Hatchet For the Honeymoon: Deluxe Collector's Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/Italy/France, 1970
Director: Mario Bava
Writers: Santiago Moncada, Mario Bava, Laura Betti, Mario Musy Glori
Cast: Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti, Jesús Puente, Femi Benussi, Antonia Mas, Luciano Pigozzi, Gérard Tichy

Release Date: December 13th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 88 Minutes 7 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £25.00 (UK)

"this unsettling production sees troubled protagonist John Harrington (Stephen Forsythe) turning to a life of serial killing. Refused a divorce by his uncaring wife, and haunted by childhood trauma John takes out his murderous frustrations on a string of would-be brides who innocently cross his path." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Transfer from the 35mm Internegative with additional cleanup performed by 88 Films."

Hatchet For the Honeymoon comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.2 GB

88 Films Feature: 24.1 GB

Redemption Films Feature: 19.6 GB

The source used for this transfer looks fantastic. Colors are nicely saturated, contrast, image clarity, and black levels remain strong throughout, and there are no issues with compression. That said, when compared to the Redemption Films Blu-ray release, this new transfer is superior in every way.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and removable English SDH subtitles. Where Redemption Films Blu-ray’s audio had issues with background hiss or distortion. The audio track for this release has none of these issues. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, A3 fold-out poster, theatrical trailer (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Dr. Marcus Stiglegger titled My Dying Bride (9 minutes 36 seconds, DTS-HD stereo German with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Dagmar Lassander titled A Hatchet for Dagmar (25 minutes, DTS-HD stereo German with removable English subtitles), an interview with assistant cameraman Gianlorenzo Battaglia titled Working with a Maestro (14 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with filmmaker Lamberto Bava titled Meet the Bavas (25 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles),an audio commentary with Troy Howarth author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava and a forty-page booklet with an essay titled Un-American Psycho: On the Trail of the European Movie Maniac written by Andrew Graves, an essay titled Don’t Stain the Staircase written by Barry Forshaw and an essay titled The Forsyth Saga.

Extras on Redemption Films' Blu-ray release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 37 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava – All the Colors of the Dark. Other extras include trailers for Black Sunday, Baron Blood, Lisa and the Devil, and The House of Exorcism.

Summary:

Hatchet for the Honeymoon was one of three films that Mario Bava directed in 1970. He was a versatile director who worked in just about every film genre. He was most successful when he worked in the thriller or horror genres. With Hatchet for the Honeymoon falling into the latter category,

Hatchet for the Honeymoon is a psychological thriller that revolves around a psychopath protagonist who’s driven to kill women due to childhood trauma. The narrative immediately establishes the protagonist's deranged state of mind, and the rest of the narrative is his journey trying to unlock the source of his childhood trauma.

Hatchet for the Honeymoon is not your run-of-the-mill stalk and kill scenario. In fact, when it comes to violence, most of it occurs offscreen. Most of the tension comes from ghosts who haunt the protagonist.

Though the cast are all very good in their respective roles, especially Stephen Forsyth's (Fury in Marrakesh) portrayal of an insane protagonist named John Harrington. He delivers a fantastic performance that perfectly captures his character's state of mind. Other notable cast members include Laura Betti (A Bay of Blood) in the role of John’s wife and Dagmar Lassander (The Laughing Woman) in the role of a model named Helen.

From a production standpoint, there’s not an area where Hatchet for the Honeymoon comes up short. The premise is superbly realized, the narrative is well-executed, and a twist ending provides a satisfying conclusion. Once again, Mario Bava delivers a beautifully photographed film that’s filled with atmosphere. With the most visually arresting moments being the scenes in the room full of mannequins. Ultimately, Hatchet for the Honeymoon is a solid thriller that is arguably Mario Bava’s most underrated film.

Though some may pass over this release because it does not come with an Italian language track, they will be missing out on an impressive release that comes with a wealth of insightful extra content and Hatchet for the Honeymoon has never looked or sounded better on home video, highly recommended.

Note: Limited edition - 3000 Units Only.

Written by Michael Den Boer