Synopsis
People have been disappearing from the Russell Square station of the London Underground.The attention of the police is only really drawn, however, when one of the vanished turns out tobe a man well-placed in the Ministry of Defence. Inspector Donald Pleasance (wonderfullycranky and rude) is on the job. Meanwhile, two university students are also caught up in themystery. The reason people have been going missing is because they are being kidnapped andeaten by the last…member of a cannibal tribe that has lived in an abandoned section of theUnderground for the best part of a century. Watch for an extraordinary camera movement thattakes in this man’s entire world. Interesting too is the fact that, dangerous and frightening as thecannibal is, his plight is also deeply tragic. By the end of the film, though you may fear him, youcan’t hate him.
Audio
Mono sound. The music — which has a great, grungy, sleazy riff — comes on loud ‘n’ proud,the lack of stereo even enhancing its sordid edge. Though generally clean, the soundtrack isn’tperfect. It is occasionally muzzy, and this is particularly true of the dialogue.
Video
The blacks are profound, and this is a film that takes place in the dark a good deal. The flipside is that some of the scenes are a bit murky. As well, the print tends to be grainy, and is quitesoft. All of this certainly could be blamed on the source material, and this is a low-budget filmfrom over thirty years ago. Still, be warned that you’re not going to get top-of-the-linesharpness.
Special Features
Nothing except the trailer. The menu is scored with that great opening credits theme.
Closing Thoughts
By turns witty and gruesome, and always intelligent, this is a fine debut from director GarySherman (who went on to direct Dead and Buried). If you have any kind of a soft spotfor cannibal movies, you owe it to yourself to check this out.
Special Features List
- Theatrical Trailer
