Hatchet for the Honeymoon

Hatchet for the Honeymoon
Italian film poster by Ercole Brini
Directed byMario Bava
Screenplay by
  • Santiago Moncada
  • Mario Bava
Story bySantiago Moncada
Produced by
  • Manuel Caño Sanciriaco
  • Giuseppe Zaccariello
Starring
CinematographyMario Bava
Edited bySoledad López
Music bySante Maria Romitelli
Color processEastmancolor
Production
companies
  • Pan Latina Films
  • Mercury Films
  • Películas Ibarra y Cía S.A.
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • 2 June 1970 (1970-06-02) (Italy)
  • 14 September 1970 (1970-09-14) (Spain)
Running time
88 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • Spain
LanguageItalian
Box office50.499 million

Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Italian: Il rosso segno della follia, lit.'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. The story follows John Harrington, a hatchet-wielding madman who murders young brides in an effort to recall a childhood trauma.

The film's production was troubled, with tensions among the cast and crew, location difficulties, a major subplot concerning Harrington's relationship with his wife being added solely to accommodate Betti's casting, and a significant hiatus in filming when the budget ran out. It was not released until a year after it was completed, and was largely ignored by both critics and audiences, remaining one of Bava's most obscure films even after his work achieved cult popularity.