The vengeful Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp, left) and his willing accomplice Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter, right) Credit: Paramount

Nobody but the magnificent Johnny Depp and longtime collaborator Tim Burton could launch a gory, gallows-humor horror musical at Holiday time and get away with it... with gusto!

In "Sweeney", based upon the award-winning Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd (Depp) who used to go by the name of Benjamin Barker (no relation to this reviewer) returns to London after years of false imprisonment in Australia by the lecherous judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) who sat Sweeney up in order to get his sleazy paws on Sweeny's wife and daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener). Now, Sweeney is determined to get Turpin into his barber chair and slit his throat! Of course, when Todd teams up with Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) who owns the meat pie shop below that very barber chair, the two go on a throat slicing-human meatpie baking rampage!

Can Johnny sing? Yes, and he's on key and delivers plenty of emotion through his baritone voice although not producing the lung power that some of the songs really need. Same, to a greater degree, with breathy Helena Bonham Carter as the "peoplepie" baker Mrs. Lovett. Oddly, the lack of Broadway-level song delivery makes the duo a good match so it all evens out. Angela Lansbury made the Broadway Mrs. Lovett much more comic and manic. Helena's version is quite terrifying in a quieter, mad-as-a-hatter way.