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Sweeny Todd. Overlooked, Unconventional Horror!

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a movie that I have rewatched on many occaons. I flat out love it. It is an incorporation of two of my fav genera: horror and mucal. Often times I think the true horror aspects that this movie oozes are overlooked, because of the fact that it is indeed a mucal. I'm not saying that it's entirely overlooked. I know a good amount of you Bidites have seen this film; whether you enjoyed it or not is another question. But for those of you who haven't, lets look at some details that make it a truly awesome horror flick. (If you plan on seeing this and haven't this might contain slight spoilers, but nothing to ruin the movie for you.)

The stylized gore in this flick is excellent. Throat slits are abound, stream after stream of blood is spewing from the victims necks throughout. I would honestly clasfy this as a slasher film. Sweeny Todd (formerly Benjamin Barker) lures his victims to his barber shop of horrors and gets down to the buness of hacking jugulars. He has a trademark weapon (old school shaving razor), and the killer carries the movie, just like a majority of slasher films. The entire reason that he is killing is because of revenge, which has been a motive in countless horror movies. The most overlooked aspect, however, is the direct cannibalism in the film. Sweeny Todd, along with his cohort Mrs. Lovett, butcher these people and bake them into meat pies for her struggling pie buness. They feed them to the masses, and people from all over come to enjoy some of those delectable pies. It's overshadowed in the movie by an almost comical muc number, but that screams horror right there! People are being cannibals without even knowing it!



This movie also got me thinking about the vulnerability one experiences at the barber, even in this day and age. You are tting in a chair with a barber wielding many sharp objects hoping that he/she cuts your hair and nothing else. So much trust is given to a stranger, and Todd takes advantage of that on numerous occaons in the film. That is scary to me, because of it's true life potential.

I love this movie, as I said, and that compelled me to write this "analys." It is worth a watch for any fan of horror, and if you already love it like I do, keep on enjoying! Don't like mucals? Don't worry. There is enough blood and horror to make it all worth while! http://youtu.be/96s-egL282w
darkdeepwoods16 Thursday 11/17/2011 at 08:31 PM | 87121
I watched this movie for the first time this past Halloween. Fantastic, awesome, bloody good fun! I was cynical heading in because I really thought this was just going to be a lament of his lost family and sad songs about it. But, yay, then the blood flowed and gushed and I was giddy! Showed off the talents of Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, such an awesome duo! My fav part is Sweeney dancing her into a fiery death. Two bloody thumbs up!
allycat2488 Friday 11/18/2011 at 10:35 AM | 87166
I saw it twice in the theater when it came out..Love it.
Moon Sunday 11/20/2011 at 04:15 AM | 87245