DOOMSDAY

One often wonders how certain movies played in theaters due to their cheapness. However, under the right circumstances, many made it to drive-ins and grindhouses for those who wanted a cheap thrill and were promised to see gore. Andy Milligan’s Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970) promised to deliver.

Bloodthirsty Butchers is based on the story of Sweeny Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street; a film under that title was released in the early 1930s (starring character actor Todd Slaughter). Todd, a barber shop owner, murders his customers, steals their jewelry, and turns the bodies over to his lover, the owner of a pastry shop. She disposes of the bodies by putting the parts in her meat pies.

Over-the-top acting, poor lighting, poor sound, and shaky camera work make for an unusual viewing experience. The gore is unconvincing, yet more plentiful than Milligan’s Man With Two Heads (1972). Fans will want to avoid the region one DVD by Video Kart (a double feature with Milligan’s The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972), which is trimmed of all gore, language and any course themes.

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