HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON (1969)
Director: Mario Bava
Image Entertainment

Each month I anticipate another title in Image's continuous "Mario Bava Collection," a definitive DVD celebration of one of the genre's masters. This time, it's Bava's 1969 opus HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON, a moody yet surprisingly ungraphic character study of a nut who slaughters white-veiled young brides, sparked by a traumatic childhood experience. Rather than opting for a trendy giallo of "who done it" proportions, Bava reveals his lead as the killer in the first few minutes, as he narrates his ordeal: "My name is John Harrington. I'm 30 years. I am a paranoiac."

John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth), a pretty boy type with an inherited women's fashion empire (ala BLOOD AND BLACK LACE), is introduced as a deranged young man who hacks a young bride (and her unfortunate husband) on a train. He stays on this course by becoming obsessed by some of his pretty models, killing them while garbed in wedding dresses. His madness culminates at the hands of his nagging wife Mildred (Laura Betti), whom he delivers a hatchet to while donned in white veil and lipstick! He is able to delude the police (who suspect him from the start), but before long, the evidence piles up against him.

With obvious (but perhaps unintentional) nods to films like PSYCHO, HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON's John Harrington has one foot in reality. After he kills his wife, she makes a Scroogesque visit to his bedroom to inform him that her presence will be with him always, but only everyone else will be able to see her. The audience never knows if there really is a supernatural aspect to the events or if this is just the illusions of a depraved mind. Stephen Forsyth's deadpan "Ken Doll" appearance tends to be inept, but it's Betti's performance as the tormenting apparition that really makes the film.

Bava handles the murders with suggestive gusto, resorting to his usual nifty cinematography, complete with perfectly timed reflection shots and quick flashbacks. With subdued hints of black humor, Bava has Forsyth watching the Karloff/Wurdulak segment (in black & white) of BLACK SABBATH on TV, trying to convince the police that the murderous screams they heard came from the box and not from his bedroom!

The film is slightly letterboxed at 1.66:1. The transfer is culled from a 35mm American release print (bearing a "GP" rating) which has vibrant colors but suffers from occasional scratches and other markings. The mono sound is a bit low and tends to get distorted, but it's not enough to distract from Sante Maria Romitelli's overbearing score that perfectly compliments the murder scenes. The extras include a still gallery, the usual bio and filmography on Bava, and lengthy liner notes by Tim Lucas that embody the disc's beautiful packaging, utilizing great Euro poster art and stills. Surprisingly, since the film was released several times here, there are no trailers included. (George R. Reis)

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