This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Smooth as Silk, Director Mario Bava is as Elegant as Foreign Horror gets. He makes the best Looking Movies in the Genre, with the Possible Exception of Dario Argento. But Bava was First.This is One of His Films that is Considered, by Some, not His Best, but is a Good Representation of His Work. The Camera, like always, is the Star. Bava was One of the most Playful Filmmakers and the Cinematography is His Signature. The Vibrant Colors and the Zoom are Indicative of the way He is a Master Manipulator. The Staging and the Sets were also Something that Bava Created with an Affection, and this Movie is no Exception. Although this may be too Slow of Pace for Some, there is never a Scene or a Shot that is not Audaciously Artistic. With an Obvious Influence from Hitchcock (what Giallo type Film isn't?), the Movie Pings its Resonance to the Modern Area with Films like American Psycho (2000). Mario Bava was one of the True Auteurs in Cinema and Always was a Proud Filmmaker that Loved His Craft and it Showed in His Films Scene after Scene and Shot after Shot.

I was extremely surprised with the quality of this film. Mario Bava has created a flawless production. His use of colour is second to none. The sets and lighting are also top notch, conveying an eerie mood. Some lovely point of view shots are also utilized by Bava.This film tells the story of John Harrington, who runs a fashion house specialising in bridal wear. He is unhappily married to his overbearing wife Mildred and he is also insane.I would hesitate to call this a Giallo movie as the killer is revealed at the beginning of the film. This is more of a character study of the killer and his journey into madness.For those interested in thrillers and atmosphere this comes highly recommended. Far better than Bavas better known Bay of Blood, which i found rather cheap looking in comparison.This is a classic of Italian cinema. Highly recommended.

It seems that the 70's is a rather under-appreciated decade for Mario Bava, as it is usually overshadowed by his 60's cannon, with films such as "Black Sunday" or "Black Sabbath". Still, his 1974 film "Lisa and the Devil" is what I consider his masterpiece; 1972's "Baron Blood" is a great old-fashioned Gothic classic; 1971's "Twitch of the Death Nerve" is mindless gory fun; "Shock" is a simple-yet-effective ghost story; and last but not least, there is "Hatchet for a Hooneymoon". Usually depicted as one of Bava's weaker efforts, "Hatchet..." is as influential as "Kill Baby Kill" or "Twitch...", as seen in such critically-acclaimed works as "American Psycho" or "Santa Sangre". Here, we have Bava's ever-present visual flair, combined with a fresh Scroogesque twist on the typical giallo formula. The script is intelligent and gripping, filled with some interesting Freudian motifs represented mostly through the protagonist's doppelganger, as well as including some well-developed and complex characters that you really care for. The charismatic Stephen Forsyth is perfectly cast as the protagonist, and is as seductively creepy as he needs to be. Laura Betti is also terrific as his cold, manipulative wife. Interestingly, Bava seems to play homage to the other great Italian director - Federico Fellini, as he does his own 'La Dolce Vita'-type satire of the plastic Italian high-society in this film. The film also has some of the most beautiful and lyrical scenes of Bava's entire career, both visually and in substance, such as John's 'danse macabre' in the room full of mannequins. These moments blend magnificently with Sante Maria Romitelli's bittersweet score, which captures the film's melancholic tone and perverse humor. The one thing that may put some viewers away is the lack of violence which doesn't really hurt the whole thing, but doesn't add anything to it either. Overall, a mesmerizing combination of ghost story with gialli, that is definitely not to be missed by any fans of the Maestro or Italian horror cinema in general.

In Hatchet For The Honeymoon, Mario Bava, father of the giallo, attempts to redefine the genre he practically created by radically altering the format: whereas most giallos try to keep the viewer guessing at the identity of the killer until the end, Hatchet immediately reveals its murderer to be wealthy businessman John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth), a self proclaimed madman who has a thing for butchering new brides with his oh-so-shiny cleaver; the trouble is, he has no idea what has caused this particular compulsion.The question Bava is posing to his audience is no longer 'WHO is committing the murders?', but rather 'WHY are they being committed?'.Clues come in the form of brief flashbacks, which are revealed to Harrington after each successive kill. Can our hatchet wielding loony drag enough information from his subconscious to finally unravel the mystery; will inquisitive copper Inspector Russell (Jesús Puente) crack the case before many more brides go missing; or can you, the viewer, beat both of them to solving the puzzle.Unfortunately, no matter how innovative this approach may seem, Bava's little experiment is not a great success: with the identity of the killer known to the viewer from the outset, any opportunities to create suspense are few and far between: apart from one well orchestrated sequence, in which Harrington tries to shoo the nosey policeman from his home whilst blood from his murdered wife drips dangerously nearby, the film is practically tension free. In a final bid to add a little life to all of the death, the director eventually changes tack and introduces a supernatural angle to the story that proves to be pretty entertaining, if only for its sheer incongruity: the ghost of Harrington's wife pops up to drive her hubby even crazier than before!If you are keen to acquaint yourself with Bava, or the giallo genre in general, Hatchet for The Honeymoon probably isn't the greatest place to start: although the director makes good use of shadows and colour, this is far from his most striking work; there is nothing to rival the glorious excesses of a Fulci or an Argento; the women are attractive, but fail to realise the importance of getting nekkid; and the death scenes are noticeably devoid of inventive gore.