Hatchet for the Honeymoon

PG

Released Feb 9, 1974

1h 23m

Horror

List

63%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

49%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

A madman haunted by the ghost of his ex-wife carves a corpse-laden trail.

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Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

Hatchet for the Honeymoon was as prophetic as it was darkly poetic. This shadowing of a handsome and undetected killer predates the likes of American Psycho, but don’t let its age fool you. This movie is as twisted and unsparing as its modern descendants.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 21, 2023

Full Review

Emma Wolfe

SpookyAstronauts

It felt like five different stories in a movie but I was very intrigued and I wasn't expecting it.

Rated: 7/10

Oct 13, 2020

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Alberto Abuín

Espinof

A horror film that turns giallo subgenre around, making it something "new". [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 10, 2016

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Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

After the potent calling card of Black Sunday, Bava would go on to make other notable terror tales, but Hatchet for the Honeymoon unfortunately isn't one of them.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 26, 2012

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Bava's dark comedy modulates voluptuously toward a madman's Rumpus Room, and the junction of Italian and Spanish Seventies horror

Jul 28, 2010

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Stylish horror pic that is done in by its illogical and crude fantasy narrative.

Rated: C+

May 10, 2010

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laurent b

Nice cinematography. But a rather dull script, and my god, the dialogues are so poor. Nevertheless a movie to watch if you like Mario Bava or horror flicks. It still is a classical despite its defects. A very poor budget explains also a lot why it's not so bad as if it had been directed by someone else.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Hatchet for the Honeymoon is somewhat different compared to Bava's other movies and is one of his most accessible films. Hatchet handles 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. I find it remarkable how this director is able to portray such ugly things (murder, insanity, aggression) in an artistic, beautiful way. Also, the film is far ahead of its time with the portrayal of a horrible murderer as a classy and intelligent businessman. It's largely American Psycho from a few decades earlier.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

http://letterboxd.com/zbender/film/hatchet-for-the-honeymoon/ What happens when Norman Bates, Patrick Bateman, and Frank Zito (from the film Maniac) get together for a one night stand? You get a bastard love child in John Harrington. John is a little screwy in the head. When not running a fashion company, he's wielding the cleanest lookin cleaver and unleashing on various women. The hokey acting never really got me in the mood of "this is horrific," but the camerawork was work I marveled at. The music accompanying was soothing to the ear, but didn't leaving me shaking in my boots. The voiceover, and John's rationalization of the utter terror of his willingness to kill is intriguing. As a whole, it doesn't come off as impressive, but all the giallo elements along with the other technical aspects I mentioned this comes across as a quick, tidy, and entertaining watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Mario Bava's darkly funny 'Hatchet For the Honeymoon' is an entertaining psychological thriller that adds a few unique little twists to the genre. It's one of Bava's less grandiose efforts, but that's not to say it isn't plenty of fun. The acting is enjoyably hammy, and the film looks great.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

More dreamlike and less gory than other Bava films of this era - there are some genuinely spooky moments here. Unlike in the traditional giallo film where we follow the cops as they try to find a maniac killer, this time we follow the killer himself and we are inside his head. Naturally, inside the killer's head is a rather confusing place to be. This killer, John Harrington, acknowledges that he is insane but he needs to kill models on their wedding night (or at least in wedding dresses) in order to unlock the mystery of why he is insane (or so it seemed to me). A subplot sees him also kill his wife who returns as a ghost to haunt him. Bava's camera uses oddly placed zooms but often frames the characters strikingly against flowers (in a plot-relevant hot-house) or with not-naturalistic coloured lights (something Argento later borrowed). Yet, the dubbing and the acting aren't great and you sometimes get the impression that the film has been mistreated after it left Bava's hands. Still it has a pretty good quotient of weirdness, if that's what you are seeking.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A little unseen Bava to pad out my Halloween viewing, and I'm happy to have finally crossed it off the list. Some great visuals and deaths are peppered throughout, and I will definitely come back to revisit this one soon. Rental!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Mario Bava

Director

Stephen Forsyth

John Harrington

Dagmar Lassander

Helen Wood

Laura Betti

Mildred Harrington

Gerard Tichy

Dr. Kalleway

Luciano Pigozzi

Vences

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Synopsis

A madman haunted by the ghost of his ex-wife carves a corpse-laden trail.

Director: Mario Bava
Screenwriter: Santiago Moncada, Mario Bava
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 9, 1974, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 11, 2017
Runtime: 1h 23m