A Big Helping of RAW MEAT (aka Death Line) in 4K

RAW MEAT aka Death Line (4K UHD)

1972 / 87 min

Blue Underground

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Back in the mid-70s, my friends and I snuck into auditorium #4 of the old Southgate Quad for a double feature consisting of Squirm and Raw Meat (both titles released in the U.S. by American-International Pictures). Killer worms and flesh eating zombies? Sounded like an afternoon well spent. 

At least Squirm delivered as promised. As for Raw Meat…man, talk about false advertising! Sure, there were a few gross bits, but for a thrill-seeking 13-year-old, watching an old, bald, Chatty Cathy cop berate suspects was decidedly less entertaining than the pinball machines in the theater lobby. Which is precisely where we headed after about 30 minutes.

Wisdom may not always come with age, but I eventually wised up to the unscrupulous practice of rebranding movies with gonzo new titles to snooker folks who judge books by their covers (which the likes of AIP and Roger Corman’s New World Pictures often did with films they acquired for the grindhouse crowd). Case in point, Raw Meat was originally called Death Line (still the onscreen title) and was never intended to compete with ravenous worms for a middle schooler’s attention.

While flesh eating is inferred, there are no zombies in Death Line. It’s got a pretty cool premise, though. While the London subway system was being constructed in the late 19th Century, a cave-in trapped several workers who resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. A century later, one of their descendants has been snatching commuters to feed himself and his dying mate. When a prominent MBE member goes missing, Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence) investigates, but spends a lot of his time grilling Alex (David Ladd), the guy who brought it to his attention in the first place. It also turns out a lot of folks have gone missing in the subway lately. 

"I thought I paid this."

Part horror film, part police procedural, Death Line is atmospheric and well made on a low budget, with good direction by Gary Sherman (who’d later go on to helm Dead & Buried, one of the best underseen movies of the ‘80s). But it's Pleasance who steals this one. His amusing performance suggests he had great fun playing his character, which I didn’t fully appreciate as a kid, but now think he’s the best part of the entire movie. And while not nearly as gory as it’s reputed to be (or as we were expecting back in the day), some of the violence is pretty potent.

Blue Underground has given the film an impressive 4K facelift with a nice video restoration. There are also four audio options to choose from, including a new Dolby Atmos track. With the exception of a new audio commentary, the bonus features (mostly interviews) are all carried over from the original Blu-ray release, and they provide a revealing look back at the production. 

But, alas, the deceptive advertising continues even today. While Christopher Lee is featured along with Pleasance above the title on the cover, he appears in only one scene…for about two minutes. Other than that bit of deception, Raw Meat/Death Line is an entertaining slice of ‘70s British horror that has certainly aged better than Squirm.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K & BLU-RAY COPIES

FEATURETTES - Tales from the Tube is an entertaining conversation between director Gary Sherman and executive producers Jay Katner & Alan Ladd Jr.; From the Depths is an interview with actor David Ladd and producer Paul Maslansky; Mind the Doors is an interview with actor Hugh Armstrong.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By director Gary Sherman, producer Paul Maslansky and AD Lewis More O’Ferrall; 2) By historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troyhowarth.

TRAILERS, TV & RADIO SPOTS

POSTER & STILL GALLERY

REVERSIBLE COVER - With the original title, Death Line.

DELICATESSEN (4K) and ANTIVIRAL (4K): Some Casual Cannibalism

DELICATESSEN and ANTIVIRAL (4K UHD)

From Severin Films

Review by Princess Pepper😺

Severin Films serves up a couple of meaty treats in delicious 4K. One is a French cult classic. Considering the name and growing reputation of the director, the other probably will be. And both of them throw subtle touches of cannibalism into their already bizarre narratives.

DELICATESSEN (1991/99 min) - The first feature film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (co-directing with Marc Cano), Delicatessen is a visually stunning calling card. It combines elements of post-apocalypse sci-fi, horror and black comedy into a Pythonesque tale of a butcher who hires handymen so he can kill, cut-up and sell them as meat in his deli. But the new guy, ex-circus performer Louison (Dominique Pinon), endears himself to the butcher’s daughter, Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac), who wants to save him from the same fate.

The nutshell story is only a small part of what makes Delicatessen enjoyable. There are other subplots involving other eccentric tenants who share the building (my favorite being an unhappy housewife’s elaborate attempts to commit suicide). And despite some dark underpinnings, the overall tone often borders on whimsical, as exemplified with Louison & Julie’s developing romance, as well as some strange-but-amusing musical set-pieces. 

Both narratively and aesthetically, the whole thing plays like something out of Terry Gilliam’s repertoire (Gilliam himself lent his name to the promotional campaign during its initial release). The subject matter might be off-putting to casual viewers, and the story is occasionally a little meandering, but overall, Delicatessen is a unique film that’s engaging just to look at.

EXTRA KIBBLES: FEATURETTE - Fine Cooked Meats: The Making of Delicatessen; INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Cano, ‘presenter’ Terry Gilliam and Marc Cano by himself; TRAILER; AUDIO COMMENTARY - By co-director Jean-Pierre Jeunet; 4K & BLU-RAY COPIES.

This man orders the Not-So-Happy Meal.

ANTIVIRAL (2012/108 min) - Brandon Cronenberg is, of course, the son of undisputed body horror master David Cronenberg. Having previously watched and reviewed his second film, Possessor, one thing was certain: The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. 2012’s Antiviral was actually his first effort, and while not as graphic and gory, there’s some twisted imagination at work.

There’s also a timely, relevant theme running throughout the film, that of celebrity worship taken to sick extremes. In this world, fans can buy and eat meat genetically grown from their idols’ cells. But the truly obsessed are happy to pay exorbitant amounts of money to inject themselves with viruses and diseases carried by famous people. In fact, its a huge business, with corporations competing for the rights to the most popular celebrities’ blood.

Syd Match (Caleb Landry Jones), a salesman for Luca Clinic, hawks pathogens from Hannah Geist (Sarah Gadon), the Taylor Swift of infected idols. He also injects himself in secret, then sells his infected blood on the black market, which not only renders him increasingly ill, he runs afoul of pirates and competitors.

That’s the rudimentary summary of a fairly complex (and occasionally murky) storyline. The film is pretty thin on characterization, but remains morbidly compelling and visually impressive. Cronenberg fills the screen with beautiful and repulsive imagery, leading to a twisted climax that must be seen to be believed. All told, it’s one hell of an audacious debut.

EXTRA KIBBLES: FEATURETTES - Anatomy of a Virus is an interesting 30 minute making-of doc; Reviving a Dead Cell is about the film’s 4K restoration; Brandon Cronenberg: A First Time Director’s Vision is a short interview; First Meeting features actors Caleb Landry Jones and Sarah Gadon; The Design of Antiviral focuses on the film’s production design; Manufacturing Celebrity features short segments with cast & crew; “BROKEN TULIPS” - Short film by Brandon Cronenberg, which was the basis for Antiviral; AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Brandon Cronenberg & cinematographer Karin Hussein; DELETED SCENES; TRAILER.

"Guess I shoulda read the instructions first."

In addition to a bunch of interesting bonus features (especially those accompanying Antiviral), both films have been given excellent 4K transfers. Delicatessen has never looked or sounded better, while Antiviral’s cold aesthetic seems tailor made for the format. They are highly recommended for those whose tastes lean toward the offbeat and bizarre.