The diabolical barber from Fleet Street

In Victorian-era London, the barber Sweeney Todd, along with his sidekick Tobias Ragg, murders several people to get rich off them. The pretty Johanna Jeffrey works in the bakery of Mrs. Lovett unaware that the remains of corpses are packed in their meat pies in the cellar. When sailor Jarvis returns from a voyage to finally marry Johanna, he falls into the clutches of Sweeney....

Andy Milligan gives the fictional character of Sweeney Todd another spin with Bloodthirsty Butchers. Driven by greed and bloodthirst, the Victorian-era barber murders his unsuspecting customers to steal from them. The bodies are disposed of in the bakery of Mrs. Lovett who bakes meat pies from them. The story is skillfully directed by Milligan in his usual slightly amateurish way with mixed acting performances, bizarre dialogue and crude blood effects. A feast of bad taste. The female lead is Annabella Wood, who later makes a small appearance in Scream.... and Die! by José Ramón Larraz.

Longer director's cut released by Severin on Blu-ray

The film was first released by Code Red on Blu-ray on 29 November 2014. On 29 September 2021, Severin released The Dungeon Of Andy Milligan Collection, a box set containing 13 of his films. Severin had access to the 16mm negatives and so the set includes never-before-released extended versions of some of the films. This is also the case with Bloodthirsty Butchers. The Director's Cut shows a bit more in the sex and violence scenes than the Theatrical Version, where jump cuts occur in places due to the cuts. These are sometimes a bit difficult to recognize as such, as they could have been just as much due to Milligan's editing.

If you are interested in Andy Milligan's films, you should definitely get the box set by Severin. The box is very lovingly designed and many of the films are available in extended versions for the first time. The picture quality is excellent and the included book by Stephen Thrower rounds out the release nicely. The +/- $150 price tag on this is more than justified considering where the price range was for previous releases.

Picture Comparison:

Code Red Blu-ray:

Severin Blu-ray:

Runtimes:

Code Red Blu-ray: 78:40 min.
Severin Blu-ray: 79:40 min.

Comparison between the Theatrical Version (Code Red Blu-ray) and the Director's Cut (Severin Blu-ray).

[00:03:38][00:03:40]

The hand chopped off by Sweeney Todd can be seen for longer.

In the Theatrical Version, this creates a jump cut.

DC: 2 secs.


[00:03:48][00:03:52]

Sweeney continues to try to pull the ring off his finger.

The cut again leads to a jump cut in the Theatrical Version.

DC: 2 secs.


[00:17:33][00:17:39]

Jarvis and Johanna kiss for a longer time. Johanna pulls down his pants.

DC: 30 secs.


[00:26:38][00:27:14]

In the locker room, Sweeney is seen kissing Anna's breasts for longer.

DC: 1 sec.


[00:26:43][00:27:21]

Sweeney kisses Anna's body longer.

This makes for an unobtrusive jump cut in the Theatrical Version.

DC: 4 secs.


[00:32:47][00:33:29]

Sweeney lays on top of the unconscious Becky lying on the floor after ripping off her dress.

OV: 6 secs.


[00:41:58][00:42:46]

Tobias lifts John's freshly severed head upwards before tossing it aside.

In the Theatrical Version, a jump cut occurs again at this point.

DC: 5 secs.


[00:42:07][00:43:00]

Tobias is seen with the severed body parts of John. The camera begins to shake.

DC: 6 secs.


[00:56:38[00:57:36]

Tobias takes a longer look at his bloody hand with the intestines after killing Rosie with the knife.

DC: 6 secs.


[01:04:03][01:05:06]

After Sweeney stabs Anna, the Director's Cut shows him reaching down and taking her intestines in his hand.

Theatrical Version doesn't kick in until he looks to Fisk.

DC: 8 secs.


[01:12:27][01:13:37]

The Director's Cut shows the part of the arm cut off by Tobias before he throws it away.

In the Theatrical Version, the cut creates a jump cut.

DC: 1 sec.


[01:12:38][01:13:50]

Tobias chops the leg several times.

DC: 4 secs.


[01:12:43][01:13:58]

Tobias bites with relish into the pieces of meat Becky has cut off.

DC: 4 secs.


[01:18:22][01:19:40]

In the Theatrical Version, when the picture is black, the music continues at the end.

Theatrical Version: 18 sec.