diff --git c/Modules/signalmodule.c w/Modules/signalmodule.c
index c0e17f3..e07a1c1 100644
--- c/Modules/signalmodule.c
+++ w/Modules/signalmodule.c
@@ -928,14 +928,32 @@ PyErr_CheckSignals(void)
             Handlers[i].tripped = 0;
 
             if (arglist) {
-                result = PyEval_CallObject(Handlers[i].func,
-                                           arglist);
-                Py_DECREF(arglist);
+                if (Handlers[i].func == DefaultHandler) {
+                    /* default handler requested, call it */
+                    result = signal_default_int_handler(NULL, NULL);
+                }
+
+                else if (Handlers[i].func == IgnoreHandler) {
+                    /* ignore signal, nothing to return */
+                    result = NULL;
+                }
+
+                else if (Handlers[i].func == Py_None) {
+                    /* no handler set, nothing to call, nothing to return */
+                    result = NULL;
+                }
+
+                else {
+                    /* we have a non-default, non-ignoring, non-empty handler
+                     * - call it! */
+                    result = PyEval_CallObject(Handlers[i].func, arglist);
+                }
             }
             if (!result)
                 return -1;
 
-            Py_DECREF(result);
+            Py_XDECREF(arglist);
+            Py_XDECREF(result);
         }
     }