Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (George King, 1936): U.K.

Reviewed by Kathleen Amboy. Viewed on DVD.

A man enters a barber shop in 1930’s England and as he is prepped for shaving, the barber tells the man a frightening story of Sweeney Todd:  The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Sweeney Todd is a vile and greedy barber, played deliciously to the hilt by none other than Tod Slaughter.  He seeks out his best customers on the docks as the tall ships come into port.  The men who have been out at sea and return home with their pockets full and their face grisly are easy targets for Sweeney, who promises to give them “a good polishing off” before they meet up with their sweethearts.

Once inside, the customer is encouraged to sit in the best barber chair.  When it is determined exactly what goods Sweeney’s prey carries with him, a secret lever is pulled from behind a curtain, dropping the victim down (head first) into the cellar below.  If the fall doesn’t break his neck,  it’s up to the demon barber to slit the man’s throat and rob him of his goods.

Sweeney is not without a heart, as he adopts Tobias Ragg a street urchin,  to train as a barber’s apprentice.   Sweeney generously hands him a penny to buy a meat pie from the bake shop next door, and then threatens to cut out his tongue if Tobias talks too much about what he sees.

Unbeknownst to Tobias, Sweeney is in cahoots with the merchant of the bake shop, Mrs. Lovett, and oblivious to the fact that the scrumptious meat pies are made from the  remains of the very same victims of Sweeney’s barber shop.

There is also a damsel in distress, her sweetheart (a potential victim), and the damsel’s father who accepts Sweeney’s ill-gotten money in exchange for a percentage of his business.

Tod Slaughter was a British actor who played various parts on the English stage before finding his niche as the evil villain in several films.  His Cheshire Cat grin is wonderful as he greedily wrings his hands and proclaims “the throats of my razor, so many have I polished off.” 

This film will make you think twice before consuming any meat pies!