Hatchet for the Honeymoon

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Hatchet for the Honeymoon
Italian film poster by Ercole Brini[2]
Directed by	Mario Bava
Screenplay by	Santiago Moncada Mario Bava[1][3]
Story by	Santiago Moncada[1]
Produced by	Manuel Caño Sanciriaco Giuseppe Zaccariello[1]
Starring	Stephen Forsyth Dagmar Lassander Laura Betti Femi Benussi Jesús Puente
Cinematography	Mario Bava[1]
Edited by	Soledad López[1]
Music by	Sante Maria Romitelli[1]
Color process	Eastmancolor
Production companies	Pan Latina Films Mercury Films Películas Ibarra y Cía S.A.[1]
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates	2 June 1970 (1970-06-02) (Italy) 14 September 1970 (1970-09-14) (Spain)
Running time	88 minutes[1]
Countries	Italy Spain[1]
Language	Italian
Box office	₤50.499 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.