Death Line(1972)
1972 · Gary Sherman · 87 min
When a government official disappears in the London tunnels, after several reports of missing people in the same location, Scotland Yard start to take the matter seriously, along with a couple who stumble into a victim by accident.
Horror
5.8135 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
3/5
Stays with you
How Death Line scares
Death Line spends most of its time creeping through dark, damp tunnels, building a grim, sad mood rather than chasing quick shocks. The horror comes from the idea of someone forgotten and left to rot underground, so there's a real sense of pity mixed in with the dread. It's grimy and slow, with bursts of ugly violence rather than constant action, and the ending leaves you feeling more unsettled and sorry than thrilled. This one's for people who like their horror slow, sad, and a little grubby rather than fun and jumpy.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Death Line rates psychological 3/5, visceral 3/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 3/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 3 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 15 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 90 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 60 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, melancholy simmer through most of its runtime that only tightens into real intensity in its last stretches.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3.
How scary is Death Line?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Death Line rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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