RAW MEAT tells the story of the
last living descendant of a group of workers who were trapped by a
cave-in while building England’s subway system in the 1890s.
They managed to survive for generations thanks to air pockets and a
diet consisting of the other other white meat, namely human
flesh.
As RAW MEAT begins, the last living
cannibal man (Hugh Armstrong) attacks a high-ranking British
official, but is interrupted before he can haul the unconscious body
back to his lair. Alex (David Ladd) and Sharon (Patricia
Wilson) spot the body, and despite Alex‘s protestations (he’s
from New York--they just walk over people like that all the time)
eventually get the police to investigate. While checking to see
if the unconscious man is a diabetic, Alex finds a card with the
man’s name and rank as a member of the O.B.E. Inspector
Calhoun (Donald Pleasance) questions the couple, seeing a chance for
prestige if he can solve the missing persons case of such an
important figure.
Things don’t go too well for the
cannibal man from here on. First, his mate dies, and the movie
does a good job of making the viewer feel empathy for him despite his
culinary habits. Then, he makes another attack, in the process
receiving a serious wound to the side of his head. Eventually
he sets out to find another mate, but despite feeling compassion for
this poor soul, Sharon is less than thrilled with the prospect of
moving in to his subterranean love nest. It’s up to her
insensitive boyfriend and the coppers to save her now.
What makes this film stand out are the
excellent performances and detail of characterization. Donald
Pleasance really excels here as the inspector, while Armstrong as the
cannibal really makes you empathize with his plight even as he repels
you. Even the young couple are more interesting than the typically
bland horror protagonists one tends to fine in movies of this ilk.
Also of note is the excellent camerawork by Alex Thomson.
There’s one long tracking shot that is not only an impressive
visual achievement, but also fills in a great deal of the back story
without any dialogue.
This well written and expertly shot
movie, originally titled DEATH LINE, was given a misleadingly lurid
title and poster (while paradoxically being shorn of a few moments of onscreen gore) before
being sent out on the exploitation circuit of the early seventies with
little fanfare by AIP. Thankfully the home video release from
MGM has restored this lost semi-classic to its uncut state. There
still isn't all that much gore, certainly not on the level that fans
of later cannibal movies like MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY would be
used to, but RAW MEAT doesn’t need to rely on the crutch of
splatter. Rather than the gorefest its name implies, it’s a
rare horror movie with both a brain and a heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We approve all legitimate comments. However, comments that include links to irrelevant commercial websites and/or websites dealing with illegal or inappropriate content will be marked as spam.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.