Deadly Blessing *** (1981, Maren Jensen, Sharon Stone, Susan Buckner, Ernest Borgnine, Jeff East, Lisa Hartman, Lois Nettleton) – Classic Movie Review 11,068

‘Pray you’re not blessed.’

The 1981 horror Deadly Blessing is goremeister director Wes Craven’s outdoors chiller about three women who are seemingly terrorised by a strict religious group led by Isaiah Schmidt (Ernest Borgnine).

After a former Hittite farming community resident is killed in a mysterious tractor incident, his terrified widowed bride Martha Schmidt (Maren Jensen) invites two friends Lana Marcus (Sharon Stone) and Vicky Anderson (Susan Buckner) to stay at her country house, sparking a series of horrific incidents, involving Isaiah Schmidt (Borgnine), the murdered husband’s father.

Craven delivers a spine-tingling chiller that only goes off the rails late on. The film motors on a satisfying series of effectively nasty scares, and good performances, though it is dragged down with a few too many dull bits and an unsatisfying, daft conclusion.

Deadly Blessing is stylishly filmed by Craven, compensating frantically – with the assets of Robert Jessup’s fine cinematography and James Horner’s equally effective score – for a script that does not have quite enough going on or going for it.

Also in the cast are Jeff East, Lisa Hartman, Lois Nettleton, Colleen Riley, Michael Berryman, Kevin Cooney and Douglas Barr.

It is shot at Waxahachie, Texas; Bardwell, Texas; Tara Movie Theater, Ennis, Texas; and Isaiah Schmidt Ranch, Carrollton, Texas.

Deadly Blessing is directed by Wes Craven, runs 100 minutes is made by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Inter Planetary, is released by United Artists (1981) (US) and Barber International (UK), is written by Glenn M Benest, Matthew Barr and Wes Craven, based on Glenn M Benest and Matthew Barr’s story, is shot in Metrocolor by Robert C Jessup, is produced by Micheline H Keller, Max A Keller, Patricia S Herskovic and William S Gilmore (executive producer), is scored by James Horner, and designed by Jack Marty, with special effects by Jack Bennett.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,068

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