Rating: 
Summary: Gripping and frightening
Review: Italian director Mario Bava (1914-1980) is one of the giants of the horror film genre. His films, no matter what the plot, always promised great style mixed with scenes of murder and mayhem. Bava's big break into the industry came with his 1960 black and white classic "Black Sunday" starring fan favorite Barbara Steele. This was only the beginning, as Bava churned out a series of gruesome shockers over the next seventeen years. Perhaps Mario's biggest contribution to the horror field was his 1972 picture "Twitch of the Death Nerve," also known as "Bay of Blood." It doesn't take too long to realize "Friday the 13th" shamelessly cribbed from Bava's bloodbath. The director's inventiveness goes far beyond hacking up a few unfortunate souls, however, as "Hatchet for the Honeymoon" shows. This is a relatively bloodless movie that attempts to rework the always entertaining Italian giallo formula, a movie that is a wildly inventive jaunt into the inner recesses of a mind twisted by insanity. Mario Bava is no longer with us, much to my regret, but the Bava legacy continues with son Lamberto, one of the guiding lights behind "Demons," an instant cult favorite with gorehounds worldwide.
I've seen quite a few Bava films at this point, and I have to say I think "Hatchet for the Honeymoon" one of his best. It's the story of John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth), a successful designer of female wedding apparel who suffers from two big problems. First, Harrington himself is the first to admit he's completely insane. An incident in his childhood involving a shadowy memory of echoing footsteps on a staircase and the gruesome murder of his mother haunts him. In order to discover the identity of the culprit behind this infernal crime Harrington decides he must murder woman with a small hatchet, a rather unpleasant situation all around. Each murder uncovers a bit more of the memory, and as Harrington ups his body count he comes closer and closer to revealing the identity of the person who took his mother's life. Second, and probably the biggest immediate problem, is his wife Mildred (Laura Betti). Theirs is a loveless marriage held together by Mildred's threats to leave and take her money with her, money that revived John's faltering business. Mildred also suspects John of infidelity, although she doesn't know anything about his true motivations for picking up women.
How crazy is John Harrington? Quite crazy. Every time he dispatches a victim, Inspector Russell (Jesus Puente) shows up at the house to ask a lot of pointed questions. It becomes clear rather quickly that this cop knows Harrington is behind the disappearances, but can't do anything for a lack a proof. But the good inspector doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Harrington's increasing insanity. What really sends our man over the edge, what really makes us aware of how far gone this guy really is, occurs when he decides he can no longer abide the presence of his wife Mildred. In a chilling scene that will probably stay with me long after the rest of the film fades away, John dons a wedding veil, along with some lipstick, and chases his dearly beloved down with the aforementioned hatchet. And wouldn't you know it? Russell happens to show up right after the conclusion of the dastardly deed. Harrington escapes through mere luck only to discover his crime has the sort of lasting consequences he never intended. And as John pursues his final victim, model Helen Wood (Dagmar Lassander), he finally learns whose footsteps he heard padding up that staircase, and who it was that killed his mother.
I absolutely adored "Hatchet for the Honeymoon." Everything worked like a charm to create a truly creepy, atmospheric horror film. Stephen Forsyth is great as the massively unhinged Harrington. Here's a guy who is a successful, good looking, cultured chap on the surface, but inside he's gone stark raving mad. It's to the actor's credit that he manages to convey all of these divergent traits at the same time. What really makes the film a winner is the style. Bava effectively uses flashbacks, lighting, camera tricks, and set pieces to craft a truly frightening film. The somber environment of Harrington's house, replete with a special little room full of mannequins wearing wedding gowns, serves as the centerpiece for most of the unfolding madness. Those flashbacks, with the booming footsteps and screaming woman, send chills down your spine even as you figure out exactly what happened to Harrington's mother long before the final denouement. The best stylistic element of the film is the clangy, driving score. It's haunting and creepy without going over the top. Bava fortunately doesn't overuse his background music, something that I cannot say for many of the other Italian horror masters.
Sadly, the mediocre picture and audio quality on the DVD nearly upset the effect of the film. There is no excuse for such a pedestrian transfer to disc; I know for a fact there are thousands of Bava fans out there that would willingly pay good money for a better quality DVD. The shoddy treatment afforded "Hatchet for the Honeymoon" recalls unpleasant memories of the audio problems on "The Twitch of the Death Nerve" disc, although it is unfair to say this DVD is as bad as that one. Extras on this disc include stills and a Mario Bava biography and filmography. "Hatchet for the Honeymoon" is now my favorite Bava film, and that's saying a lot. I hope a decent DVD arrives in the near future. If you want to explore the world of Bava, this is a great place to start.
Rating: 
Summary: Hatchets & Lingerie & Wedding Veils, OH MY!
Review: Mario Bava's Hatchet For The Honeymoon tells the story of a unhappily married, very disturbed, young wedding dress & lingerie designer with a "killer" Oedipus complex, not to mention a MAJOR SEXUAL fetish for women mannequins, wearing wedding veils, & hacking up young brides with a smallish meat cleaver. Let alone his passion for his toy train set & his boyhood bedroom, untouched all these years. The young man is COMPELLED to keep killing so that he may recollect what terrible and horrible things happened to him while a young boy. Great flashback scenes while the main character is a tad stuck in his childhood throughout the movie. That is precisely WHY you feel compassion for the killer. The BEST part of this film isn't really the plot nor the acting although they are fine and stand on their individual merits alone. However, it is the directing & cinematograpy that really stands out in this gem! The movie is highly vivid and shot in a beautiful, fluid, cinematic style while systematically building the eventual outcome and great ending of the film. If you like Bava's work or just like Italian horror in general, you will be pleased with this film. Happy Watching!
Rating:
Summary: Bava doing what he does best in a low-budget classic
Review: The incredible atmosphere! The music! The exquisitely beautiful European actress! Yes, this delectable little giallo film comes from the grand master of the art, director Mario Bava. Hatchet For the Honeymoon may not be Bava's best film, but it is definitely worth watching. You just won't find movies like this made in America; European films such as this just have a look and feel all their own, and I for one can't get enough of it. Unhappy with the problems a big budget brought to his previous film, Bava went out and made this relatively low-budget giallo gem of a film. You won't see any blood and gore here, as the killings take place off-camera for the most part, but you will get a double whammy of good old insanity and the always-welcome ghost. John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth) has some issues; he freely admits in the opening narration that he is quite mad. His favorite hobby is killing brides on their wedding nights, but of course no one suspects that he is anything other than perfectly sane. Even after a certain policeman starts insinuating himself into his life, Harrington plays it pretty cool. The fact that many of the dead brides were killed in dresses Harrington designed and sold does seem a little suspicious to the cops, of course. As for why Harrington feels compelled to murder young brides, the source of the problem goes back to his childhood and a painful memory he has blocked out of his mind; each time he kills, he gets a little closer to finding out the truth locked inside his brain. You do have to feel sorry for the poor fellow in a way because he is trapped in a loveless marriage with a vindictive battle axe of a woman who refuses to divorce him; his wife Mildred (Laura Betti) insists that she will always be there by his side, and she really does mean it. Dagmar Lassander makes a great film even better, helping us get inside the mind of a madman while simultaneously allowing us to bask in the glory of her beauty. The movie sort of reshapes itself halfway through, stepping things up a notch to an even more enjoyable level, and the ending, while not exactly unpredictable, is pulled off very well. I don't know what it is about Bava films, but I love everything about them. The distinctive music is just addictive to my ears, and Bava knows how to shoot scenes in the most interesting ways possible. There are some wondrous transitions between scenes, all sorts of awkward and slightly disturbing camera angles, and even the special effects, what few there are, come out feeling just right. Hatchet For the Honeymoon is basically a psychological film taking us into the disturbed mind of a madman; Harrington could be any man you see walking the street, a rabid wolf in sheep's (or in one case a bride's) clothing. Honestly, Bava was a genius; you could take away all of the dialogue in the film yet still follow events fairly closely thanks to some solid acting performances, the superb cinematography, and that ever-so-important music. If you are curious about giallo or European horror in general, this film makes for a great introduction to the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Bava doing what he does best in a low-budget classic
Review: The incredible atmosphere! The music! The exquisitely beautiful European actress! Yes, this delectable little giallo film comes from the grand master of the art, director Mario Bava. Hatchet For the Honeymoon may not be Bava's best film, but it is definitely worth watching. You just won't find movies like this made in America; European films such as this just have a look and feel all their own, and I for one can't get enough of it. Unhappy with the problems a big budget brought to his previous film, Bava went out and made this relatively low-budget giallo gem of a film. You won't see any blood and gore here, as the killings take place off-camera for the most part, but you will get a double whammy of good old insanity and the always-welcome ghost. John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth) has some issues; he freely admits in the opening narration that he is quite mad. His favorite hobby is killing brides on their wedding nights, but of course no one suspects that he is anything other than perfectly sane. Even after a certain policeman starts insinuating himself into his life, Harrington plays it pretty cool. The fact that many of the dead brides were killed in dresses Harrington designed and sold does seem a little suspicious to the cops, of course. As for why Harrington feels compelled to murder young brides, the source of the problem goes back to his childhood and a painful memory he has blocked out of his mind; each time he kills, he gets a little closer to finding out the truth locked inside his brain. You do have to feel sorry for the poor fellow in a way because he is trapped in a loveless marriage with a vindictive battle axe of a woman who refuses to divorce him; his wife Mildred (Laura Betti) insists that she will always be there by his side, and she really does mean it. Dagmar Lassander makes a great film even better, helping us get inside the mind of a madman while simultaneously allowing us to bask in the glory of her beauty. The movie sort of reshapes itself halfway through, stepping things up a notch to an even more enjoyable level, and the ending, while not exactly unpredictable, is pulled off very well. I don't know what it is about Bava films, but I love everything about them. The distinctive music is just addictive to my ears, and Bava knows how to shoot scenes in the most interesting ways possible. There are some wondrous transitions between scenes, all sorts of awkward and slightly disturbing camera angles, and even the special effects, what few there are, come out feeling just right. Hatchet For the Honeymoon is basically a psychological film taking us into the disturbed mind of a madman; Harrington could be any man you see walking the street, a rabid wolf in sheep's (or in one case a bride's) clothing. Honestly, Bava was a genius; you could take away all of the dialogue in the film yet still follow events fairly closely thanks to some solid acting performances, the superb cinematography, and that ever-so-important music. If you are curious about giallo or European horror in general, this film makes for a great introduction to the genre.
Rating:
Summary: THE JEALOUS KIND
Review: There are naturally two possible ways to apprehend italian director Mario Bava's 1969 HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON. If you consider cinema only as a saturday night distraction or as Michaël Bay's private territory, this movie is not for you. Firstly, the movie is an old movie. In colour yes but the Image DVD is deceiving, the master hasn't been cleaned at all. Then, not ONE of the special effects has been treated by computer. The actors are dressed in strange green, yellow or sky-blue clothes, they look as if they had popped out of a 1970 movie. In short, HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON is not in. On the contrary, if you have a curious mind, if Hollywood hasn't succeeded with you in its global attempt to suppress every ounce of intellectual rebellion among the movie audience, Mario Bava's film will certainly have a very special place on the shelves of your library. You will be delighted to discover Laura Betti - the intellectual actress by excellence - as Mildred Harrington, the wife of John Harrington, HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON's hero and madman, played by the canadian actor John Forsythe. John Harrington is mad and is not afraid to admit it during the first three minutes of the movie. So, the film is not an authentic "giallo" after all. Is the movie a psychological thriller - à la Hitchcock - with his main character dressed as a wedding bride and running after his wife with a hatchet in the hand ? Or is HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON an homage to Edgar Allan Poe's strange novelettes with its ghost invisible for the hero but visible for the other characters ? Who cares if it's impossible to classify this movie ? The important is that the images of HATCHET OF THE HONEYMOON will provide you 90 minutes of sheer cinematographical entertainment. They will remind you that cinema is not only a matter of over US$ 50 millions budget. Mario Bava often directed his movies with peanuts, his actors weren't paid a lot if they ever get paid but the result is outstanding. A movie which is not seen is a dead movie. So buy this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Psycho with an axe !
Review: This film has a similar mood as a whole compared with Alfred Hitchcock¡¯s ¡°Psycho¡±. First of all, main character of this film, John, he commits murder because he cannot get out of his wife¡¯s spirit. In this film, when John commits murder, he always wears a wedding dress. It is similar to ¡°Psycho¡±, when murderer commits murder, he wear a mother¡¯s cloth. Anyway, two of murderer is not normal they have an abnormal mentality. Most of thriller movies like these, usually as if these characters appear. Whatever the reason, the mood of this film is excellent. It is supposed to be a film with good background music and mood. Mario Bava, one of a great horror director, his films has a unique style. This film also is a one of his stylish films.
Rating:
Summary: a true budget gem!!! from the maestro of maestro's
Review: this is a classic low budget gem from the true giallo master mario bava.im not going to give any of the movie away i will just say that i really love this movie its nowhere near his best but the bottom line is mario bava at his worst is better than 85% of anyone else at there best.its a spooky little creature of a movie and there are just some absolutley awsome artistic scenes and some great camera work for what they had.top dog low budget mario bava!! if your a true horror fan im sure you will enjoy, and welcome to the world of giallo!!if your already a fan of this genre its a no brainer for sure!!! hurry up and get this dvd, it comes out looking pretty good for its age and budget, and because you never know how long an obscure gem like this will stay on the shelves!!! GET IT!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Totally psychotic
Review: Totally psychotic Wedding Dress designer kills his models to 'find himself', but his horrible wife has her own willpower to wield. Bava's direction parallels the edge of John's insatiable drive to Kill, an assaultive film experience. Low budget. Horrible sound, so play it loud! (6/7)
Rating:
Summary: Flawed but still interesting
Review: While by no means the best Bava movie(my vote is for Black Sabbath) nor the worst(Lisa and the Devil) Hachet for the Honeymoon is an essential purchase or at least viewing for fans of his. Its about a wealthy fashion designer who feels he must commit murder to regain a supressed memory of who killed his mother on her wedding night. Bava also bings some style into the mix(the 1st murder, the victim's face reflected in the hatchet blade, and the persistant ghost). However, being that Hatchet is baddly dated, a predictable ending, and slow first half really mar interest for one of Bava's more underrated works. Gore hounds should look elsewhere as well because Hatchet is PG rated. The dvd transfer is average and not very special.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed but still interesting
Review: While by no means the best Bava movie(my vote is for Black Sabbath) nor the worst(Lisa and the Devil) Hachet for the Honeymoon is an essential purchase or at least viewing for fans of his. Its about a wealthy fashion designer who feels he must commit murder to regain a supressed memory of who killed his mother on her wedding night. Bava also bings some style into the mix(the 1st murder, the victim's face reflected in the hatchet blade, and the persistant ghost). However, being that Hatchet is baddly dated, a predictable ending, and slow first half really mar interest for one of Bava's more underrated works. Gore hounds should look elsewhere as well because Hatchet is PG rated. The dvd transfer is average and not very special.
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