'Mr. Murder' Unveiled: A Bloody Brilliant Dive into Tod Slaughter’s Villainous Legacy

Book cover artwork for Mr. Murder: The Life and Times of Tod Slaughter

“Didn’t I make you a promise, Maria? I promised to make you a bride. Don’t be afraid, Maria, You shall be a bride – a bride – of death!!”

Back in August of last year, I wrote an article which was very close to my blackened heart — Indicator’s release of a Tod Slaughter collection on Blu-ray (see article The Criminal Acts of Tod Slaughter: Eight Blood-and-Thunder Entertainments Coming to Blu-ray from Powerhouse Films) and in the article I mentioned a biography all about the monstrous villain himself.

Well, ladies, gentlemen, and fiends of all ages, here is a review of said book. Mr. Murder: The Life and Times of Tod Slaughter, I must point out that, as far as biographies go, is definitely one of the most researched and painstakingly put together volumes on any subject in films that I’ve come across. One thing which makes this one incredible is the number of pages taken from Norman Carter / aka Tod Slaughter’s unpublished memoirs, his humorous thoughts and memories on subjects as we read gleefully through the chapters. In fact, you can hear his thunderous voice reading the words out aloud to you.

So, who was Tod Slaughter? A name criminally forgotten for many years until late night TV brought him back for many, and quick chapters in books devoted to British horror cinema mentioned him to the new audiences. Of course, Tod’s films weren’t classed as horror movies, they were melodramas — blood and thunder pics with so much barn storming villainy and murders you quickly realise how close to horror they are.

Tod Slaughter played serial killers, mastermind criminals, and lecherous squires after girls young enough to be his daughters in so many movies through the ‘30s and ‘40s. Whilst the world of horror centred on the USA, these low budget nasties were causing equal amount of screams and laughs in the UK picture houses.

Of course, Tod Slaughter was used to such things. For many decades he was stomping the boards of theatres and music halls surprisingly as a hero mostly. It was only later in his career as a theatre actor that he fell into the roles he was born to play — Sweeney Todd, for one (which became a film starring him). The press named him, Mr. Murder, a name which he couldn’t shake off. Not that he really tried, for he relished the parts he played. The huge audiences adored his insane laughter and cackles which echoed around the auditoriums and packed-out houses.

Here lays the strength of Denis Meikle, Kip Xool, and Doug Young’s biography. It doesn’t just breeze past his days on the boards, great details are revealed. Tod’s high points running theatres and the fame which came to him — at one point his shows were running for months and bringing absolutely thousands upon thousands of blood thirsty crowds — and his times at the West End, to the penniless lows in his life.

Britain, before the oncoming storm which became known as cinema, was a haven of marvellous stage plays, a combination of comedy, thrillers, chillers, historic dramas, Grand Guignol, and so much more. Melodrama was the backbone of theatre; the boards were awash with blood and thunder. Norman Slaughter thrived in this hectic successful industry.

Little is mentioned of the stories told on stage around that time, aside from of course, Maria Marten, Sweeney Todd, and such, until now, but there were amazing sounding villains like Marcus Dread, the son of a whore who persuades a woman to inject herself with plague bacteria thus infecting all around her, and Riska Mallison — the Wrecker of Men, who ends up bloodily beheaded before the audience. There are umpteen plays and ghastly tales mentioned, actors and actresses who never made it to the screen so are given life again for this volume. Unlike his films which weren’t allowed to show the crimson stuff, his stage productions certainly did!

I could go on forever writing on these glorious years for they are so incredible showcasing the forgotten stories (hey, even an Egyptian mummy killing folks) but the point of this review is the films of Tod Slaughter. We read of his first major excursion into cinema (he had a small role in movie called London After Dark: The Flag Lieutenant from 1926) with Maria Marten, or The Murder in the Red Barn from 1934. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street followed a year later. From then on, the cinema going public were onslaught by The Crimes of Stephen Hawke, old theatre favourite, The Face at the Window, Crimes at the Dark House (see review Tod Slaughter’s Twisted Delight: A Gritty DVD Review of ‘Crimes at the Dark House‘), Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror (his best movies were in collaboration with director, George King) plus many more. Denis, Kip and Doug are honest, sometimes the films aren’t very good or lack the intensity we know Tod for (Sexton Blake for instance) but they were hits, paving the way for what was coming… Hammer Horror.

The Life and Times of Tod Slaughter covers his passing (after playing one of his most iconic roles, the murdering Willian Corder at the Hippodrome in 1956) and that of his wife a few years later, and it is mentioned how he missed the next phase of British blood and thunder, as Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Oliver Reed, and such, barnstormed the screens. Tod Slaughter would never know his influence, and how he kept the torches burning for the youngsters who took it all to the next level.

Norman Carter was one of a kind. He was an amazing and devoted actor, hard working, a kindly gentleman and a devoted husband.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I have been a fan of his films since a few were shown on UK TV back in the ‘90s. Until now, I’ve only been able to piece together small fragments of his life courtesy of other books and the internet, but this is something else all together. Along with Indicator’s box set (which also includes a neat extra on one of the discs showing him on stage) his moustache twisting cackling memory lives on for new audiences to squirm, laugh and smile over. It is amazing how much they got away with. Take for instance, Crimes at the Dark House, multiple killings (whilst laughing) from one of the sleaziest cretins of that era (he twice attempts to rape female characters as well).

If you wish to delve into his world for the first time, I would say feast your eyes on his unholy three — Crimes at the Dark House, The Face at the Window, and Sweeney Todd are definitely the first stepping stones.