An interesting Dickinsonian melodrama with an evil man with a maniacal laugh in Sweeney Todd (Tod Slaughter). He has designs on a shipowner's (D.J. Williams) daughter (Eve Lister), but she is in love with the ship's Captain (Bruce Seton).Todd manages to get the shipowner in his debt and barters bankruptcy for his daughter's hand. But the owner will not barter.So Todd attempts to kill the Captain, who escapes with the help of Mrs Lovatt (Stella Rho), who is in love with Todd and jealous of his interest in Johanna (Lister).Mark (Seton) plans to trap Todd and get back his treasure. The climax involves murder, a fire, and the death of evil.Great story and good music throughout. The cannibalism is barely hinted at, and the famous razor action is never seen.

Slimy and deranged Fleet Street, London barber Sweeney Todd (a gloriously ripe and juicy serving of prime eye-rolling Victorian theatrical ham by Tod Slaughter) murders costumers for their money and valuables. His baker accomplice Mrs. Lovatt (a fine performance by Stella Rho) disposes of the bodies by turning them into meat pies. Complications ensue when Sweeney tries to get the lovely young Johanna Oakley (the fetching Eve Lister) to marry him, which doesn't meet with Mrs. Lovatt's approval. Director George King relates the engrossingly ghoulish story at a constant swift pace and does a nice job of evoking a flavorful 19th century period atmosphere. Moreover, the game cast sink their teeth into the macabre material with obvious relish: While Slaughter clearly dominates the show with his marvelously over-the-top portrayal of the demonic and depraved Sweeney, there are still bang-up supporting turns by John Singer as Sweeney's eager young apprentice Tobias Rag, Bruce Seton as likable working class sailor Mark Ingerstreet, D.J. Williams as Johanna's stern father Stephen Oakley, Davina Craig as cheery maid Nan, Jerry Verno as Mark's helpful friend Pearley, and Billy Holland as smarmy, blackmailing fence Mr. Parsons. Technically, this picture is a rinky-dink shambles, with rough cinematography, scratchy sound, primitive fade-outs, and a mushy string score, but Slaughter's delightfully devilish full-blooded histrionics and a most amusing sense of pitch-black gallows humor both ensure that this film is a great deal of wickedly enjoyable fun all the same.

In the Nineteenth Century, in London, the barber Sweeney Todd (Tod Slaughter) invites lonely and wealthy costumers in the port to his barbershop on the nearby Fleet Street and murders them to take their money, while his associate Mrs. Lovatt (Stella Rho) and owner of a bakery below is barbershop gets rid off the bodies. Sweeney uses his fortune to help the fleet owner Stephen Oakley (D.J. Williams) with the intention to force his daughter Joanna (Eve Lister) to marry him. However, the beloved Joanna's boyfriend Mark Ingerstreet (Bruce Seton) returns rich from his last voyage and Sweeney decides to kill him and steal his fortune in pearl, making Mrs. Lovatt jealous with the situation.The original "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a dark and macabre tale of greedy. It is funny to see only insinuation of cannibalism and that Mrs. Lovatt is the lover of Sweeney Todd. Pearly questioning how Sweeney Todd gets rid off the bodies of his victims while eating one of Mrs. Lovatt's pies is hilarious. Tod Slaughter performs a great villain, but the conclusion with Sweeney returning to the barbershop on fire to be defeated by Mark is weak. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Diabólico Barbeiro de Londres" ("The Diabolic Barber of London")

Was fortunate to get a copy of Sweeney Todd in a set of classic horror movies on DVD. Loved it! I think the meat pie contents were plainly implied. Old time movies left so much more to imagination. That way you could take the kids to the movies if you couldn't afford a baby sitter and the adult stuff just went over their heads. These types of movies are probably not to everyone's taste but for us fans, this one is tops. It just goes to show what can be done with small budgets and no technical effects. And just as an aside, has anyone noticed the resemblance Michael Palin (Monty Python Show) has to Tod Slaughter? I'm wondering if they are related to each other.