Death Line Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Death Line Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 16, 2025

Gary Sherman's "Death Line" a.k.a. "Raw Meat' (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth; archival audio commentary by co-writer/director Gary Sherman, producer Paul Maslansky, and assistant director Lewis More O'Ferrall; archival interviews interviews with co-writer/director Gary Sherman and executive producers Jay Kanter and Alan Ladd, Jr.; archival interview with star David Ladd; promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

On a cold night in London, American student Alex (David Ladd) and his British girlfriend Patricia (Sharon Gurney) discover an unconscious stranger at a deserted subway station. They argue whether he could be a drunkard or a diabetic that might have had a seizure and then find a bored night patrol who agrees to come back with them to the station -- this time only to find the entire area completely empty. Soon after, Alex is asked to meet the cranky Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence), who can’t decide if he should trust his story or treat him as a suspect. Fortunately for Alex, it is quickly confirmed that the man from the subway is a prominent aristocrat with numerous interesting friends, and Inspector Calhoun promptly dedicates all his energy to solving his mysterious disappearance. But the deeper the authorities dig, the more bizarre the case becomes, and on top of this, some pompous character from MI5 (Christopher Lee) also begins interfering with the investigation and seriously annoys Inspector Calhoun.

Gary Sherman’s directorial debut, Death Line (also known and officially distributed as Raw Meat), is an occasionally entertaining but ultimately very difficult to enjoy film with some pretty obvious flaws. Frankly, it feels like an experimental project that united a director and a group of actors with drastically different ideas about the purpose of their work and the people that might be interested in it.

A fairly large portion of the film is structured as a horror thriller about a maniac (Hugh Armstrong) who has been living in an abandoned area of the London subway. The man is the last survivor from a group of Victorian workers who, many years ago, were trapped in a forgotten corner of the subway after a tunnel they were building collapsed. While living underground, they apparently became cannibals, and when eventually they found a way to reach the other side of the tunnel, they started bringing back ‘fresh food’ -- until a plague began exterminating them. The rest of the film is about Inspector Calhoun’s struggle to figure out the big picture while looking at it from all the wrong angles and constantly ignoring various clues from Alex and Patricia. When the time comes for him to enter the subway, the maniac is already effectively transformed into a victim, and instead of a powerful climax, the film ends with a rushed resolution that almost completely destroys its credibility.

The strange subplots, overlapping of important events, and inconsistent atmosphere make the entire story too bizarre. For example, some pretty graphic visuals create the impression that Sherman was shooting a serious horror thriller, but Inspector Calhoun’s hilarious ramblings are so profoundly out of sync with them that it actually begins to feel as if the film was scripted to be a parody (and it clearly wasn’t). There are also relationships that at one point are completely abandoned and supposedly meaningful characters that are beyond puzzling. Consider this, for example: there is only one segment with Lee’s MI5 inspector where he shows up and utters some random lines and then disappears without a trace. It literally looks like it was done only so that the legendary actor’s name can be attached to the project.

The few segments that are rather effective contain footage from the Russell Square underground station. Shortly before and after the maniac begins chasing Patricia there are some really good panoramic shots with great lighting that could have been perfect in a genuine Gothic horror thriller.

Death Line Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Death Line arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

Death Line made its high-definition debut with this release, also produced by Blue Underground, in 2017. The release introduced a very good 2K restoration of the film. This upcoming release brings an exclusive new 4K restoration of the film, which will also be available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release. I viewed the 4K restoration on 4K Blu-ray and spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray, performing various comparisons with the original presentation as well.

There isn't a substantial gap in quality between the presentations of the previous 2K restoration and the new 4K restoration. It is because the 2K restoration already makes Death Line look very, very good. On my system, I observed two areas where the 4K restoration excels. First, it brings a slightly better grain field. However, the improvement is not always easy to appreciate. I thought that only material that features optimal lighting looked noticeably better. Second, the 4K restoration produces visuals with a superior dynamic range. I expect that this will be the improvement that virtually all viewers will appreciate the most because select primaries and supporting nuances become lusher, helping delineation, clarity, and depth be even more impressive. Also, I think that select darker areas looked marginally better in 1080p. In native 4K, with HDR enabled, the same areas were a tad too dark. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The entire film looks very healthy. Ultimately, I think that the 4K restoration, whether viewed in native 4K or 1080p, is a minor upgrade in quality, but simply because the previous 2K restoration was managed extremely well. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Death Line Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this release: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (1.0), and French DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (1.0). Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the 4K restoration of Death Line on 4K Blu-ray and later spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray. The comments below are from Blue Underground's upcoming combo pack release.

I chose to view the entire film with the new Dolby Atmos track and then performed several comparisons with the Mono track. The Dolby Atmos track does open the dynamic field quite a bit. For example, the incoming train and some of the underground footage clearly sound different and, in my opinion, more attractive. However, I am unsure if it is fair to declare that the same areas sound better because the Mono track faithfully reproduces the limitations of the original soundtrack. In other words, the new Dolby Atmos track is simply an extra option for you to consider, not the best option for viewing the film.

Death Line Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - in this archival audio commentary, co-writer/director Gary Sherman, producer Paul Maslansky, and assistant director Lewis More O'Ferrall discuss in great how the original idea for Death Line/Raw Meat came to exist, the shooting of different parts of the film at specific locations (there is a great story about a representative from London Transport who was supposed to monitor the work), Donald Pleasence's terrific sense of humor and how his presence instantly convinced a lot of other actors to join the project, the notorious long tracking shot, the new remaster of the film that was used for the Blu-ray release, the cutting of the film, etc.

• Commentary Two - in this new audio commentary, critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth share their thoughts on Death Line, what works well or does not in it, the cast that was assembled for it, and even the posters displayed in the underground. Toward the end of the commentary, there are also some interesting comments about the film's history on the home video market and the type of releases it has received over the years.

• Featurettes -
  
  1. Tales From The Tube - in this brand new program, co-writer/director Gary Sherman and executive producers Jay Kanter and Alan Ladd, Jr. recall how Death Line was financed and specifically producer Paul Maslansky's involvement with the project, and discuss the casting process (apparently, the initial intent was to bring Marlon Brando on board), the shooting of different segments at various locations, some of the graphic footage and effects/makeup, etc. The program was produced exclusively for Blue Underground. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).
  
  2. From The Depths - in this brand new program, star David Ladd recalls how he was cast to play Alex Campbell and his interactions with the rest of the actors during the shooting of the film, and discusses the original script for the film and some of the main themes from it with producer Paul Maslansky. The program was produced exclusively for Blue Underground. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).
  
  3. Mind The Doors - in this program, star Hugh Armstrong explains how he entered the film business and how he was cast to play the maniac from the subway, and discusses the shooting process, his character's dual identity, and the film's atmosphere. The program was created by Dead Mouse Productions. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Trailers - two original trailers.
  
  1. Death Line - in English, not subtitled. (3 min).
  2. Raw Meat - in English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spots - three original TV Spots.
  
  1. TV Spot One - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).
  2. TV Spot Two - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).
  3. TV Spot Three - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Raw Meat Radio Spots - two original TV spots.
  
  1. TV Spot One - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).
  2. TV Spot Two - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Poster & Still Gallery - an outstanding collection of original posters from around the world, as well as a variety of advertising materials (from printed articles to clippings), U.S. pressbook, lobby cards, stills, and home video covers. The gallery was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Reversible Cover - reversible cover with original poster art for Death Line.

Death Line Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I still think that Death Line is an oddity because its awkward humor, virtually all of it courtesy of Donald Pleasence, effectively erodes its chosen identity. Christopher Lee plays a pompous MI5 Inspector and looks completely lost in it as well, which is why, after a single short sequence, he quickly disappears without a trace. However, Death Line has its fans, and the folks at Blue Underground have prepared an excellent, exclusive new 4K restoration of it that will be available on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. If you are one of these fans and choose to give yourself a gift, you will be pleased with your purchase. RECOMMENDED to fans of the film.