(USA,/1981) Review By: Johan Melle
Cast: Maren Jensen, Susan Buckner, Sharon Stone, Ernest Borgnine, Jeff East, Lois Nettleton, Lisa Hartman, Colleen Riley, Douglas Barr, Michael Berryman, Lawrence Montaigne, Kevin Cooney. 
Directed by Wes Craven. Written by Glenn M. Benest, Matthew Barr and Wes Craven. 
Source: Umbrella Entertainment DVD (Australia, PAL Region 0, 98 minutes) 

DEADLY BLESSING is one the least-known films directed by horror movie favorite Wes Craven, and this is a shame because this bizarre mixture of religious fanaticism, murder and a hint of supernatural elements is well worthy of a larger audience. 

The plot is set in a small American farming community where most of the inhabitants are members of the Hittites, a strict Amish-like religious sect that rejects all modern ways of life. The sect is ruled with an iron fist by the fanatical Isaiah (Ernest Borgnine), who no one dares disobey. Living on a nearby farm is Isaiah’s son Jim (Douglas Barr), who has been shunned from the community after taking up a more modern lifestyle by marrying Martha (Maren Jensen), a sweet non-Hittite girl. Jim is managing fine outside the community, though, as he is very happy together with Martha, who is in the early stages of pregnancy. However, on the one year anniversary of their marriage, Jim is tragically – and suspiciously – crushed to death by his own tractor in what is deemed to be an accident. Refusing to sell her husband’s land to Isaiah, the grief-stricken Martha instead gets her two friends from the city, Vicki (Susan Buckner) and Lana (Sharon Stone), to come stay with her in this difficult time. Before long, however, a spate of vicious murders by a mysterious black-gloved killer and other bizarre occurrences cause terror among the three young girls. Are the Hittites responsible for the killings, or is it a supernatural force at work here? 

Sandwiched in between his raw, early classics THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) and THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977), and the major success of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984), DEADLY BLESSING remains one of Craven’s lesser known films – not helped by it having been rather hard to get hold of for years. It’s not as hard-hitting or instantly compelling as the aforementioned films, and is also a less personal project but this is still one of Craven’s most underrated and interesting films. 

One of the more original aspects of DEADLY BLESSING is how instead of being a straightforward slasher, it actually mixes in a lot of different horror themes. One of the most memorable scenes involves a big snake crawling into the bathtub while an unsuspecting Maren Jensen is taking a relaxing bath. It's a really skin-crawling and brilliantly staged scene. Many will probably be quite amazed to see how closely Craven later copied this scene in the similar bath sequence in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Another great set piece is when Sharon Stone gets trapped inside an old barn. This terrific sequence is the most effective moment in the film as it builds up considerable tension and suspense before delivering a startling and satisfying pay-off. Another memorable and very unusual moment is where a character inside a petrol-doused car is trying to escape the trail of burning fuel by DRIVING AWAY from it! Then there are the weird and stylish nightmare scenes where Sharon Stone’s character dreams of being forced to swallow a big spider, not to mention the wonderfully over-the-top climax – executed with impressive insanity and chutzpah. 

Technical credits are also top notch. Robert Jessup’s great cinematography captures the fantastic Texas locations very well. There are also several impressive and stylish shots like the ominous sight of the black-clad Hittites quietly observing Jim’s funeral from the top of a small hill. The visuals are accompanied by an excellent, creepy score by a young James Horner, who later went on to score huge Hollywood hits like BRAVEHEART (1995) and TITANIC (1997). 

It’s not a pretty picture Craven paints of religious sects. Isaiah is portrayed as an evil madman – using religion as a way to oppress the others and gain power. The fear the others have for him is wonderfully demonstrated in a creepy scene in their church where Isaiah is beating a young boy to cleanse him of evil while the rest of the brainwashed Hittites observe in discomfort but without a single protest. The film’s rural setting is also used to great effect and it’s fascinating to see how Craven manages to blend such widely different elements as religious oppression, bizarre dreams, animal attacks and knifings together. The emphasis is on tension, though, as there is little in the way of gore to be found here. 

The film isn’t without its drawbacks, however. Firstly, it takes too much time to get going – the first half could well have benefited from a somewhat snappier pacing. There’s also some really sloppy writing on display here. One is left wondering, for example, why they bothered to include the pregnancy of Maren Jensen’s character because nothing is ever really made out of this plot point. Furthermore, the writers reveal their lack of knowledge in the numerous scenes where the Hittites accuse Maren Jensen of being an incubus. Obviously, the writers didn’t bother to look up the actual meaning of what an incubus is – if they had, they would’ve known that an incubus is a male demon that seduces women in their sleep and draws energy from them by having sex with them. The female version of this demon is actually called a succubus. Not that this is a big deal but it does demonstrate a bit of laziness on the writers’ side. 

However, the worst offence is the final shock ending. Not only is this mind-numbingly stupid but it’s also wholly unnecessary and completely undermines everything we’ve seen up to this point. Admittedly, this sequence was tacked on at the last minute at the insistence of the producers so it’s not Wes Craven’s fault but this scene’s inclusion is still highly regrettable. Apparently, the version shown in the UK actually removed this scene entirely, which is probably just as well. 

As for the cast, they are a bit of mixed… erm... blessing (sorry). The leading role of Martha is played by Maren Jensen, who is best known for having played Athena in the original “Battlestar Galactica” series (1978-79). Jensen is a very attractive and charming girl and gives a serviceable performance but she is given surprisingly little to do. Furthermore, she isn’t really a strong enough actress to carry a leading role. The biggest star in the film is of course a young and then unknown Sharon Stone in her first speaking role as Jensen’s good friend. It’s quite painfully obvious that Stone didn’t have much experience in acting at the time because her performance here is downright poor. She is visibly struggling with delivering her lines in a convincing manner but does, however, manage to do a pretty solid job in the scenes where she is required to act scared. The best of the three leading girls is unquestionably Susan Buckner, who is best known for having played Patty in GREASE (1978). Buckner is definitely the most interesting of the three girls and is also given the more compelling storyline (a forbidden romance between her and a Hittite boy). She’s sweet, sympathetic and very charming – a character that we immediately like and don’t want her to die. It’s safe to say Buckner would have been excellent as the leading lady, and it’s highly unfortunate that an actress with such a natural screen presence didn’t go on to appear in any further films. 

For his portrayal of the deranged Isaiah, Ernest Borgnine received a Razzie Award nomination for worst supporting actor, but although it’s completely undeniable that Borgnine’s crazy, eye-rolling performance here is way over the top, he is still a remarkably likeable actor and is great fun to watch. Having him spout silly dialogue like “You are a stench in the nostrils of God!” and manically beating poor, insolent boys with a wooden stick adds a lot to the film’s entertainment value. 

The supporting cast is quite impressive too. Lisa Hartman and Lois Nettleton are both in top form as an odd mother and daughter pair living near the girls, and they visibly have fun with their roles. Jeff East, who played the young Clark Kent in SUPERMAN (1978) is very likeable in his well-developed role of the young Hittite boy who falls for Susan Buckner, while Colleen Riley, who Craven used again in THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 (1983), is highly convincing as East’s fundamentally religious bride-to-be. Finally, it’s great to see Craven favorite Michael Berryman in yet another superb creepy role as one of the sinister sect members. 

After years of elusiveness, Australian DVD company Umbrella Entertainment finally gave us a DVD release of DEADLY BLESSING in October 2007, and, as usual, Umbrella have done a pretty good job. The film is presented in its correct 1.85:1 ratio with anamorphic enhancement, and the correct aspect ratio is crucial to the film. Most VHS releases of the film were open matte versions containing picture information that was never supposed to be seen; most notoriously the sight of Maren Jensen’s body double wearing black panties in the bathtub scene with the snake. Now we can finally see the film as it was meant to look, without the unintentionally funny sight of any panties. As far as the actual picture quality goes, we are given a good clean print with solid colors but there is, however, a fair amount of grain to be found. The audio isn’t bad either: James Horner’s score comes through very well, and the dialogue is clear and free of any hiss but sounds as if it has a slightly lower sound level than the music. 

In the supplement department there’s only really one extra but it’s a pretty good one: an audio commentary with Wes Craven. Craven, together with a moderator, has plenty of interesting things to say and is fairly lively to listen to. The moderator has to push him with questions on some points – especially in the beginning – but he loosens up pretty fast. Craven discusses everything from religious influence and his fear of his own strict father, to how unbearably cold it was during the shooting (something you’d never guess when looking at the film). He also discusses his experiences working with the cast, shooting on a big budget for the first time, how the producers insisted on having the girls prance around in lingerie for of the film, and how all of the crew loved Susan Buckner and picked her as the most attractive of the girls, above the more obvious choice of Sharon Stone. Finally, he also explains how the infamous shock ending was filmed at a later date at the behest of the producers. Craven expresses a lot of regret for having given in to the producers’ will and shot the scene. Overall, it’s very cool to hear him discuss both what works and what doesn’t about the film, and in spite of the occasional dead spot, this is a good, engaging listen. The only other extras are trailers for other Umbrella releases but, sadly, no trailer for DEADLY BLESSING itself. 

This potpourri of different themes may not appeal to all audiences, and while the weak conclusion bogs the film down somewhat, DEADLY BLESSING is still a highly satisfying and inspired horror film that compares favorably with many of the mediocre films Craven made post-ELM STREET. It’s definitely worth checking out! 

Purchase the Special Edition Pal DVD at X-Ploited Cinema
 

STORY/FILM- 3.5/5 BITCH SLAPS
PICTURE- 4/5 BITCH SLAPS
AUDIO- 2.5/5 BITCH SLAPS
EXTRAS- 2.5/5 BITCH SLAPS
OVERALL DVD- 3.5/5 BITCH SLAPS