a review of

Death Line, a.k.a. Raw Meat, is an amateurish but kind of intriguing British low-budget horror flick from 1972. The concept is interesting, although very far-fetched — sequestered, savage cannibals living in an abandoned area beneath the London subway. There's a reasonably gritty atmosphere down there, and some nice, long camera shots, but the plot doesn't unfold very interestingly, and most of the acting is third-rate. But then there's Donald Pleasence's wonderful, comical, sarcastic British inspector character. He single-handedly saves the film from being forgettable. Pleasence's character should have gotten his own series. I think it would have been a success. The majority of my rating is earned solely by Donald Pleasence. I wouldn't be surprised if John Carpenter (re)discovered his talent in this film, which might have lead to asking him for the doctor role in Halloween.