Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

In 1936, a barber begins telling a patron the story of Sweeney Todd, framing the rest of the film as his tale. The audience is drawn into a grim account of murder, greed, and revenge. The barber's storytelling signals that the events to come may read as entertainment and warning alike.

In 1836, Sweeney Todd runs a barber shop near the London docks and eyes Johanna Oakley, the daughter of Governor Oakley, while courting the wealth he desires through her family connections. He also takes on an orphaned apprentice, Tobias Ragg, to help run the shop. Todd's ambitions set him on a path of opportunistic murder and profit.

Todd lures wealthy customers from the docks into his barbershop and activates a mechanism that dumps them head-first into a basement. Mrs. Lovatt, who runs a meat pie shop with a large cellar connected to Todd's, disposes of the bodies for a share of the stolen money. As Todd grows bolder, Lovatt becomes increasingly annoyed at taking less than her due.

The Golden Hope returns to London with Mark Ingerstreet newly wealthy, making him a potential target for Todd's schemes. Todd lures Mark into his barbershop, hoping to profit again. Mrs. Lovatt secretly hides Mark in a cupboard, and Todd is surprised when the body seems to be missing; Lovatt later helps Mark escape.

Mark, disguised as a wealthy patron, returns to the shop to confront Todd and try to expose him. He has Tobias tell Johanna where he is, triggering a dangerous confrontation. Todd fails to recognize Mark, while Mark plots a plan to free Johanna.

Pearley secretly sneaks into Lovatt's cellar to aid Mark's escape. When Todd prepares to shave a new customer, Mark braces himself in the chair, anticipating another murder. Pearley helps Mark down the same escape route as before, and they flee together.

Todd reacts with fury when another victim seems to have escaped, accusing Mrs. Lovatt of letting Mark go. He begins gathering his stolen goods and stacking hay and furniture in the basement to prepare for a desperate flight. The mounting tension signals the collapse of his black-market empire.

Johanna comes to Todd's door worried about Mark's fate, but Todd knocks her unconscious and traps her in a closet. He then sets the building on fire and leaves, intending to destroy the evidence and escape the blaze. The shop burns as chaos erupts around them.

Nan informs Mark and Pearley that Johanna has gone to Todd's shop, prompting a fast rescue attempt as the barbershop burns. Mark goes inside to save Johanna and confronts Todd, ultimately knocking the killer unconscious. On the street, Johanna and Mark share a kiss as the flames roar behind them.

The burning cellar proves deadly for Todd as the chair mechanism finally seals his fate. He is flipped into the fiery basement, extinguished by the blaze. The movie returns to 1936 after his fall, leaving behind the wreckage of his crime-riddled empire.

The frame returns to 1936, and the barber's terrifying story ends with the terrified patron fleeing the shop, still wearing shaving cream on his face. The legend of Sweeney Todd lingers as a cautionary tale told within a larger frame. The audience is left with the sense that some monsters from the past never fully disappear.