Cast and Crew:  Mario Bava (Director)

What It’s About: John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth) runs a design house, an inherited family business which specializes in everything a bride would wear on her wedding day (and night).  He’s good-looking, fabulously wealthy, and desired by many of the brides who visit his shop.  There’s just two problems.  The first is that Harrington is married to the shrewish Mildred (Laura Betti) who watches his every move; the other is that, as Harrington openly admits in the first scene, he is mad, and murders many of his customers because each murder brings him closer to remembering what happened to his own beloved mother on her wedding day.  While Harrington continues to work on both of his problems, Inspector Russell (Jesus Puente) moves closer and closer to pinning the  murders on him.

Why Watch it Today?: Filene’s Basement Running of the Brides, the annual event in which scores of brides-to-be converge on racks of bridal gowns hoping to find their dream gown at a discount price, will be held today in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center.  While in some ways the event is in direct contrast to Mr. Harrington’s exclusive high-end design house approach, both the event and the film feature brides-to-be in the run of their lives.  May the women running today at Filene’s have better luck than the ones in this film!  Hatchet for the Honeymoon is a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek black comedy, with several twists that are best left for the viewer to discover by watching the film.

Where to Get It:  Netflix (rental only), or Amazon

The trailer, which features some incredibly funky/groovy music: