Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd is a fictional villain/antihero. A barber and an early example of a fictional serial killer, the character appears in various English language works starting in the early-20th century. His weapon of choice is a straight razor, with which he cuts his victim's throats; in some versions of the story Mrs. Lovett, who is variously his lover, friend, and/or accomplice, and who is variously Marjorie, Sarah, Nellie, Shirley or Claudette, bakes the corpses of his victims into fruit filled pies. He is also assisted by an unwitting servant lad named Tobias Ragg, who later aids in unmasking his crimes. In most versions of the story, Sweeney either helps or hinders (sometimes both) the love affair of a young woman, Johanna and a sailor named Mark Ingesterie or, later, Anthony Hope.

In two books, the horror and crime story writer Peter Haining argues that Sweeney Todd was a historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims.

Todd's first appearance could have been in a British penny dreadful called The People's Periodical, in issue 7, dated November 21, 1846. The story in which he appeared was titled "The String of Pearls: A Romance," and was probably written by Thomas Prest, who created a number of other gruesome villains. He tended to base his horror stories on grains of truth, sometimes gaining inspiration from real crime reports in The Times.
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