Hatchet for the Honeymoon doesn’t behave like other gialli. This Italian-Spanish movie does something unconventional at the beginning; the identity of the killer is revealed to the audience. It goes against tradition to spoil the mystery so early, but after feeling restrained while working under producer Dino De Laurentiis only a year earlier, director Mario Bava sought a fresh start in 1968. This almost forgotten movie was that creative reset, though it wouldn’t be until years later that everyone better appreciated this late entry in Bava’s unique oeuvre.
After taking a meat cleaver to a young bride and groom on a moving train, Stephen Forsyth’s character introduces himself. Not only is he a “madman, a dangerous murderer,” 30-year-old John Harrington is the movie’s protagonist. “I am a paranoiac,” he narrates during his morning rituals. From there John confesses to killing five brides and hiding their bodies,...
After taking a meat cleaver to a young bride and groom on a moving train, Stephen Forsyth’s character introduces himself. Not only is he a “madman, a dangerous murderer,” 30-year-old John Harrington is the movie’s protagonist. “I am a paranoiac,” he narrates during his morning rituals. From there John confesses to killing five brides and hiding their bodies,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
As the film that bridges the two decades of Mario Bava’s output as a director, 1970’s Hatchet for the Honeymoon feels strangely trapped between two worlds. It contains the traces of gothic horror with which Bava made his name, as well as elements of the supernatural and the psychosexual leanings of the giallo genre he more or less helped create. At the same time, it’s steeped in dazzling colors and psychedelia—it feels seedier than his usual output even though it’s far less graphic than some of his other works.
Stephen Forsyth plays John Harrington, working at a bridal dress factory managed by his older wife, Mildred (Laura Betti), with whom he shares very little love. He has a proclivity for watching young women wear bridal gowns and then murdering them; one day, however, he meets and gradually falls in love with Helen (Dagmar Lassandar), one of...
Stephen Forsyth plays John Harrington, working at a bridal dress factory managed by his older wife, Mildred (Laura Betti), with whom he shares very little love. He has a proclivity for watching young women wear bridal gowns and then murdering them; one day, however, he meets and gradually falls in love with Helen (Dagmar Lassandar), one of...
- 7/20/2017
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
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Here are the songs that were considered forJames Bond themes but ultimately rejected. Some of them aren't half-bad, too...
Bond title songs are an intrinsic part of the series. But did you know that there were often unused tracks that were considered but rejected? Some of them are damn good too. This is bound to lead to comparisons and what if… discussions, and that's what we are here to encourage today.
As soon as we try to define what makes a great Bond song, we run into the problem that dogs any criticism of the series – every aspect of it is extremely divisive. Whatever element you nominate as a high point, best actor, score or film, for example, is someone else's least favourite and vice versa. The same goes for the Bond theme songs: some people like a bouncy pop song with a nice brass arrangement. For others,...
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Here are the songs that were considered forJames Bond themes but ultimately rejected. Some of them aren't half-bad, too...
Bond title songs are an intrinsic part of the series. But did you know that there were often unused tracks that were considered but rejected? Some of them are damn good too. This is bound to lead to comparisons and what if… discussions, and that's what we are here to encourage today.
As soon as we try to define what makes a great Bond song, we run into the problem that dogs any criticism of the series – every aspect of it is extremely divisive. Whatever element you nominate as a high point, best actor, score or film, for example, is someone else's least favourite and vice versa. The same goes for the Bond theme songs: some people like a bouncy pop song with a nice brass arrangement. For others,...
- 10/26/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Special Mention: Dressed To Kill
Directed by Brian De Palma
Written by Brian De Palma
1980, USA
Genre: Thriller
Brian De Palma’s films, like Tarantino’s, are a cinematic mash-up of influences from the past, and in De Palma case he borrows heavily from Alfred Hitchcock. Obsession is De Palma’s Vertigo, Blow Out his Rear Window, and with Dressed to Kill the director set its sights on Psycho. Dressed To Kill is more thriller than horror but what a stylish and twisted thriller it is! The highlight here is an amazing ten-minute chase sequence set in an art gallery and conducted entirely without dialogue. There are a number of other well-sustained set pieces including a race in the subway system and even, yes, a gratuitous shower murder sequence. Dressed To Kill features an excellent cast (Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, Angie Dickinson), a superb score (courtesy of Pino Donaggio) and...
Directed by Brian De Palma
Written by Brian De Palma
1980, USA
Genre: Thriller
Brian De Palma’s films, like Tarantino’s, are a cinematic mash-up of influences from the past, and in De Palma case he borrows heavily from Alfred Hitchcock. Obsession is De Palma’s Vertigo, Blow Out his Rear Window, and with Dressed to Kill the director set its sights on Psycho. Dressed To Kill is more thriller than horror but what a stylish and twisted thriller it is! The highlight here is an amazing ten-minute chase sequence set in an art gallery and conducted entirely without dialogue. There are a number of other well-sustained set pieces including a race in the subway system and even, yes, a gratuitous shower murder sequence. Dressed To Kill features an excellent cast (Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, Angie Dickinson), a superb score (courtesy of Pino Donaggio) and...
- 10/25/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
Bava’s bizarre 1970 psychodrama Hatchet For The Honeymoon is one of his few masterworks that remains less celebrated, and that’s a shame, because it’s a triumph of style, satire and bizarre, obsessive imagery. Fangoria and Toronto’s Revue Cinema (499 Roncesvalles Avenue) will present a special screening of Hatchet Wednesday, October 24 at 9 p.m., and are honored to have as special guest for the evening revered pianist, artist and composer Stephen Forsyth, who starred as Hatchet’s murderous, mentally unbalanced lead and was a major star in Italy during the 1960s, starring in several high-profile, violent spaghetti Westerns and thrillers. Fango editor Chris Alexander will sit down with Forsyth for an in-depth discussion dissecting Bava’s unique directing approach and reflecting on those long-gone, never-forgotten days when the internationally exported genre cinema was king.
Wanna see the film and meet Mr. Forsyth for free?
To win a double pass...
Wanna see the film and meet Mr. Forsyth for free?
To win a double pass...
- 10/23/2012
- by samueldzimmerman@gmail.com (Chris Alexander)
- Fangoria
Bava’s bizarre 1970 psychodrama Hatchet For The Honeymoon is one of his few masterworks that remains less celebrated, and that’s a shame, because it’s a triumph of style, satire and bizarre, obsessive imagery. Fangoria and Toronto’s Revue Cinema (499 Roncesvalles Avenue) will present a special screening of Hatchet Wednesday, October 24 at 9 p.m., and are honored to have as special guest for the evening revered pianist, artist and composer Stephen Forsyth, who starred as Hatchet’s murderous, mentally unbalanced lead and was a major star in Italy during the 1960s, starring in several high-profile, violent spaghetti Westerns and thrillers. Fango editor Chris Alexander will sit down with Forsyth for an in-depth discussion dissecting Bava’s unique directing approach and reflecting on those long-gone, never-forgotten days when the internationally exported genre cinema was king.
Wanna see the film and meet Mr. Forsyth for free?
To win a double pass...
Wanna see the film and meet Mr. Forsyth for free?
To win a double pass...
- 10/23/2012
- by samueldzimmerman@gmail.com (Chris Alexander)
- Fangoria
Valerio Zurlini, writer-director, is someone I find a little hard to pin down: a career which contains both Girl with a Suitcase (1961), in which prostitute/aspiring actress Claudia Cardinale becomes houseguest of a teenage boy (but it's Not like Risky Business) and Desert of the Tartars (1976), an existential historical epic based on a novel which David Lean had planned to film at one point. What initially seems to unite the work is a rare seriousness: Zurlini is earnest, almost humorless, and at times despairing.
The strikingly titled Black Jesus (1968 - the Italian title translates, more subtly, as Sitting on His Right) is a good example of Zurlini's willingness to follow a story into the darkest places. It's based blatantly on the true story of Patrice Lumumba, the first legally elected Congolese leader, who was deposed, tortured and assassinated under the watchful eye of the Un, and with the probable connivance of the Us and Belgium.
The strikingly titled Black Jesus (1968 - the Italian title translates, more subtly, as Sitting on His Right) is a good example of Zurlini's willingness to follow a story into the darkest places. It's based blatantly on the true story of Patrice Lumumba, the first legally elected Congolese leader, who was deposed, tortured and assassinated under the watchful eye of the Un, and with the probable connivance of the Us and Belgium.
- 7/24/2012
- MUBI
The term “giallo” initially referred to cheap yellow paperbacks (printed American mysteries from writers such as Agatha Christie), that were distributed in post-fascist Italy. Applied to cinema, the genre is comprised of equal parts early pulp thrillers, mystery novels, with a willingness to gleefully explore onscreen sex and violence in provocative, innovative ways. Giallos are strikingly different from American crime films: they value style and plot over characterization, and tend towards unapologetic displays of violence, sexual content, and taboo exploration. The genre is known for stylistic excess, characterized by unnatural yet intriguing lighting techniques, convoluted plots, red herrings, extended murder sequences, excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and unusual musical arrangements. Amidst the ‘creative kill’ set-pieces are thematic undercurrents along with a whodunit element, usually some sort of twist ending. Here is my list of the best giallo films – made strictly by Italian directors, so don’t expect Black Swan, Amer or...
- 10/26/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
For the horror buff, Fall is the best time of the year. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and a feeling of death hangs on the air. Here at Sound on Sight we have some of the biggest horror fans you can find. We are continually showcasing the best of genre cinema, so we’ve decided to put our horror knowledge and passion to the test in a horror watching contest. Each week in October, Ricky D, James Merolla and Justine Smith will post a list of the horror films they have watched. By the end of the month, the person who has seen the most films wins. Prize Tbd.
Justine Smith (11 viewings) Total of 31 viewings
Purchase
Spider Baby or The Maddest Story Ever Told
Directed by Jack Jill
This movie is very fun, not so much scary as gleefully depraved. The film revels in it’s childhood attitude,...
Justine Smith (11 viewings) Total of 31 viewings
Purchase
Spider Baby or The Maddest Story Ever Told
Directed by Jack Jill
This movie is very fun, not so much scary as gleefully depraved. The film revels in it’s childhood attitude,...
- 10/18/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
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