Hatchet For a Honeymoon

Il Rosso Segno Della Follia

Hatchet For A Honeymoon

Italy 1969

D: Mario Bava

P: Manuel Caño for Pan Latina Films, Mercury Films & Peliculas Ibarra & Cia SA//St & Sc: Santiago Moncada//DP: Mario Bava//E: Soledad Lopez//M: Sante Romitelli//Art D: Jesus Herrero//Costumes: Jose Tresserra//Makeup: Elisa Aspach & Piero Mecaccia.

Cast: Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti, Jesus Puente, Femi Benussi, Antonio Mas, Alan Collins (Luciano Pigozzi), Gerard Tichy, Veronica Llimera, Fortunato Pascuale, Jose Ignacio Abadaz, Silvia Lienas, Monserrat Riba.

John Harrington has inherited his dress designing business from his mother. He is also a psychopath who has murdered 5 women on their wedding night. Each death allows him to relive a childhood trauma in more detail. He continues to kill until he meets Helen, a model at his shop. John's wife Mildred is a horrid shrew who won't give him a divorce, so he ends up murdering her too. Even after her death, Mildred continues to be seen by her friends as she haunts John and keeps her promise that she will never leave him. John only needs to kill one more woman to discover what it was he saw many years ago that has so affected him. Helen seems to be that final victim as the film reaches its haunting conclusion.

Often considered the runt of the litter when it comes to Mario Bava films, the problems can no doubt be traced to its Spanish production origins. Stephen Forsyth, who looks like John Phillip Law, plays the part of a guy who knows he's crazy but doesn't really care in a very effective manner. Because of Laura Betti's performance as the castrating bitch/wife so well, you almost feel sympathy for Forsythe and he's a killer! No doubt the reason for such fine performances is related to the script writer, Santiago Moncada. He was a prolific workhorse in the Spanish film industry writing screenplays for Jesus Franco, Javiar Bardem and many others.  Unlike most Giallli, the mystery relies not on who the killer is (that's revealed within the first five minutes), but why. Bava can't resist an in-joke or two (Forsyth is watching KILL BABY KILL on his TV set), but other than the effective cinematography, he's just going through the motions as far as direction goes.