Studio: Blue Underground
Release Date: 9/30/2025
Rating: R
Film Grade: B
The Story: After visiting a variety of sordid burlesque and peep shows, a well-dressed man makes his way home via the London subway, where he propositions a lone woman. She promptly declines his advances with a well-placed knee. A short time later a young couple stumble across that very man, now prone on the stairway. Retrieving help from a nearby constable, they return only to find that the body has vanished.
What appears to be a simple case of a drunk recovering and stumbling off turns into something else when he fails to show up to the office the following day. It turns out that there have been a number of missing persons reported in that area. Complicating things, the missing man is James Manfred, part of the Order of the British Empire, instantly escalating the stakes of the case. How can one explain the total disappearance of these seemingly disconnected people? There is that old story about a cave-in at the turn of the 19th century, leaving stranded workers, long presumed dead. There couldn’t be a any possible connection, could there?
My Take: With such a provocative title and lurid poster art, one might expect this to be a sleazy grindhouse flick. I’m happy to report that it’s no such thing, with the Death Line moniker being much more appropriate. While not devoid of some gruesome moments, the movie veers away from the tawdry. For example, Manfred is only seen leaving the various adult establishments, rather than spending any time leering at its lewd attractions. The painted montage of provocative figures on the cover is in no way part of the story. It’s simply not that kind of a film.
Instead, we get a procedural mystery with bizarre underpinnings that are uncovered by an assortment of characters, while the audience is let in early on the cause. Pieces are put together slowly, as the police find some unexpected opposition, and the young couple’s story comes back into play, giving the movie a different feel than a typical horror film.
The cast is dominated by Donald Pleasence and Hugh Armstrong. For those that know Pleasence from his more noteworthy genre parts such as Dr. Loomis, Blofeld, or President Harker you’re in for a real treat. He plays Inspector Calhoun in a playful, wry way, constantly teasing his underlings in a way that implies both familiarity and respect. He easily captures the audience’s attention with every moment on screen. This is tested in his sole scene with fellow legend Christopher Lee in an unexpectedly adversarial role that lies outside of the central conflict. It’s an example of where this movie adds some unexpected depth to the story in a way that lies outside of the far-flung premise.
That’s not the only strong performance, as Norman Rossington serves as a solid partner in the role of Detective Seargeant Rogers. The two men have a good understanding of the other, with a palpable sense of camaraderie that has matured over time. The young couple are portrayed by Sharon Gurney and David Ladd (brother of producer Alan Ladd Jr.) While Gurney brings a noteworthy amount of vibrance to her part, Ladd’s performance is much more subdued and equally less convincing in spots. It’s a pity that Gurney didn’t get more work after this, since there’s a real and grounded spark of energy when she’s on screen.
The other particularly strong actor here was Hugh Armstrong as The Man. He instills what could have been a simply monstrous part into something that has underlying flashes of humanity complicated by his lot in life. He managed to do something here that rightfully invites comparisons to Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein’s Monster. It’s not simple to make such a character sympathetic in any way, but he’s made it hard not to take pity on him.
Aiding all of this are the rich production elements. The movie was shot entirely on location, adding a sense of realism to the sets that feel authentic in every way. From the poster-lined subway platforms, to the depressing police rooms, to posh upper-crust residence of Manfred that conceals a seedy, secret life, to a grungy flat, every element feels natural. This again reenforces the dichotomy of ordinary from extraordinary that underpin the film.
Visuals: The transfer preserves the film’s grain, which varies from scene to scene, providing a very natural appearance. The noteworthy cinematography by Alex Thomson (Excalibur, Legend, Labyrinth, among many others) is particularly strong for a low-budget feature like this one. Using the locations to their best effect, he brings the perfect atmosphere to the various settings, giving scenes below the city streets a palpable sense of squaller, grime, and pestilence. Although filmed in Technicolor, colors are mostly subdued and muted, keeping in line with the tone of the film.
One of the visual highlights is an incredible tracking shot that slowly takes the audience through the underground lair. Done in the days before Steadicam was a thing, it’s a remarkable sequence for both the time and the genre.
Comparing the Blu-ray to the 4K discs, the differences aren’t stark. Grain is smaller on the 4K. The HDR adds some detail missing from the Blu-ray. An example is in the overhead light in a café, where the Blu-ray practically shows a single object, while the 4K has some delineation between the upper fixture and the side ballast. There’s more color definition to the 4K as well, noticeable in clothing detail. Still, it took a lot of checking back and forth to spot the differences; they’ve done an admirable job with both.
Audio: The original mono soundtrack has been remixed in Atmos for this release. The extra speakers are used sparingly, mostly for some directional cues and some ambiance. This won’t convince you that the film was made today but does expand the sound field in a way that doesn’t feel artificial.
The musical score, by the duo of Wil Malone and Jeremy Rose, has two distinct elements to it. The more conventional aspect kicks off with a sleazy, but catchy theme that accompanies Manfred as he leaves the various strip clubs, musically conveying the titillation that’s excluded from the screen. Contrasting with this, is a heavy synth section of the film that assaults the audience’s ears during some of the more disturbing sequences. There’s one other audio aspect that stands out, and that’s where dripping water and a heartbeat work together, creating an ethereal atmosphere to the underground refuge.
Much of the film is absent any score, helping to ground the fantastical elements to something nearer reality. Dialog is clear although some of the accents were occasionally thick to these American ears.
Special Features: I loved the extras included with this package! The first featurette is a fascinating remembrance of the production between the executive producers (who have both passed since the recording) and director Gary Sherman. It’s entertaining in the best of ways, dropping tidbits about preproduction (you’ll never guess who was in line to star as The Man at one point), and filming details (including some subterfuge that was used to get permission to film in the tube system). It’s a well-rounded discussion that really gives the viewer a sense of nostalgia for the time as told by the men that were there. The other two featurettes are also worth watching and the commentaries fill in some additional details. For anyone that enjoys the film, I highly recommend watching and listening to them.
Included in the extensive poster and still gallery is a particularly amusing page that offers suggestions of how theater owners might help promote the film, ranging from mildly odd to perfectly bizarre. I love that this was included as a bonus; it offers great insight as to how API approached marketing at the time.
- Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman, Producer Paul Maslansky, and Assistant Director Lewis More O’Ferrall
- NEW! Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
- Tales From the Tube – Interview with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman and Executive Producers Jay Kanter & Alan Ladd Jr.
- From The Depths – Interview with Star David Ladd and Producer Paul Maslansky
- Mind The Doors – Interview with Star Hugh Armstrong
- Trailers
- TV Spots
- Radio Spots
- Poster & Still Gallery
Final Verdict: There’s an interesting section in the discussion between Sherman, Kanter, and Ladd where they talk about how the rights for Death Line were sold to API just before they were ready to sign a deal with Paramount. That resulted in Death Line being shown in the U.K. while the film was recut for distribution in the U.S. and most of the remaining world, under the title Raw Meat. That sealed its fate for this side of the shore, with API’s focus on the seamier aspects. That was a disservice to both the movie and the audience. While the central theme falls under the general horror category, this is more fittingly described as a detective/mystery film with gruesome and creepy elements. Absent many real scares, it’s far from what was depicted on the advertising posters. Had it been sold to Paramount and not recut, it may have become more popular among a mainstream audience.
First time director, and cowriter, Gary Sherman put together an interesting story based on a historical fact grown into the most improbable outcome, but filled it with characters that were both interesting and relatable, while also adding an element of pathos that isn’t found in the majority most films of this ilk. A few scenes meander a bit too much, but that’s compensated for by the brief 87-minute run time. The real treat here is for fans of the great Donald Pleasence as he transforms would could have been a straightforward role into something surprisingly lively and amusing in contrast to the grim subject matter.
Considering that the movie was shot in just under three weeks and turned out this well is a testament to the talent involved. While the plot tends toward the pedestrian at times, the acting, production values, and witty dialog help elevate it above the average horror film. Highly recommended for fans of Pleasence. It’s a little harder to recommend to general viewers, but certainly worth watching for those that enjoy a mixture of mystery, monsters, and the macabre.
Seemingly Innocuous Quote: “Mind the doors!”
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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