Johnny Depp speaks about his daughter's illness as he and Helena Bonham Carter hit the red carpet

But thankfully, the European premiere of Sweeney Todd was much less bloodcurdling than the film itself.

The often scruffy Johnny Depp, who plays the title role of the murderous Fleet Street barber, turned up looking neat and tidy in a dark grey suit, thrilling the waiting hordes of female fans.

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Earlier, Depp had spoken for the first time about his daughter's life-threatening illness and revealed that the pain of the episode shows in his eyes in his astonishing performance in the new film.

Helena Bonham Carter, who plays the pie-maker who serves up the remains of Todd's victims, put on a particularly glamorous show.

Miss Bonham Carter, whose taste in fashion usually runs to shabby chic, chose a stunning Vivienne Westwood gown, in a shade to match the red carpet.

She appeared to have regained her pre-pregnancy figure, after giving birth to an as yet unnamed daughter last month.

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Warner Brothers pulled out all the stops for the premiere, spending a six-figure sum turning Leicester Square into a Victorian London back street.

Sweeney Todd, directed by Miss Bonham Carter's partner, Tim Burton, is proving to be worth the expense.

It has already garnered Golden Globe nominations for best actor, actress, director and picture.

The film, which has been tipped for Oscar success too since its opening in the US, also features the British actors Alan Rickman, Ali G creator Sacha Baron Cohen and Timothy Spall.

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Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is based on Stephen Sondheim's bloodthirsty musical, which won a Tony for Best Musical in 1979.

It depicts the murderous barber as a man bent on revenge, after being wrongly imprisoned on the other side of the world and losing his family.

Both Depp, 44, and Miss Bonham Carter, 41, sing in their roles.

Depp said that his face looks like a "rictus of pain" in the movie. He said: "Yeah, it's horrible. I can't watch it."

And he admits that the "awful scare", with his eight-year-old daughter Lily-Rose being rushed to hospital, affected his performance.

"You can't broom out your head," he said. "You certainly can't broom out your heart.

"And there's a hot wire between them, and everything shows in the eyes.

"So whatever you're feeling in your life, trying to avoid it is some kind of weird obstacle course that there's no way to win. So when it's there, it's there."

Despite the drama and the dark nature of the movie, Depp insists he had a wild time on set with director Tim Burton, Burton's actress partner Helena Bonham Carter, and Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen.

He appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine with a black shirt ripped open showing a tattoo of his daughter's name above his heart.

He told the magazine that "music will always be my first love" and he always assumed his future would be in a rock band.

"I never wanted to be an actor," he said. "It just seemed like a good way to make easy money.

"I didn't care what the movies were. If they're going to pay me, fine."

The film will opens to the public here on January 25.