Inspector Morse (1989).
Appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy (1972), John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) and Richard Attenborough’s A Passage To India (1984).
RON PEMBER - LIFT OPERATOR
Appeared with Christopher Lee in Curse of the Crimson Cult (1968) & Julius Caesar (1970).
He is also another of Death Line’s cast who appeared in the biopic Young Winston (1972).
Turns up in The Land That Time Forgot (1975), Aces High (1976) and The Glitterball (1977)
As well as the Jack the Ripper drama Murder by Decree (1979) starring Christopher Plummer.
Made numerous television appearances including roles in The Avengers: Double Danger (1961) & The Avengers: Bizarre (1969).
JACK WOOLGAR - PLATFORM INSPECTOR
On television appeared in The Avengers: The Living Dead (1967), Doctor Who: The Web of Fear (1968) and Sherlock Holmes: A Study In Scarlet (1968) starring Peter Cushing. And on the big screen in Hammerhead (1968), Where’s Jack? (1969), Raging Moon (1970), Say Hello to Yesterday (1971), Gawain and the Green Knight (1973) and Swalows and Amazons (1974).
HEATHER STONEY - W.P.C. ALICE MARSHALL
Made something of a career for herself in police drama series on the small screen. In Z Cars episodes; Down and Out (1962), Charity Begins ...! (1964), Think On (1965), and Wilful Destruction (1965). Went on to appear in Z Cars spin-off series Softly, Softly episode Major Incident (1968) before being promoted to PW Det. Sgt. Green in the same series from 1971 to 1973.
COLIN McCORMACK - POLICE CONSTABLE 1
Appeared in The Winter’s Tale (1980) and First Knight (1995).
JAMES CULLIFORD - PUBLICAN
Appeared in BBC’s acclaimed drama series Elizabeth R (1971).
HUGH DICKSON - DR BACON
Appeared in Hammer’s film version of Quatermass & the Pit (1967), and on television in; Dimensions of Fear (1963), Elizabeth R (1971), Hammer House of Mystery & Suspense: Last Video Testament (1984), House of Cards (1990), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999), The Infinite Worlds of H.G.Wells (2001), Murder Rooms: The Kingdom of Bones (2001) and The Lost Prince (2003).
GERRY CRAMPTON - TUNNEL WORKER
Stunt co-ordinator on The Dirty Dozen (1967), Cromwell (1970), Psychomania (1971), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), Gandhi (1982), The Bride (1985), Biggles (1986), Willow (1988), Revelation (2001), The Biographer (2002) and Chaos and Cadavers (2003)
Stunt co-oridnator on Television series’ UFO (1970), The Far Pavillons (1984), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Still Crazy Like A Fox (1987), Death Train (1993), The Odyssey (1997) and The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells (2001).
Also performed stunts on The Prisoner (1967) television series. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Patriot Games (1992), Son of the Pink Panther (1993), The Three Musketeers (1993) Mary Reilley (1996), Dragonheart (1996), Daylight (1996), New Tricks (2003).
He was heavily involved in Tim Burton’s film version of Batman (1989), albeit uncredited. As stunt arranger: second unit, Jack Nicholson stunt-double and stunt performer.
Performed uncredited additional stunts on James Bond films; Dr. No (1962), From Russia With Love (1964), Goldfinger (1964), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971) Stunt Double, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and A View To A Kill (1985).
TERENCE (TERRY) PLUMMER - TUNNEL WORKER
Performed stunts in war films; The Heroes of Telelmark (1965), Where Eagles Dare (1968) and The Eagle Has Landed (1976). Was a stunt man on The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and Son of the Pink Panther (1993) and in gangster films; The Long Good Friday (1980) and Sexy Beast (2000). Also a stunt performer on An American Werewolf In London (1981), Shanghai Surprise (1986), Willow (1988), My Left Foot (1989), Batman (1989) & Rob Roy (1995).
He appeared uncredited in James Bond films; From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), You Only Live Twice (1967), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Also in Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
Has performed stunts on television in The Avengers episodes A Surfeit of H20 (1965), The Danger Makers (1966) and The Superlative Seven (1967). The Saint: The Desperate Diplomat (1968), Blake’s 7: Deliverance (1978), Minder: Looking For Micky (1979), Dempsey & Makepeace: Extreme Prejudice (1986), Edge of Darkness (1986), two episodes of Boon, Special Delivery (1987) and Never Say Trevor Again (1988). Also appeared in Jeckyll & Hyde (1990) starring Michael Caine and Coogan’s Run (1995) starring Steve Coogan.
GORDON PETRIE - TUNNEL WORKER
Appeared in Circus of Fear (1966) with Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski, Cecil Parker and Victor Maddern.
SUZANNE WINKLER - PROSTITUTE
Had a role in Z Cars: Joanna (1974).
Other parts were played by June Turner - The 'Woman' and Gary Winkler - Police Constable 2.
A young couple spies a sickly drunk in London's underground railway system. The man is discovered to be a displaced member of British upper class, and his story leads to the unearthing of a literally underground society. The British police follow a trail of tube station crimes and stumble upon a group of former subway construction workers who were trapped in a tunnel collapse during the Victorian era. Those who survived resort to extreme measures, including cannibalism--and now they must be stopped.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
NETWORK; FREMANTLE HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Release date
03/04/2006
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
7952427
Barcode
5027626242749
Languages
Main Language
English
DVD Description
This artfully constructed slasher film has retained a cult following since its brief theatrical release in America in 1973. Gary Sherman (WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE) intended the scuzzy, atmospheric work to be an allegory for the changes brought by the collapse of the British class system.
A young couple spies a sickly drunk in London's underground railway system. The man is discovered to be a displaced member of British upper class, and his story leads to the unearthing of a literally underground society. The British police (led by character actor Donald Pleasence) follow a trail of tube station crimes and stumble upon a group of former subway construction workers who were trapped in a tunnel collapse during the Victorian era. Those who survived resort to extreme measures, including cannibalism--and now they must be stopped. The film is notable for its use of gore and visceral detail to tell a story, and particularly for its imaginative sound design. Deeply influential on early 21st-century films like 28 DAYS LATER and Christopher Smith's CREEP, in particular, DEATHLINE is an unusual horror film that demonstrates depth and thoughtfulness.
![Deathline [DVD] [1973]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78490295.jpg)
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