A rather odd early giallo from mario bava, which bends the rules so far that its not immediately recognisable as such. John harrington stephen forsyth is a selfconfessed paranoic and completely mad. Ill start by saying i couldnt help but notice some very striking similarities between the opening. The red mark of madness italy, blood brides uk, an axe for the honeymoon alternate release date. By all means, hatchet for the honeymoon is highly recommended to those who are delighted by the morbid elegance of italian horror films. Hatchet for the honeymoon takes a swing at bluray with a pleasing but still only passable 1080pavc mpeg4 encode. Hatchet for the honeymoon il rosso segno della follia 1970. This giallo ghost story hybrid centers on a maladjusted wedding dress designer steven forsyth who habitually kills his gowned clients postnuptials, haunted all. A bridal design shop owner kills various young bridestobe in an attempt to unlock a repressed childhood trauma. The storyline works in elements from giallo films like the directors own seminal blood and black lace but then twists in some supernatural elements as well, making for a film thats definitely its own beast. A cleaverwielding bridal designer murders various young bridestobe in an attempt to unlock a repressed childhood trauma concerning the death of his mother.
Any others watching this film will be as out of place as a. In fact, its almost unclassifiable but thats one of the things which make. Hatchet for the honeymoon portrays a genuine freudian nightmare. Its not entirely clear why policeman russell jesus puente is visiting serial killer and bridal fashionhouse chief john stephen forsyth at his estate, but they speculate, then meet the newlyhired model helen dagmar lassander, early in mario bavas hatchet for the. Jul 23, 2019 hatchet for the honeymoon il rosso segno della follia is not the kind of film to watch for a kill count or ingenious murders. Stephen forsyth, dagmar lassander, laura betti, femi benussi manuel cano sanciriaco, mercury films, pan. Mario bava was never one to stick to the rules, even rules he invented himself. At the same time, the directors stamp is all over it, making it simultaneously unusual and. Hatchet for the honeymoon movie clip its only a hothouse. Hatchet for the honeymoon 1970 should the moviedirectors. But that in itself lifts it above the better but messier movies of the giallo canon, giving it a humor and gleeful malevolence all its own. I can only bring forward one negative aspect and that is like usual the annoying dubbing. This giallo ghost story hybrid centers on a maladjusted wedding dress designer steven forsyth who habitually kills his gowned clients postnuptials, haunted all the while by the spirit of his overbearing wife laura betti.
Hes stuck in a loveless marriage with a domineering, possessive wife laura betti and has used her money. Watch hatchet 2007 full movie free online streaming tubi. The majority of hatchet for the honeymoon was shot with a mostly spanish crew at the former home of spanish dictator generalissimo francisco franco, with numerous policemen present during filming because there were concerns that fake blood might stain the floors and walls of the villa. Hatchet for the honeymoon 1970 arguably the most significant name in italian horror cinema, director mario bava had a career full of ups and downs following his remarkable 1960 debut film, black sunday. Oct 24, 2012 hatchet for the honeymoon comes to bluray as part of kinos bava reissue campaign, this one under the redemption banner. This parisian set giallo stars stephen forsyth as john harrington a designer of bridal wear, who is troubled by incomplete flashbacks to the violent death of his mother and is haunted by an apparition of a young boy. Bava knew how to work a camera as he acted as director of photography on almost every film he made and in this film he uses it to great effect. Made during the few years before strict enforcement of the production code, the hatchet man has elements that would not be allowed later, such as adultery, narcotics, and. In the style of oldschool slasher films, such as friday the th, the plot follows a group of tourists on a new orleans haunted swamp tour, who accidentally get stranded in the wilderness, only to be hunted by a vengeful. Search, discover and share your favorite hatchet for the honeymoon gifs. Its a leisurely, slow moving movie with several shocks that are given away in the film s poster. The film is a moody yet surprisingly ungraphic pgrated character study of a nut who slaughters whiteveiled young brides with a shiny cleaver, sparked by a. By the late 1960s, the public demand for gothic horror had dried up and left him delving deeper into his bag of cinematic tricks for other genres like a comic book adaptation 1968s danger.
The print betrays noticeable signs of wear and damage from time to time. Hatchet handles about a more common horror theme namely a serial killer and his motivations but in the very first place it is another bavaomnibus of stylish direction, wonderful music, beautiful scenery and a unique, tense atmosphere. Never before have closeups of eyes seemed so eerie. The realisation which annoys me at first, but is now amusing to me. Bavas big break into the industry came with his 1960 black and white classic black sunday starring fan favorite barbara steele. If you watch hatchet for the honeymoon expecting a return to the brilliance of the giallo form of director mario bavas blood and black lace or bay of blood, then youre almost certain to be disappointed. The film has an ensemble cast, including robert englund, kane hodder, mercedes mcnab and tony todd. We have a series of young women being murdered and a protagonist trying to solve a mystery but the protagonist is the killer. The hatchet man 1932 is a precode film directed by william a. Theres a reason hatchet for the honeymoon is not brought up as a toptier effort in bavas filmography.
Rosso segno della folia, released in the united states as hatchet for a honeymoon is not the best of mario bavas work, but this aboveaverage horror film is a must see for those who love the. When he prepares to commit murder, bava cuts quickly between the present and the past, with disorienting shots of the meat cleaver being lifted, in an appropriate cinematic representation of. Hatchet for the honeymoon 1970 letterboxd social film. One of his films is playing on tv and it is also used as an alibi by the main character. The realization which annoys me at first, but is now amusing to me. Hatchet for the honeymoon 1969 widescreen english 88 minutes the hd blu ray treatment of this film is certainly worth the upgrade for all mario bava aficianados the picture quality is superb, the colors rich and vibrant, the contrast uncanny for a film this old.
Jun 23, 20 hatchet for the honeymoon is a sensory experience, almost completely subjective, wedding itself with real commitment to its mad narrators pointofview. Hatchet for the honeymoon comes to bluray as part of kinos bava reissue campaign, this one under the redemption banner. The story follows john harrington, a hatchetwielding madman who murders young brides in an effort to recall a childhood trauma. It is unfortunately undermined by the fact that the identity of the killer of harringtons mother the snippets which build to a revelatory whole being the film s main device for advancing the plot, comes as. What we have here is a firstperson account of a cool and collected serial killer, john harrington canadian actor stephen forsyth, who narrates his thought processes several decades before dexter. The red sign of madness is a 1970 giallo film directed by mario bava and starring stephen forsyth, dagmar lassander, laura betti, and femi benussi.
Hatchet for the honeymoon is the first film by mario bava i have seen, but im. Seven years after innovating the grisly italian genre known as giallo, mario bava returned to the form to create one of its deliriously frightening examples. Over and over again while i was watching i had to remark to myself how. Hatchet is a 2006 american slasher film written and directed by adam green. Hatchet for the honeymoon is a sensory experience, almost completely subjective, wedding itself with real commitment to its mad narrators pointofview. Hatchet for the honeymoon is a 1970 giallo film directed by mario bava and starring stephen forsyth, dagmar lassander, laura betti, and femi benussi. Hatchet for the honeymoon classic horror film board. The story follows john harrington, a hatchet wielding madman who murders young brides in an effort to recall a childhood trauma. A local horror story of a man murdered by his father is proven true when a bunch of tourists encounter the ghost while on a boat in a louisiana swamp. Hatchet for the honeymoon the mario bava collection. Hatchet for the honeymoon mario bava, 1970 on vimeo. Although it contains certain classic giallo elements, hatchet is not really a typical example of the genre. Mario bavas hatchet for the honeymoon is an interesting film to try and pin down. Hatchet for the honeymoon is a 1970 mario bava film about a serial killer who runs a bridal shop 2,500 movies challenge.
Hatchet for the honeymoon il rosso segno della follia. An enchanting word, so civilized, full of possibilities. Hatchet for the honeymoon is somewhat different compared to most of his other movies and perhaps even his most accessible film. The film opens on a train ride, in which a young honeymoon couple is murdered by someone with a meat cleaver called a hatchet in italy. But that in itself lifts it above the better but messier movies of the giallo canon, giving it a. Harrington is completely aware that he is mad and, in a fashion which. Italy 1970 sante maria romitelli hatchet for the honeymoon duration. Dec 30, 2007 how to arrange a good thriller flick like this one 1970. Mario bava, soledad lopez, manuel cano, santiago moncada. Hatchet for the honeymoon 1970 hatchet for the honeymoon is an odd entry into mario bavas parade of insanity, not least because it suddenly shifts about halfway through to something far weirder and more supernatural than it initially appears. It is the kind of film to watch for paranormal and sartorial phenomena, ghosts, discotheques, mysterious deaths, horrifying old toys, and the narration of a paranoiac. With stephen forsyth, dagmar lassander, laura betti, jesus puente.
Both are classified as giallo films, but neither fully adheres to the structure he created. Harrington cant see his wifes ghost yet everyone else sees her. Hatchet for the honeymoon is, as i have said, not bavas best film. A hatchet for the honeymoon is a murder mystery of sorts any movie trying to. But first time buyers should be fairly happy with whats on offer and its always nice to see some bava get a region 2 release even if its a film thats been available before.
Hatchet for the honeymoon isnt the director best film that honor goes to black sunday, without a doubt but it still is a perfect score of 10 out of 10 in my book. Hatchet for the honeymoons profile including the latest music, albums, songs, music videos and more updates. A single cut from the murderers subjective viewpoint to an objective angle in hatchet for the honeymoon may express the same dichotomy between reality and illusion as an entire, elaborate set piece, such. Hatchet for the honeymoon hatchet for the honeymoon. An unusual film that foreshadows bavas deviations from the horror templates he mastered, hatchet for the honeymoon is creepy, scary, unsettling, and at times, funny. Hatchet for the honeymoon sometimes drifts between eerie, tensionfilled, giallostyle horror, hitchcocklike gallows humor, and rod serlings ironic epiphanies, but bava finds a balance between all of this. If you already own the 2004 release of hatchet for the honeymoon then theres no reason to retire your copy in favour of this new release. In 1970, mario bava would return to familiar ground with hatchet for the honeymoon, the story of wedding designer who hacks apart his brides as a result of his own damaged childhood. The overthetop gore, campy acting, and dim cinematography may be part of hatchets selfdescribed oldschool ethos, but irony alone cant sustain a horror film. Hatchet for the honeymoon 1970 by port washington public library. Hatchet handles about a more common horror theme namely a serial killer and his motivations but in the very first place it is another bavaomnibus of stylish direction, wonderful music, beautiful scenery and a unique.
With a stylishly disturbing, whimsical death waltz amidst a room of exquisitely dressed mannequins and numerous death by cleaver scenes, hatchet for the honeymoon delivers a welcome, darkly comedic twist to the giallo from one of cinemas finest purveyors of the eye pleasing murder aesthetic. While the former fits at least some of the subgenres framework, hatchet for. May 23, 2017 hatchet for the honeymoon 1970 hatchet for the honeymoon is an odd entry into mario bavas parade of insanity, not least because it suddenly shifts about halfway through to something far weirder and more supernatural than it initially appears. Hatchet for the honeymoon was the film that introduced me to the amazing talents of italian horror master, mario bava. Oct 22, 2012 by all means, hatchet for the honeymoon is highly recommended to those who are delighted by the morbid elegance of italian horror films. Mario bavas black sabbath 1963 in mario bavas hatchet for the honeymoon 1970. As was often the case whether he was credited for it or not. Hatchet for the honeymoon 1970 suddenly, a shot rang out. As you mention, hatchet differs from most other gialli in that it reveals the killer right. It is unfortunately undermined by the fact that the identity of the killer of harringtons mother the snippets which build to a revelatory whole being the film s main device for advancing the plot, comes as no great surprise and is thus fairly anticlimatic. Peter bradshaw from the guardian awarded the film 2 out of 5 stars calling the film, a reasonably serviceable horror film. We are then introduced to john harrington, a paranoiac in the wedding apparel business who, in voiceover, admits that he is a madman and a dangerous murderer and that no one suspects it at all. Thats not to say that its not a good movie, but rather misunderstood.
His films, no matter what the plot, always promised great style mixed with scenes of murder and mayhem. Kino lorber and redemption have graced us with another bluray edition of a classic mario bava title, and this time its his underappreciated 1970 opus hatchet for the honeymoon. As a young boy who had grown up watching horror movies turned into a young man who studied them, i had read about him in countless books and magazine articles. Publication date 19740209 topics mario baa, stephen forsyth, dagmar lassander. Hatchet for the honeymoon il rosso segno della follia is not the kind of film to watch for a kill count or ingenious murders. Hatchet for the honeymoon listen and stream free music. Italian director mario bava 19141980 is one of the giants of the horror film genre. Often overlooked due to the lack of murder mystery elements the killer is revealed at the beginning of the film, hatchet for the honeymoon sidesteps giallo tropes in place of dark satire on italian high society and supernatural elements, all among the backdrop of bavas trademark. Hatchet for the honeymoon is a classic bit of creepiness from italys premier director mario bava. For those eclectic horror fans, redemption films has released a nice. Unlike the average italian nerothriller with its unknown protagonist, hatchet begins with full disclosure of the killers identity. Bava has said that its his most personal film, and its also among his most ambitious in a career full of ambition. The hd upgrade isnt a massive improvement on the dvd but it is slightly better. While bava would make an additional eight films before his death in 1980, including the influential a bay of blood in 1971, hatchet for the honeymoon stands out as an apt summary of bavas style as a director.
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