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Short chat with Tim Burton -


What can horror fans can expect from Sweeney Todd?

Burton: The goal was to make a good, old horror movie. One of the things Johnny and I talked about was the good old horror movies and horror movie actors, like Peter Lorre or Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, the kind of acting style you don’t really see much anymore. This seemed like the right material to kind of do that, a real old horror movie.

In addition to the general challenges of adapting a stage production into a film, how are you handling the play’s humor/horror balance?

Burton: I tried to follow the same [format]. That’s what I loved about it, is that it had a mixture of horror and humor and emotion and sadness, beauty, that’s what I love about it so we tried to keep it all in there.

What are you working on next?

Burton: Just this [Sweeney Todd]. I’ve enjoyed making this and I’m going to try and savor it for awhile.

Your thoughts on the horror genre in general?

Burton: It’s always been around, it always will be around, it’s great. I grew up watching it, all forms of it so I’m a fan of pretty much all horror.

What keeps horror fans coming back for more?

Burton: It’s a catharsis. It lets it out of their system, it’s good.



SWEENEY TODD hits theaters everywhere December 21.