Hatchet for the Honeymoon
Director: Mario Bava
Actors: Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti
PlotA handsome yet deranged young man with a fixation on bridal fashion runs a failing bridal shop, supported by the wealth of his unloved wife. He is consumed by a twisted compulsion to murder young women, driven by a traumatic experience involving his mother and his deep-seated misogyny. Believing the killings will grant him clarity on his traumatic past, he embarks on a macabre mission under the guise of a charming businessman. Equipped with trust in his own meticulous planning, he woos, photographs, and dispatches his victims with a ceremonial hatchet, all while meticulously preening their bridal gowns post-mortem to satisfy his morbid obsessions.
As the body count rises, his mentally unstable condition deteriorates; his reality becomes clouded and hallucinatory. The police are baffled by the string of bridal murders, yet remain a step behind the killer's carefully constructed facade. Concurrently, his relationship with his wife spirals into a toxic mix of manipulation and indifference, as he plans to claim his wife's inheritance and secure a new life free from his dark urges. However, his wife begins to suspect his duplicity and confronts him, threatening to expose his hidden life, leading to a confrontation that promises to unearth his deepest fears and unravel his meticulously fashioned world.
Writers: Santiago Moncada, Mario Bava, Laura Betti
Release Date: 09 Feb 1974
Runtime: 88 min
Rating: GP
Country: Spain, Italy, France
Language: Italian, English
Home Video Reviews
'Hatchet for the Honeymoon': a must for giallo fans, now enhanced on Blu-ray by Kino.
Read our review of Hatchet for the Honeymoon Blu-ray to find out more
Hatchet for the Honeymoon, a decent but underrated Bava giallo, shines in Blu-ray upgrade.
Read our review of Hatchet for the Honeymoon Blu-ray to find out more