Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970)

A cleaver-wielding bridal designer murders various young brides-to-be in an attempt to unlock a repressed childhood trauma.

Director:

Mario Bava

Writer:

Santiago Moncada (screenplay)

Stars:

Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stephen Forsyth	...	John Harrington
Dagmar Lassander	...	Helen Wood
Laura Betti	...	Mildred Harrington
Jesús Puente	...	Inspector Russell (as Jesus Puente)
Femi Benussi	...	Alice Norton
Antonia Mas	...	Louise
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Vences (as Alan Collin)
Gérard Tichy	...	Dr. Kalleway (as Gerard Tichy)
Verónica Llimerá	...	Betsy Wester (as Veronica Llimera)
Pasquale Fortunato	...	John Harrington as a Boy (as Fortunato Pascuale)
Ignasi Abadal	...	Jimmy Kane (as José Ignacio Abadaz)
Silvia Lienas	...	Vicky
Montserrat Riba Vidal	...	Rosy Miller (as Monserrat Riba)

Storyline

The owner of a design house busies himself murdering the new brides who have modelled his bridal fashions. When he decides to murder his wife, she becomes the ghost that wouldn't leave.

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Plot Keywords:

serial murder | italian cinema | spanish cinema | human monster | spanish horror | 

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Taglines:

...Blood curdling!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Did You Know?

Trivia

The TV show that Harrington refers to in an attempt to fool Inspector Russell is a clip from Mario Bava's own Black Sabbath (1963) - specifically the "Wurdalak" sequence featuring Boris Karloff.

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Goofs

When a newspaper close-up is shown, with a report of a murder on a train on the front page, the French word for wife (Epouse) is misspelled.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mildred Harrington: John? John!
John Harrington: [shaving] Just a minute, Mildred.
John Harrington: [voice-over] My name is John Harrington. I'm 30 years old. I am a paranoiac. Hmph... "paranoiac". An enchanting word. So civilized, and full of possibilities. The truth is, I am completely mad... the realization which annoyed me at first, but is now amusing to me. Quite amusing. Nobody suspects I am a madman... a dangerous murderer. Not Mildred, my wife... nor the employees of my fashion center... nor, of course, my customers.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Fear, Panic & Censorship (2000)

User Reviews

Mario Bava, reinventing the giallo!

Man, I love Mario Bava's work! Every film I've seen of his is a pure masterpiece in my eyes and a complete cinematic ‘orgasm'! Hatchet for the Honeymoon is somewhat different compared to most of his other movies and perhaps even his most accessible film. Hatchet handles about a more common horror theme (namely a serial killer and his motivations) but in the very first place it is another Bava-omnibus of stylish direction, wonderful music, beautiful scenery and a unique, tense atmosphere. Bava never ceases to surprise me…I find it truly remarkable how this director is able to portray such ugly things (murder, insanity, aggression…) in an artistic way! Also, the film is far ahead of its time with the portrayal of a horrible murderer as a classy and intelligent businessman. Stephen Forsyth is brilliantly cast as John. He owns a fashion gallery in Paris, specialized in wedding dresses and there are a lot of models working for them. He urgently wants to divorce his wife because he despises her, but she won't let him. Like it's the most normal thing in the world, John confesses to the audience that he's a multiple murderer…' A woman should only live till her wedding day', he says, `love once and then die'! Forsyth was a genius choice to play John; he's handsome and extremely charismatic but also very frightening and morbid-looking at the same time. John is aware that he's sick, yet he can't control the urge to kill again. The second half of the film is even more brilliant, with a perfect image of a man stuck in a downwards spiral of insanity. Actually, what Bava does here, is single-handedly changing the rules of the giallo! The identity of the killer is exposed right from the beginning, yet there are numerous other aspects to discover about his personality…like what was the origin of his hunger for violence and misery?

Hatchet for the Honeymoon isn't the director best film (that honor goes to Black Sunday, without a doubt) but it still is a perfect score of 10 out of 10 in my book. I can only bring forward one negative aspect and that is – like usual – the annoying dubbing. Definitely also worth a mention: the beautiful female leads (and side-characters) in Hatchet. Dagmar Lassander is the stunning beauty that also appeared in Fulci's House by the Cemetary. Femi Bunissi plays another one of John's victims. I didn't know her, but she certainly is a gifted and gorgeous lady. Enter the world of Mario Bava as soon as possible! You won't regret it!!

Details

Country:

Spain Italy France

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

9 February 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Hatchet for the Honeymoon

Filming Locations:

Villa Parisi, Frascati, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pan Latina Films, Mercury Films, Películas Ibarra y Cía.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1