Raw Meat

Before the Italians turned cannibalism into grisly cinematic joke there was Raw Meat (1972), Gary Sherman's underground people-eater movie that mixes elements of expected Grand Guignol with an oh-so-British sense of pathos and restraint. And its relative obscurity over the years has only enhanced its reputation as a less visceral take on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre when actually the two films share very little in common. Sherman's film is more polished, more structured, more procedural in approach. But it never quite achieves the demented level of insanity of Tobe Hooper's work. Other than a penchant for human flesh, each director has a different end game in mind.

Making their way home on a late London subway, Alex and Patricia come upon a dying man slumped over the steps. Alex, a callous American abroad, suggests they ignore the incident but Patricia insists they return with help. Once they arrive with a constable, the man, who turns out to be a high-ranking government official, has vanished without a trace.

The case attracts the attention of Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasance), who sniffs out a connection between several other persons reported missing from that particular Tube station. A bit of research turns up a story of an abandoned subway line that was sealed off with workers still alive around the turn of the century. Point in fact, some workers didsurvive and the last two - a male and female specimen suffering from septicemic plague - have been feeding off stray victims for years.

Raw Meat (aka Death Line) takes a decidedly sympathetic approach to its cannibalistic characters. They are a loving, dedicated couple...everything Alex and Patricia are not. So even when The Man (played by actor Hugh Armstrong with some effectively queasy makeup) kills a trio of subway workers in graphic fashion, its a last ditch attempt to keep his pregnant mate alive. This counterpoint between savagery and civilization is spot on, but turns Alex and Patricia into rather unlikable protagonists, putting the burden of heroism on the unlikely shoulders of Inspector Calhoun, a character that Pleasance imbues with a cranky blue-collar code of ethics.

Raw Meat marks Pleasance's segue into what would become familiar horror territory; but he never brought as much talent or personality to bear in latter roles as he does here. Calhoun is a rather unlikable chap himself, pestering witnesses and co-workers alike with gleeful insults and rude interruptions, but his colorful approach to the job never gets in the way of solving a case. A quick cameo from Christopher Lee as a superior officer making unspoken threats and class intimidation makes one wish the production could have afforded to keep both actors on-set for more than a few hours.

As a horror film, Raw Meat is a square peg in a round hole. There are one or two jump scares and dollops of gore from time to time. But Gary Sherman's real accomplishment is a creating an emotional connection with a character whose only lines of dialogue are a crude imitation of colloquial English ("Mind the doors!") and a decadently decayed visual atmosphere in the underground lair. An eight-minute introductory tracking shot serves notice that this is a movie with something to prove on a technical level (Sherman's undervalued Poltergeist 3 provided a feast of visual tricks as well) and something more than just an exploitation calling card.

Blue Underground has been championing Sherman’s film on digital since the dawn of DVD. But they’ve saved the rarest cut for last in the form of this 4K Ultra-HD / Blu-ray combo. It’s quite simply one of their best-looking releases to date, adding Dolby Vision and HDR to several new extras, including a commentary from Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth with additional poster images and stills. All the previous side dishes get ported over as well: a commentary with Sherman and producer Paul Maslansky, on-camera interviews with Sherman, star David Ladd and Hugh Armstrong, trailers, TV spots, radio spots, and new creepy artwork for the slipcover. Been patiently waiting for the ultimate edition? Jump on board!