Rent The Criminal Acts of Tod Slaughter (1940)
3.0 of 5 from 47 ratings
9h 5min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
The terrifying talents of Newcastle's Norman Carter 'Tod' Slaughter - the first true icon of British horror cinema - are showcased in this long-overdue set. Featuring the eight films which 'Europe's Horror Man' made in collaboration with British producer-director George King (Tomorrow We Live), this comprehensive collection also includes a number of rare shorts and newsreel items. Unlike his contemporaries, such as Boris Karloff and Charles Laughton, Tod Slaughter never left his native shores. Instead, he chose to make his mark in Britain by transferring his most sensational theatrical performances to the screen. Portraying every kind of cruel and cunning criminal - from petty thief to mass murderer - he became the first great villain of British horror, at a time before the Grand Guignol of Hammer Films began to take hold, without once donning monster make-up. Criminally overlooked by film historians, and only previously seen in compromised versions, these fascinating films have been newly restored using original film materials preserved at the BFI National Archive, and are accompanied by an array of essential contextualising extras, including archival short films and radio plays presented with optional soundtracks by British music legends Current 93, newly recorded commentaries, critical appreciations and personal recollections... - Actors:
- Tod Slaughter, Marjorie Taylor, D.J. Williams, Eric Portman, Graham Soutten, Gerald Barry, George M. Slater, Charles Penrose, Norman Pierce, Flotsam and Jetsam, B.C. Hilliam, Malcolm 'Mr. Jetsam' McEachern, Cecil Bevan, Annie Esmond, Jack Sharp, Harry Terry, Ben Williams, Sophie Stewart, Clare Greet, Gerard Tyrrell
- Directors:
- George King, Milton Rosmer, David MacDonald
- Producers:
- George King, Odette King
- Writers:
- Jack Celestin, Frederick Hayward, H.F. Maltby, Randall Faye, George Dibdin-Pitt, Tod Slaughter, Paul White, Charles Reade, A.R. Rawlinson, Tom Taylor, Pierre Quiroule, Brooke Warren, Wilkie Collins, Edward Dryhurst
- Aka:
- The Criminal Acts of Tod Slaughter: Eight Blood-and-Thunder Entertainments, 1935-1940
- Studio:
- Powerhouse Films
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Thrillers
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 20/11/2023
- Run Time:
- 546 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.37:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Audio commentaries with Josephine Botting and Vic Pratt on 'Maria Marten', Stephen Jones and Kim Newman on 'Sweeney Todd' and Sexton Blake, David McGillivray and Kim Newman on 'The Crimes of Stephen Hawke', Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby on 'It's Never Too Late to Mend', 'The Face at the Window' and 'Crimes at the Dark House', and Josephine Botting and Dave Thomas on 'The Ticket of Leave Man' (2023)
- Interviews with family members Giles and Imogen Slaughter (2023)
- Interview with artist and illustrator Ania Goszczyriska and Current 93 channeller and trance scribbler David Tibet (2023)
- Interview with author and musician Stephen Thrower (2023)
- Video essay on the Tod Slaughter repertory company (2023)
- Original audio-play recordings of 'Maria Marten' and 'Sweeney Todd' (1932) by Slaughter, presented with new, optional alternative Current 93 scores
- Short films: London After Dark (1926), presented with new, optional Current 93 score, Tod Slaughter at Home (1936), Pots of Plots (1938), Bothered by a Beard (1946), and Puzzle Corner No. 14 (1954)
- Image galleries
- UK Blu-ray premiere of 'The Face at the Window' and world Blu-ray premieres of all remaining features and shorts
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the following films:
- Maria Marten, or The Murder in the Red Barn (1935)
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936)
- Special Features - Disc 2:
- This disc includes the following films:
- The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936)
- It's Never Too Late to Mend (1937)
- Special Features - Disc 3:
- This disc includes the following films:
- The Ticket of Leave Man (1937)
- Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror (1938)
- Special Features - Disc 4:
- This disc includes the following films:
- The Face at the Window (1939)
- Crimes at the Dark House (1940)
- Special Features
