Jeff and I belatedly celebrate the birthday of Ol’ Blood and Thunder, or Mr. Murder, Tod Slaughter in episode 94 of the Classic Horrors Club Podcast! Slaughter has been called a British Boris Karloff. Indeed he made a series of films in the 1930s as similar to each other as Karloff’s mad scientist movies were in the United States.
However, with his roots in the theater, Slaughter was a unique master of Victorian melodrama, perhaps best known for playing Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, both on stage and screen. He stops short of being a moustache-twirling villain, but never retreats from a maniacal laugh.
Let your hosts be your guide for which of Slaughter’s films are hits and which ones are misses. They may not be your cup of tea, but we encourage you to take a sip. Just don’t drink too much in one sitting.
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Next month on episode 95, it’s time to jump to the left…and then take a step to the right…as we do the time warp back to the 70s for two classic horror musicals. First, we’ll take a look at Phantom of the Paradise (1974) and see if we’re up to the challenge of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)! Join us for the late night, double feature, picture show!
We conclude this special five-part salute to the legendary Tod Slaughter with a look at two more of his films and the events leading up to his death.
The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936) starts off much the same way Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936) did by being set in modern times. However, this film opens at the BBC Radio studios with an odd sequence featuring Flotsam and Jetsam. This duo (Bentley Collingwood Hilliam and Malcom McEachern) were a musical act involving a piano and songs filled with social commentary. What they are doing in this film remains a mystery. I’m sure they were highly recognizable at the time but now, they are all but forgotten and serve no purpose in the story. We then are graced with the presence of Tod Slaughter, who is being interviewed by the radio announcer as he talks about his villainous acts in Maria Marten, or the Murder in the Red Barn (1935) and Sweeney Todd. From there, he begins to describe the details of his next film, which we are watching, and the story then finally begins.
Tod Slaughter plays the killer of the film, Stephen Hawke, and commits his first murder within moments of debuting on screen. He is mapping out a home with obvious plans to rob it. However, he is discovered by a young boy, whom he murders off screen. Hawke is known as “The Spine-Breaker” and is leaving a trail of death throughout Victorian England. In a change of pace from his other films, he is not out to marry a young girl as he is actually a father himself. He is still a money lender, as he often is in other films, but is also a crazier killer with no real motivation.
Upon being discovered by an employee, he is forced to kill the man and then leave town. With the dead man’s son hot on his trail, Hawke ultimately returns when, ironically, his own daughter is being forced into marrying an older man after the man discovers Hawke is “The Spine-Breaker”. The movie ends with a rather good climatic rooftop scene and interesting but non-relevant reveal at the end. Our final scene oddly returns to the BBC studio with Tod Slaughter leaving the now-sleeping radio announcer as he chuckles off screen. The Crimes of Stephen Hawke offers a different take on the familiar Tod Slaughter storylines. It is well-worth tracking down and, at less than 70 minutes, is an easy and enjoyable late-night flick.
In 1940, Slaughter was back to his killing and blackmailing ways in Crimes at the Dark House. In the opening moments of the story, Slaughter is a killer who murders Sir Percival Glyde in Australia and decides to assume his identity in order to inherit his England estate. The real Glyde had been gone so long that nobody remembers what he looked like. Once he has acquired the estate, the fake Glyde begins scheming to marry a rich heiress for her money while killing all who suspect he may be an imposter. The story is loosely based on the novel The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins and is actually one of Slaughter’s better and more cohesive stories. The usual elements are there but done well enough that they don’t seem too repetitive.
With the arrival of World War II, the British film industry went dark and Slaughter returned to the stage in such horrific roles as Jack the Ripper and Mr. Hyde. Once the war was over, he returned to the screen as Spring-Heeled Jack in The Curse of the Wraydons aka Strangler’s Morgue (1946) and in adaptation of Burke and Hare in The Greed of William Hart aka Horror Maniacs (1946). He continued to grace the stage as the film roles decreased, playing opposite a young Peter Cushing in The Gay Invalid as well as various early television appearances. He was still starring in a Maria Marten play when he fell ill and died of coronary thrombosis in 1956 at the age of 70.
Slaughter’s films were quickly forgotten and, most likely, would have remained that way were it not for film historian William K. Everson. Everson introduced many rare films through his screenings and the Theodore Huff Film Society. Everson’s original film notes are available online and highly recommended reading. As the video generation gave birth to an ever-increasing number of film buffs, Slaughter is slowly being rediscovered to this day. With the recent release of the Tod Slaughter box set by Indicator, I hope that an even greater number of horror fans seek it out to discover and enjoy Tod Slaughter on their own.
While Tod Slaughter will never be considered an equal to legends like Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi, his melodramatic horror films are certainly worth checking out. When the next rainy night leaves you searching for something to watch, do yourself a favor and discover Tod Slaughter.
A version of this article was originally published in February 2015.
Recommend Reading: Mr. Murder: The Life and Times of Tod Slaughter by Denis Meikle, Kip Xool & Doug Young is available from Hemlock Film.
The Criminal Acts of Tod Slaughter: Eight Blood-and-Thunder Entertainments, 1935-1940 is available on Blu-ray from Powerhouse Films.
Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror Release date: February 1938
Cast: George Curzon as Sexton Blake Tod Slaughter as Michael Larron Greta Gynt as Mademoiselle Julie Tony Sympson as Tinker
Based on the story The Mystery of Caversham Square by Pierre Quirole Screenplay by A.R. Rawlinson Directed by George King
Plot: Sexton Blake and his sidekick Tinker match wits with the criminal mastermind known as The Hooded Terror.
Richard’s Thoughts: This film stirs up the status quo a little with Tod Slaughter in a supporting role alongside George Curzon’s low-rent Sherlock Holmes wannabe, Sexton Blake. Slaughter does play the villain (of course) and is pining after Mademoiselle Julie (naturally). His character of Michael Larron aka The Hooded Terror, is essentially a Professor Moriarty-type arch rival to Sexton Blake.
Slaughter turns in his usually good scene-chewing performance. He just needed a more worthy hero to match wits with. Unfortunately, Sexton Blake isn’t quite it. I understand that Blake has his fans and is well-loved as an alternative to Sherlock Holmes. But in that comparison lies the problem for me. Here, he simply isn’t on the same level and his sidekick Tinker comes nowhere close to being as effective as Dr. Watson usually is. However, comparisons to Holmes were soon abandoned in his literary adventures. So, I can only assume the strong Holmes comparisons here are due to a conscious decision to do so from the director and screenwriter.
While Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror suffers because of that decision, in my opinion, I still enjoyed the film to a degree. But it is my least favorite of the Slaughters’ films from this time period. Yet, I would revisit this at some point in the future to see how my opinion might change over time.
Karla’s Thoughts: I struggled with this one because of the similarities between Sexton Blake and Sherlock Holmes. However, Sexton is definitely no Sherlock as he really didn’t figure anything out with his very low powers of deduction. The plot really was all over the place and I never really understood the Asian connection. Slaughter was good in his usual villain role but not his best performance. I did enjoy this one but I wouldn’t watch it again. I’d rather find a good Sherlock Holmes movie instead.
Trivia: The character of Sexton Blake was created by Harry Blyth in 1893 and has since appeared in more than 4,000 by over 200 different authors. He’s also appeared on stage, screen and radio.
This was George Curzon’s third and final appearance as Sexton Blake. His two previous films were Sexton Blake and the Mademoiselle (1935) and Sexton Blake and the Bearded Doctor (1935), both of which also featured Tony Sympson as Tinker.
As we continue our retrospective into the career of Tod Slaughter, our next two films have very similar themes with slightly more horrific storylines. Both contain murder and deceit as well as torture and a maniacal madman.
Our first film this week is It’s Never Too Late to Mend (1937). Tod Slaughter heads up the cast as Squire John Meadows. He is the justice in the village as well as the local prison administrator. While most in the village believe him to be a trustworthy and upstanding citizen, those within the prison walls know him to be cruel and sadistic. Our story begins as people are leaving church and the Squire immediately makes his evil intentions known. He has eyes for the lovely Susan Merton (Marjorie Taylor) but she is interested in poor George Fielding. Her father sees no future for her in marrying George but also resists the Squire’s intentions upon his daughter. However, when the Squire saves Susan’s father from financial ruin, he becomes indebted to the Squire and forces Susan to marry him. However, George has left the village in search of fame and fortune. Upon returning, the Squire begins to show his true colors and turns to bribery and theft to ensure George is penniless, leaving Susan with the only choice but to marry the Squire.
The real horror in this film centers on the prison scenes. It is there that the Squire is in his real element. Addressing the inmates as his children, he relishes in their torture. He forces men into solitary confinement via a cell that is completely cut off from the outside world. A poor boy is encased in a cage and tortured, his only crime being the theft of some bread for his starving mother. Slaughter clearly has the “conniving rich man bribing the father of the young girl” role mastered. However, seeing him as the evil prison administrator was refreshing. One wonders if Boris Karloff was channeling Slaughter when he filmed Bedlam some nine years later. There are definite similarities at times. At a brisk 65 minutes, It’s Never Too Late to Mendis entertaining despite its obvious low budget and overall staged presentation. You’ll also have to get past the somewhat heavy handed religious melodrama from the prison chaplain, but it’s worth sticking it out to the end.
In 1939, Slaughter starred in what is one of my personal favorite films of his that I’ve seen to date. In The Face at the Window, Slaughter stars as Chevalier Lucio de Gardo, a bank examiner who is investigating a robbery at a bank in Paris. There are some immediately recognizable themes as he shows interest in the lovely Cecile de Brisson (Marjorie Taylor). As usual, she loves another, this time being Lucien Cortier. Lucien works at the bank under her father. He is quickly framed for the robbery by Lucio de Gardo, who is actually behind the theft. The tale turns murderous as Cecile’s father is murdered by Lucio de Gardo, who has discovered that Lucien was framed. Meanwhile, a murderous wolf man is being seen through windows and a trail of death follows.
Slaughter isn’t quite as over-the-top here and I think this film stands out with better production values and a less conventional story. The horrific images of the wolf man are effective, if not a little low budget. The reveal comes quickly at the end of the film and offers up a surprising twist that is never even hinted at earlier in the story. Overall, I think this is one of Slaughter’s best efforts and is well worth a viewing, especially considering its brief running time and easy availability.
Next time, we conclude our five part series on Tod Slaughter with two more films and the twilight of his career.
A version of this article originally published in February 2015.
Recommend Reading: Mr. Murder: The Life and Times of Tod Slaughter by Denis Meikle, Kip Xool & Doug Young is available from Hemlock Film.
The Criminal Acts of Tod Slaughter: Eight Blood-and-Thunder Entertainments, 1935-1940 is available on Blu-ray from Powerhouse Films.
The Ticket of Leave Man Release date: October 1937
Cast: Tod Slaughter as The Tiger John Warwick as Robert Brierly Marjorie Taylor as May Edwards Frank Cochran as Melter Moss Robert Adair as Hackshaw
Based on the play by Tom Taylor Screenplay by A.R. Rawlinson & H.F. Maltby Directed by George King
Plot: A man is falsely accused of a series of murders that were really committed by the mysterious killer known as The Tiger.
Richard’s Thoughts: The key to enjoying a Tod Slaughter movie is to only watch one at a time. A marathon will only expose the secret to his success in the 30s as there was a standard formula that he rarely strayed from. Slaughter plays the villain and he’s usually tricking everyone into thinking he’s a good guy. That is except for the father of the woman he usually desires. The woman may understand his nefarious ulterior motives but more often than not, she also sees him as a benefactor who is helping either her and/or her father.
This film doesn’t stray too far from that basic plot but is unique in several plot points. It was the first film at the time to benefit from the solid working relationship Tod Slaughter had with director George King and his cast of familiars, which helps the movie seem a little more polished. Slaughter’s character of James Dalton, who has a nasty habit of gruesomely killing people, sets up a poor hick from the country for counterfeiting as part of a ploy to win the heart of young May Edwards. Dalton eventually establishes a fake Good Samaritan Help Society as a scheme to trick unfortunate people out of their money.
Of course, things never seem to work out for Slaughter’s characters in the end as he doesn’t get the girl and the good guys always seem to catch up to him one way or another. Had I not seen the similar story a few times already in the days that preceded this viewing, I would have enjoyed this film more. However, this is one of the more enjoyable films in this run for Slaughter. I simply recommend you watch it as a standalone film rather than as a part of a marathon.
Karla’s Thoughts: After watching numerous Tod Slaughter movies all in a row, there are strong similarities in this one compared to many others from the same time period. Slaughter is evil, running a con and killing people, all while pining after a girl. He always plays essentially the same character with slight plot differences. However, he does play crazy quite well. So, even with the similarities between films, I definitely enjoyed this one and, while I wouldn’t seek it out, I would watch it again.
Trivia: The term “ticket of leave” was given to those convicts who received early parole from prison. Unfortunately, it was viewed as a symbol of shamen and those identified as having a “ticket of leave” found work and lodging difficult to acquire.
The tale of Sweeney Todd is well-known, especially today thanks in large part to the recent stage productions and 2007 film starring Johnny Depp. However, the story is an old one that dates back to the Victorian penny dreadfuls circa 1846. In 1936, Tod Slaughter turned in what may very well be his best and most memorable performance in Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
In the original story, Sweeney Todd is a barber who kills off his victims by pulling a lever which causes the barber chair to fall backwards through a trap door into the basement, plunging the victims to their death. Todd races to the basement to finish them off by slicing their throats with his barber’s blade. Then, his partner-in-crime Mrs. Lovatt assists him in dispatching the bodies by cooking them into her meat pies and selling them to customers.
The story first appeared in an 18-chapter penny dreadful titled The String of Pearls: A Romance. It was quickly adapted into a melodrama for the stage. A wide variety of stage and printed versions have followed over the years with various alterations to story and location. Some sources claim that Sweeney Todd is based on a real character while others profess him to nothing more than an urban legend. In either case, it makes for a good story and, in 1936, Tod Slaughter brought the tale to life in what would be the third filmed adaptation albeit the first sound version.
The film begins in the then-present day 1936 as a man enters a barber shop and begins to hear the tale of Sweeney Todd after commenting about a picture on a wall. The barber tells the story of how Sweeney Todd did his evil deeds on that very spot. We then flash back to the 1800s as we see Slaughter bringing his usual maniacal laughter and melodramatic evil sneer to the role. He lures wealthy and unsuspecting travelers into his shop to rob and kill them with the help of Mrs. Lovatt (Stella Rho). He acquires the services of an orphan boy (his eighth and the local police are becoming suspicious) to help set the stage before he pays the boy to eat a meat pie at Lovatt’s shop, allowing him peace and quiet to do the evil deed.
Todd also desires to marry young Joanna Oakley (Eve Lister) but must blackmail her father into consenting. Her father owes money and the only way Todd will not send him to prison is to marry Joanna. However, Joanna is in love with Mark Ingerstreet (Bruce Seton), a sailor who must acquire wealth in order for Joanna’s father to accept him. The stage is now set for murder and robbery with Slaughter going over the edge in his quest for riches and love.
I really enjoyed this adaptation despite its obvious flaws through its limited budget. The sets are minimal yet we do have several interesting scenes involving hidden passageways and creepy cellars. There is an odd sequence involving island natives and Mark’s ship that, while establishing how he gets money and position, seems a little out of place from the rest of the film. However, the film moves along briskly and I think it’s definitely worth checking out. You’ll have to endure some cheesy framing sequences but the crazed Tod Slaughter really makes it fun and worth the investment.
Next time, part four of our retrospective offers up a double feature with It’s Never Too Late to Mend (1937) and Face at the Window (1939).
A version of this article originally published in February 2015.
Recommend Reading: Mr. Murder: The Life and Times of Tod Slaughter by Denis Meikle, Kip Xool & Doug Young is available from Hemlock Film.
The Criminal Acts of Tod Slaughter: Eight Blood-and-Thunder Entertainments, 1935-1940 is available on Blu-ray from Powerhouse Films.
Jeff and I have once again been invited back to join our friends Greg and Jenius on their podcast Nightmare Junkead as they celebrate Into the Mouth of March Madness!
In episode 436, we journey back to 1984 to discuss the films that made the bracket. But, what movies will we talking about? Will it be Nightmare on Elm Street or The Toxic Avenger? The Terminator or Gremlins? Which franchise will we be talking about? Will Freddy Krueger be alive in our dreams or an afterthought the morning after? You have to tune in to fine out!
As always, we want to thank Greg and Jenius for having us back. It really is one of the best times of the year. I’ve said it before, who needs basketball when you have Nightmare Junkhead and Into the Mouth of March Madness! Check it out and be sure to tell ’em Monster Movie Kid sent ya!
This week, we continue our look at the career of the little-known and under-appreciated horror star Tod Slaughter. As the 1930s arrived and film was transitioning to sound, Slaughter was beginning to age and transition as well. He had moved from leading man roles into villainous portrayals of Long John Silver and William Hare. “Mr. Murder” was establishing himself as the resident evil-doer on British stage when George King Productions decided it was time to bring some of Slaughter’s better known melodramatic performances to life.
In 1926, Tod Slaughter technically made his film debut as footage from a stage play was featured in an odd short subject entitled London After Dark. However, his true debut came at the age of 49 when he starred in Maria Marten, or the Murder in the Red Barn (1935), an adaption of a popular stage play based on real events from 1827. The Red Barn Murder happened in Polstead, Suffolk, England and concerned the murder of young Maria Marten and her lover William Corder. Maria was only 24 when she started a romance with the younger William Corder. She already had two children from previous relationships, scandalous at the time. Corder was a ladies man with a less than respectable reputation. Corder wanted to marry Marten after they had a child and he reportedly pressured her into marriage after claiming she was going to be prosecuted for having bastard children.
Telling Maria they needed to elope, he encouraged her to dress as a man to avoid suspicion and to meet him at the Red Barn at night to avoid the local authorities. She was never to be seen again. He claimed they were married but that she could not return due to the threat of prosecution. A series of other excuses followed for her disappearance and family members became suspicious. It was Maria’s stepmother who claimed to have a dream that her stepdaughter was murdered and buried in the Red Barn. Her body was eventually recovered with Corder’s green handkerchief still wrapped around her neck. Corder was arrested, placed on trial and found guilty. He was sentenced to death but didn’t confess to the murder until the noose was around his neck.
Over the years, the legendary murder became the subject of countless stage plays and film adaptations but the most well-known amongst horror fans is the 1935 film with Tod Slaughter. The film opens rather uniquely with a master of ceremonies introducing the cast on a stage as if we are getting ready to watch a play. What follows is an adaptation of the real murder with Slaughter playing an older version of Squire William Corder and Sophie Stewart as a more naïve Maria Marten. Here, Corder seduces Maria, who eventually becomes pregnant with her first and only child. Shaming her family and kicked out of the home by her stern father, Maria falls into the arms of Corder, who plots their elopement and her death. He is poised to marry into money and Maria will ruin his future. There is also Carlos the gypsy (Eric Portman) who is falsely accused of Maria’s death and who seeks redemption as he suspects Corder of Maria’s murder. Ultimately, it is Corder’s gun that gives him away as the murderer.
There are some truly effective horror scenes when Corder murders Maria and drags her body into her eventual grave. Then, we get treated to a grave digging scene as Corder is forced to unearth Maria to prove his innocence. While Maria Marten, or the Murder in the Red Barn may be dated in overall presentation, this low-budget surprise actually stands out as one of Tod Slaughter’s better performances. A wonderful start in what was an unfortunately short cinematic career. He is in full-blown hammy and over-dramatized form, making this a fun and quick late-night viewing at just under an hour.
Next week, we take a look at Tod Slaughter’s best-known film, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936).
When classic horror fans talk about their favorite star, names like Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi are immediately mentioned. You have others who enjoy legends like Vincent Price or Peter Cushing. However, one name that almost never gets an ounce of credit is Tod Slaughter. I’m sure many of you right now are wondering who this amusingly named actor was and what films he starred in. It’s time to correct that. Beginning today and over the next five weeks, let’s take a look at who the man was Tod Slaughter.
Tod Slaughter was an English actor born as Norman Carter Slaughter in 1885 in the era of Victorian melodramas. Yes, Slaughter was actually his real last name, not a Hollywood concoction. He didn’t adapt the first name of “Tod” until 1925 as it was more fitting of a leading man, which he had become at that point. He was the oldest of twelve children and even served with the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He was a genuinely distinguished and respected actor who served his country and entertained many during his stage and film career.
Considering that he didn’t do his first film until he reached 49 years of age in 1934, and that he ultimately only has 21 film credits to his name, it’s no wonder how he can get overlooked. Yet, all it takes is a viewing of one key film roles and you can’t help but enjoy his melodramatic over-the-top performance. He was the type of villain who would be twisting his mustache while kicking the poor widow out of her home and into the snow. While this type of villain is dated by today’s standards, it can be a lot of fun for true film historians.
Ironically, he didn’t start off playing the villain. After gracing the stage for the first time in 1905, he would move into the heroic leading man role for years. And when he wasn’t the lead, he was more often playing character roles but never the villain. He would earn a spot in the British theatrical history books for his contribution to stage in the mid-1920s for his work in South London, where he would revive several memorable melodramas including the now classic Sweeney Todd. He even played the lead role in Sherlock Holmes! But in 1931, his acting career took an important turn.
His first villainous roles would be that of Long John Silver in a production of Treasure Island. He then moved on to play William Hare in The Crimes of Burke and Hare. He had transitioned from leading man to villain, due in part to his aging physique. He was now able to pull off a more evil appearance necessary to convince the audience of his villainous intentions. He had earned the nickname of “Mr. Murder” but it was his starring role in Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street that made him a household name. He was in his late 40s, late by today’s standards, but he had found his true calling. His exaggerated expressions and gestures were common for such stage presentations but would they transition to film? The burgeoning British film industry thought so and sought him out. It was time for Tod Slaughter to come to the big screen. After all, he had a name destined for evil deeds.
Next week, we’ll follow his career as his cinematic journey begins with Maria Marten, or the Murder in the Red Barn (1935).
Monster Movie Kid 