Raw Meat: A Forgettable Horror Outing Filled with Undercooked Elements (4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

It's always a rather interesting experience to discover a remarkably obscure horror flick that has some pretty big names in it like Donald Pleasance & Sir Christopher Lee, and which was apparently originally going to star two-time Oscar winner Marlon Brando at one point. "Raw Meat" (also known as "Death Line" in the UK) may have been a commercial failure given its limited release at the time, but it still picked up some surprisingly decent reviews from a few outlets over the years. Its 50th anniversary occurred just a few years ago, and now Blue Underground has decided to honor this little-known horror outing with an incredible 4K upgrade and a few special features to go along with it, so once again we delve back into the past to see if it's worth all the attention, or if it's best left to its obscure fate.

The film begins with Patricia Wilson (Sharon Gurney) and her American boyfriend Alex Campbell (David Ladd) discovering James Manfred, OBE (James Cossins) unconscious in the London Underground. They inform the police, but when they come back, his body is gone. Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasance) is assigned to investigate, during which he learns of how a group of railway workers got trapped underground after a cave-in in 1892, and that it's rumored that they may have survived and are still living there. Meanwhile, we learn that these workers had resorted to cannibalism to survive, with the last surviving member (Hugh Armstrong) still taking victims in the London Underground. This eventually leads to him kidnapping Patricia for this very purpose. Will Alex be able to find & rescue her before it's too late?

"Raw Meat" is yet another one of those films that has a semi-interesting idea at its core, one that could lead to some spine-tingling thrills & horror if used effectively, but which the writer (Ceri Jones, based on a story by director Gary Sherman) didn't really know what to do with. In this case, we have one cannibal living in the Underground that occasionally kidnaps & kills victims for sustenance, but this idea simply isn't explored very far. We see him do this a couple of times, but it just doesn't create much in the way of terror or suspense, especially with it just being one cannibal, not several like the misleading cover art would have you believe.

It's mildly-intriguing to watch the great Donald Pleasance fumble about on the case, but sadly that's all he does throughout the film before stumbling in at the end with his men after the main action has already wrapped up. That is to say, his character really doesn't end up serving much of a purpose, which is a perfect segue to the legendary Sir Christopher Lee, whose name is featured prominently (and misleadingly) next to Pleasance's on the cover as a star of the film. Lee, who agreed to do it just to work with Pleasance, is in the film for approximately two minutes as an agent for MI5, a character that could've easily been deleted from the film without affecting anything.

In the end, "Raw Meat" ironically feels like a film in which the writer threw in a bunch of undercooked elements and just hoped it would work, but with its lack of thrills, and more importantly, its lack of story & character development, it sadly doesn't even come close to having the effect they were looking for. A cannibal stalking the London Underground is certainly an idea that had some potential, but unfortunately they were unable to tap into it, ultimately resulting in a forgettable horror outing that has little to offer.

Video/Audio:

This edition of "Raw Meat" comes with the film on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 1.85:1 transfers of outstanding quality. The new restoration (scanned in 4K 16-bit from the original uncensored camera negative) has cleaned up the picture quite nicely, presenting an image that may have a fair amount of noticeable grain, but still looks rather sharp & clear. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks are fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue & music in excellent quality. Overall, Blue Underground has done a marvelous job in both areas for the film's 4K debut.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman, Producer Paul Maslansky, and Assistant Director Lewis More O'Ferrall

Audio Commentary with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth

Tales from the Tube (19 Minutes): An interview with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman and Executive Producers Jay Kanter & Alan Ladd Jr.

From the Depths (13 Minutes): An interview with Star David Ladd and Producer Paul Maslansky.

Mind the Doors (16 Minutes): An interview with Star Hugh Armstrong.

Conclusion:

Gary Sherman's "Raw Meat" has the start of an interesting story about a cannibal stalking the London Underground, but sadly the film is rather lacking in thrills, as well as story & character development, ultimately making for a forgettable horror outing that ironically ends up being little more than a collection of severely undercooked elements.

Score: 2.5/5

Available on 4K/Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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