The disappointing career of Tim Burton makes an interesting trilogy of entries in the Horror/Thriller 1000. We started with Beetlejuice from the 80s, then saw Sleepy Hollow for the 90s and now The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in 2007, arguably the last film before Burton stopped trying. (Anyone wondering about the rest, there are 5 more titles, all outside the Top 1000.)
While doing press for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton admitted he focused on the look of the film and left it up to the Producers and Editor to find the story. I’ve seen two stage versions of Sweeney Todd, and while Burtons choices are sometimes jarring – how can you cut that incredible opening number? – with some thought I see how they make for an excellent cinematic adaptation of the stage musical. (That’s how.) He clearly directs the material and doesn’t just allow scenes to happen, and I applaud him for the lengthy sequence of sunshine fantasy before plunging into the shockingly destructive finale. Throughout, the overly-familiar Time Burton look is especially suited to the material, with some of his best Production Design, Costuming and Makeup.
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