The Honeymoon Killers (1970)
Martha Beck, an obese nurse who is desperately lonely, joins a "correspondence club" and finds a romantic pen pal in Ray Fernandez. Martha falls hard for Ray, and is intent on sticking with him even when she discovers he's a con man who seduces lonely single women, kills them and then takes their money. She poses as Ray's sister and joins Ray on a wild killing spree, fueled by her lingering concern that Ray will leave her for one of his marks.
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Very Cool!!!
A Major Disappointment
Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.
The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.
"I'm not so sure Hitler wasn't right about you people"This is a god damn great movie based on the real story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck. Kastle was able to make such an eerie atmosphere of the two eccentric characters in a very skillful way. I'm not really sure how a man with this skills of direction, has only made one movie!! The Honeymoon Killers was in some moments noir, fully suspenseful with a great use of lights and shadows, not to mention the astounding close-ups.
True-life serial killer flick The Honeymoon Killers takes a long time to live up to its claim as a shocking cult classic, spending more time on the killers' unusual love affair than the actual murders; thankfully, when it eventually gets around to depicting the violence, it doesn't disappoint—for a film shot in 1969, the killings are extremely uncomfortable viewing.The film is based on real life killers Martha Beck and Ray Fernandez, an insecure, overweight nurse (played by Shirley Stoler) and a gigolo con-man (Tony Lo Bianco) who fall in love after meeting via a lonely hearts club; posing as brother and sister, the pair trick lonely desperate women out of their savings, but turn to murder whenever their plans go awry.Shot in a lo-fi, docudrama style (no doubt as a result of the very low budget), The Honeymoon Killers is rough around the edges, the pacing is often sluggish, and the dialogue dreary, but the film still achieves a certain sordid appeal thanks to its sickening subject matter and memorably nasty murder scenes, which include a callous hammer attack/strangulation and the drowning of a child.
Chubby ex-nurse Martha Beck over-eats and gets confused as she and gigolo boyfriend Ray Fernandez murder their way across the Northeast.No doubt about it, the movie's a sleezeball masterpiece. There's maybe one likable character in the whole hundred-minutes-- a prison guard, of all people, and she has maybe all of five lines. The rest are either slimy (Ray), monstrous (Martha) or pathetic (the victims). Only an indie production would dare combine such ugly photography with such a succession of dismal characters. But, for a real shudder, imagine how a Hollywood studio would have prettified the same movie.Nonetheless, the sleeze has genuine style behind it, along with two tacky Oscars for the leads. As Ray, Lo Bianco exudes more oily charm than a BP platform, while a stretched-out Martha (Stoler) resembles nothing less than a beached whale. Just the thought of the two of them clinching is enough to sound an environmental alarm. And the fact that the kinkiest things turn them on makes the picture even worse and not even their "mad love" helps.I don't know how many movie details are based on fact, but two of the murder scenes are genuinely ugly. And the fact that it's nurse Martha, not the squeamish Ray, who handles the messes says a lot about gender equality. Most chilling to me, is the fact that these two psychos merrily bludgeon, shoot, and poison their way from one place to the next with nary a police siren in sight. It's almost like they're planning a vacation itinerary from one murder site to the next. In fact, it's a betrayed Martha who finally puts a stop to things. Anyhow, no movie I know makes crime and murder any more sordid than this one. And in my little book, that's a genuine achievement. Plus, I think the movie changed my mind about the merits of capital punishment.
Based on the true story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, who met through a lonely-hearts correspondence club, Ray (Tony Lo Bianco) is sleazy and untrustworthy; Martha (Shirley Stoler) is obese, compulsive, and needy. Together, they play out a horrifying scheme in which he lures lonely women out on dates and proposes marriage to them, while she pretends to be his sister. After the marriage ceremonies, they take the womens savings and then murder them in cold blood.The way this film is shot, with its grainy black and white footage, murky sound, bright whites and dark shadows, only adds to its incredibly unsettling nature. Watching this is almost like watching a documentary, and occasionally, a snuff film.Though the acting from the supporting cast is a bit iffy at times, the two leads are excellent. Particularly Shirley Stoller. While Lo Bianco creates one of the most hateful slime-balls I've ever seen, Stoller dominates this film. Her Martha is a frightening, unpleasant, disgusting woman, who is as ugly on the inside as she is on the outside. Her evil nature fills the frame whenever she is on screen.If you're looking for a fast paced thriller, look elsewhere. The pacing in this movie is slow, which only adds to the disturbing documentary feel. But if you want to see a movie where character comes first, and action second, seek this classic out.