HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON (1970)
Written by Santiago Moncada Directed by Mario Bava

John Harrington (Stephen Forsythe), a Paris-based designer of high fashion bridal gowns, is tormented by fragmented memories of the murder of his mother. Each time he murders a new bride, he recovers another piece of his memory. For a 1970’s European movie about a serial killer, HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON is remarkably restrained, with little gore and no nudity. The script by Moncada, a respected Spanish author of psychological thrillers, is much better than most co-productions of this kind (although a number of plot holes exist because of last minute re-writes, which I’ll go into later), and Bava’s direction, aided by his own cinematography, is stylish and subtly humorous. Forsythe was an experienced and talented Canadian actor who is quite believable as the trendy fashion designer with a secret life, while Laura Betti, with her round face and large eyes, is perfect as his wife, a sympathetic harridan who torments him because he is not the man she thought she was marrying. It was the sudden availability of the award-winning Betti that caused the quick re-writes; her presence added respectability to the project (she had worked with Fellini, Pasolini and De Sica, and would later work with Bertolucci and the Taviani Bros), and she adds a physical eccentricity that compliments Forsythe’s restraint. Though not Bava’s best film, it is a good thriller with some wonderful set pieces and creative photography, expressing as much through its imagery and editing as through its dialog or actions. It’s Italian title, Il rosso segno della follia (THE RED SIGN OF MADNESS), makes more sense than it’s U.S. title, if only because the killer uses a cleaver, not a hatchet, and the color red figures prominently. While it is available on a number of PD sources, Redemption’s DVD is from a beautiful 35mm print, which not only does justice to Bava’s cinematography but also has occasional slight noise on its soundtrack that makes it feel like you’re watching a film, not a digital image.

- Robert Deveau

THE SNOW DEVILS (1967)
Written by Renato Rossetti and Ivan Reiner, from a story by “Audrey” (Aubrey) Wisberg

Directed by “Anthony Dawson” (Antonio Margheriti)

When a remote weather station is destroyed and the Earth’s climate goes haywire, Commander Rod Jackson (“Jack Stewart”/Giocomo Rossi-Stuart) of the United Democracies Space Command (referred to as “Udsco” long before we ever know what that means) is called in to investigate. He is assisted in his trek into the Himalayas by Capt. Frank Pulasky (Goffredo “Freddy” Unger), Lisa Nielson (“Amber Collins”/Ombretta Colli) and Sherpa guide Sharu (Wilbert Bradley - who I’d just seen in SANDOKAN THE GREAT). The final film in Margheriti’s loosely joined Gamma One trilogy (after WAR OF THE PLANETS and WILD WILD PLANET) is mostly earthbound and has a rather relaxed pace, but the wacky costumes and hairdos (Rossi-Stuart’s coif is quite amazing, as is that of the titular characters), the primitive yet effective spfx, the comically absurd race of hirsute blue alien “snow devils” and the final third when the Gamma One takes off for Jupiter’s moon Callisto make it a fun 90 minutes. Alberto Lavagnini’s score is early 60’s guitar-centric and unlike anything he did for sword and sandal epics. Not as wild and wooly a space adventure as the previous two, but fun none the less. (Viewed on Warner Archives widescreen DVD which loses color balance during dissolves but is otherwise nice looking.)

- Robert Deveau

Gearing up for Kickstarter—have to get all our skulls in a row! This poster, plus variations, will be another Kickstarter incentive.