Hatchet For The Honeymoon (1969)

John Harrington seems to be the ideal guy. He’s bright, extremely good looking, and runs a successful bridal gown business. He’s also impotent, has a mother fixation that would make Norman Bates envious and, of course, he’s completely and helplessly insane. However, unlike most psycho killers who deny their insanity, Harrington accepts his with open arms. John’s trouble all seems to stem from the fact of his witnessing his mothers brutal murder as a young child, a scene that replays over and over in his adult mind with himself just barely able to catch a glimpse of the killer. So, combine that trauma with a bitch of a wife who refuses to ever divorce him, and I can understand why the guy has to chop up young, beautiful brides in his spare time. A man has to relieve the stress somehow, you know? Actually, John’s motivation lies in the fact that every time he offs another bride to be he gets closer and closer to seeing who murdered his mother in his “flashbacks”. Throw in a nosy detective, one hell of a bizarre plot twist, plenty of atmosphere, and you get “Hatchet for the Honeymoon”. Many Bava fans consider this to be one of his “lesser” films, and I’m not really sure why. Yes, Mario seems to have taken a page from the “Psycho” handbook, but who hasn’t over the years? The murders are, as always with Bava, excellently staged and brimming with tension. Look for the scene where Harrington lures a soon to be married model into his creepy ass mannequin room, dancing with her etc. before hacking her to pieces. Add to this some typical Bava imagery (burned toast/burned bodies, victim’s blood nearly dripping on a detective) and you have yourself a winner.