HallowScream - Sweeney Todd (2007)

            Hey guys, Chuck here, and it's officially that time of year again. Time for the spooky, the scary, the creepy, and the macabre. That's right, it's time, once again, for HallowScream. We've got quite a few spooky surprises and fun Halloween treats, not to mention the reviews of Disney's two newest Halloween treats: Hocus Pocus 2 and Marvel's Werewolf by Night. So, let's kick off this HallowScream with Tim Burton's 2007 slasher musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. 

        So, the movie introduces us to London based Barber Benjamin Barker, who fifteen years prior to the start of the film, was arrested and sentenced to prison on a bogus charge. Now, under the moniker of Sweeney Todd, he has returned to London to get his revenge on those who wronged him all those years ago. Upon returning to his home and place of business on Fleet Street, Todd meets his former neighbor Mrs. Lovett, whose fallen on hard times, because she makes easily the worst meat pies in London. Mrs. Lovett then proceeds to fill Todd in all of what happened after his imprisonment. Apparently, Judge Turpin, who was infatuated with Barker's wife Lucy, had Barker arrested to get him out of the way, and thus can make his move on her. Sending his lap dog Beadle Bamford to collect her, Judge Turpin had Lucy brought to his house during a masquerade party, where the Judge r*pes Lucy, causing her to go nuts and poison herself with arsenic. Some time later, the Judge took Barker's daughter, Johanna, as his ward. 

          Now with his goal set, Todd reopens his barber shop, reclaims his razors, and makes his plans for revenge. He starts by heading to a public square and beating local Italian barber Adolfo Pirelli in a shaving contest, judged by Bamford. Some time later, Pirelli and his assistant, a kid named Toby, arrive on Fleet Street, where Pirelli reveals his identity as Davy Collins, who once worked for Barker, and attempts to blackmail him for half his earnings. Todd then bludgeons Pirelli to death, and slits his throat. 

         I also need to mention a young sailor named Anthony Hope, who brought Todd into London at the start of the movie, and after seeing Johanna in the window of Judge Turpin's house is attracted to her, and wants to run away with her. Turpin, meanwhile, declares to Bamford of his intention to marry Johanna to keep her safe from the world. Bamford suggests he visit Todd's shop on Fleet Street. Back on Fleet Street, Todd reveals to Mrs. Lovett his reasons for killing Pirelli, and she decides to take in Toby, and have him work for her instead. Turpin arrives for a shave, and Todd agrees. Savoring the moment, Todd takes his time, and as he prepares to split Turpin's throat, Anthony walks in excitedly and reveals that Johanna agreed to run away with him. Turpin, furious, declares that no man will ever see Johanna again, and that he'll never return to Todd's barber shop. An enraged Todd kicks Anthony out, and begins to race about how he lost his chance at revenge. However, he begins to have an epiphany and declares his intention to kill everyone that comes into his barber shop for a shave. Mrs. Lovett adds further by suggesting that they take the corpses of Todd's victims and turn them into meat pies to sell to the public. 

           Turpin and Bamford, meanwhile, lock Johanna up in an asylum, and Anthony finds her there, where he poses as a wigmaker's apprentice to get in and save her. After several successful weeks of selling the meat pies, Mrs. Lovett is confronted by Bamford regarding a smell coming from her chimney. Todd takes Bamford upstairs, and kills him. Later, while Todd and Mrs. Lovett are searching for Toby, Johanna is left in Todd's barber shop, when a strange beggar woman (who's popped up throughout the movie) walks in looking for Bamford, forcing Johanna to hide in a trunk. Todd walks in on the beggar woman, who asks if she knows him, and he slits her throat before Turpin walks in looking for Johanna. Todd then offers him a shave while he waits for Johanna, and reveals that he is Benjamin Barker before killing him most brutally. He also nearly kills Johanna, but is drawn away by the screams of Mrs. Lovett. 

          In the bake house, Todd gets ready to toss the three dead bodies into the oven, when the firelight gives him a better look at the beggar woman, recognizing her as his wife Lucy, who Mrs. Lovett led him to believe was dead. Although, in her defense, she never said Lucy died, only that she poisoned herself. Realizing what's been happening, he then has one last dance with Mrs. Lovett before tossing her into the oven, killing her. Holding the dead remains of Lucy in his arms, Todd sits and let's Toby slit his throat with one of his razors, dying with his wife in his arms. 

        Okay, so Sweeney Todd is probably the darkest of any Tim Burton film, and that's probably to do with the source material, which is the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Sondheim. Speaking of which, yes this movie is a musical, and the songs are all performed pretty well by the actors, although it's pretty easy to tell who the better singers are in this movie. Easily my two favorite songs are "Epiphany" and "A Little Priest," which the latter comes right after the former. 

        The performances are really good, with three of the best, in my opinion, being Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford, and Sacha Baron Cohen as Pirelli. Both Jamie Campbell Bower and Jayne Wisener are decent as Anthony and Johanna, while Ed Sanders delivers a decent performance as Toby. However, the two most divisive performances are from Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett. Now, don't get me wrong, they're both fantastic actors and both do a terrific job in this movie. However, they definitely feel slightly out of their element here. That, and I feel Helena Bonham Carter definitely plays the role of Mrs. Lovett too damaged and not quite crazy enough. 

         As stated at the start of the film, the film is very dark, very much in the vein of Hammer Studios horror films, where the backgrounds were dark and grim, and the blood was bright and vibrant. Tim Burton shows that not only does he enjoy the Sweeney Todd musical, but he also is a genuine fan of the Hammer horror style, which he showcased previously in 1999's Sleepy Hollow. As for Sweeney Todd, I'm giving it a rating of 4.75/5. Definitely one that I enjoy, but it's not for everyone. 

         Well, anyway, this is Chuck signing off, and HallowScream is just getting started.