WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Scott LeBrun A sadly overlooked item on director Wes Craven's resume, the rural horror flick "Deadly Blessing" benefits from its rustic setting, its spooky atmosphere, its show stopping shocks, and a fine cast. It stars Maren Jensen of the original 'Battlestar Galactica' as Martha, who's married to Jim (Douglas Barr), a former member of the Hittites, a strict religious sect who are described as "making the Amish look like swingers". Jim is killed in a mysterious incident involving his tractor, and when soon after Martha is visited by friends Lana (Sharon Stone) and Vicky (Susan Buckner), they all begin to be terrorized. Could the Hittites be responsible, or is there some real evil at work here? Location filming in Ohio and Texas adds a lot to this fairly creepy film, with Craven and a capable cast & crew making the most of the material. It's certainly an interesting enough look into a different culture, and of course prefigures the Harrison Ford vehicle "Witness" by a few years. It's got some nicely freaky twists and turns as it nears its end, and has an effective "anything goes" attitude. The best moments revolve around incidents with animals, one with a snake in the bathtub (some of the shots in this sequence would be revisited by Craven in "A Nightmare on Elm Street"), and another with a spider on the ceiling. James Horner composed the eerie music score that on occasion sounds somewhat like his "Humanoids from the Deep" score. The production design (by Jack Marty) and cinematography (by Robert C. Jessup) are first rate. The actors are all entertaining to watch, especially veterans Ernest Borgnine as domineering Hittite leader Isaiah and Lois Nettleton as friendly local Louisa Stohler. The three leading ladies are just gorgeous to look at. Also appearing are the always likable Jeff East ("Pumpkinhead") as Borgnines' son who ultimately defies the old man, Lisa Hartman (in the role that officially introduced her) as Louisas' daughter Faith, and Michael Berryman ("The Hills Have Eyes"), who's lots of fun as the trouble making William Gluntz; Percy Rodrigues, whose rich voice has graced many a trailer for a genre film, does the opening and closing narration. The ending may seem to come out of nowhere (and in fact the producers insisted on it, after the fact, claiming that the original ending wasn't punchy enough), but it does make some sense to this viewer. Some trivia worth noting is that the title 'Summer of Fear' (named after a TV movie Craven had done previously) appears on a theatre marquee. This film has been MIA on DVD & Blu-ray for so long that it's nice that Scream Factory finally stepped up to the plate to give it the respectful presentation that it deserves. Seven out of 10.

ersinkdotcom Jim Schmidt (Doug Barr) turns his back on his Hittite faith and moves to the city to start a new life. He returns with his new bride, Martha (Maren Jensen), to the place he grew up. His father, Isaiah (Ernest Borgnine), and family have disowned him for leaving the Hittite faith. They will have nothing to do with him or his bride. When Jim is killed in a mysterious tractor accident, Martha begins to suspect that the Hittites are trying to drive her away from the land she lives on and still claim is theirs. A series of brutal murders further prove something's not right in the little country community.Director Wes Craven obviously used "Deadly Blessing" as practicing grounds for his future horror exploits. One example is a very familiar camera angle used in "Deadly Blessing" that he re-used in the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street." It left me smiling throughout the entire sequence. One thing I'll give Craven is he knows how to drum up enough suspense to make you nervously bite your fingernails through pacing and editing alone. There are some genuinely nerve-wracking moments in "Deadly Blessing."The movie boasts an interesting variety of cast members at various times in their careers. "Deadly Blessing" is Maren Jensen's ("Battlestar Galactica") last big-screen role. It features Sharon Stone in one of her first film appearances. Genre-favorite Michael Berryman ("The Hills Have Eyes") appears as a creepy mentally handicapped Hittite.Ernest Borgnine had already won Academy and Golden Globe Awards before taking the role of cult leader Isaiah. Any other actor of his caliber probably would've stuck his nose up in the air and walked away when offered this role in a low-budget horror film. Borgnine instead throws himself into the character and adds a level of class to the movie that takes it to a whole new level.

shmucking Rural thriller about a young woman and her friends being stalked by an unknown presence and dealing with an intimidating cult-like group of religious fanatics. First of all, this movie has a genuinely spooky vibe that is maintained throughout the entire movie. It never lets up for a minute, and holds the audience in it's spell. The photography and music is very effective and atmospheric, and all the actors maintain the seriousness, never giving way to campy self-awareness. Ernest Borgnine has an intensity that comes off very well, and the other actors similarly aren't afraid to be very emotional and revealing. There's some excellent scary scenes and some other ones that are just very intense. My only criticism is that the ending seems too abrupt. I wish the movie had gone on longer. This is the kind of film that can get inside your subconscious and haunt your dreams if you open yourself up to it's spell. A one of a kind movie that effectively presents a memorably haunting atmosphere.

Michael_Elliott Deadly Blessing (1981) ** (out of 4) A rather strange, lifeless and forgotten picture from Wes Craven has a woman (Maren Jensen) returning to an Amish-like community with her husband who used to be a member of them. The husband dies under strange circumstances and soon the woman finds herself under attack by someone who doesn't want her there. DEADLY BLESSING is a rather deadly weird movie. For the life of me I couldn't understand if this thing wanted to be some sort of supernatural film or a slasher. Perhaps the film started off as something more supernatural but after the success of Friday THE 13TH it had a few changes to add in some extra gore and violence. The final ten-minutes really seemed to be influence by certain aspects in Friday THE 13TH but I won't name them to avoid spoilers for those who haven't seen the film. For the most part this is a pretty weak film but I think Craven makes it a lot better than it would have been had someone else been in the director's chair. The highlight of the film is an incredibly intense sequence where our main character is taken a bath and someone puts a snake in there with her. This entire sequence is utterly creepy in the way Craven directs the build-up as well as him being able to milk every inch of tension out of it. There are also several shots here that Craven would rip-off from himself in A NIGHTMARE ONE ELM STREET during the sequence where Nancy is taking a bath. The film contains some nudity (a rare thing for Craven), some bloody violence and a nice twist ending but none of these things can completely make up for the flaws. The biggest flaw is that this thing is really dragged out at 101-minutes and the entire subplot of one of the boys from the group wanting to break free and join the real world just adds up to a lot of boring nothings. The performances are also rather hit and miss, although I did like Jensen in her lead role. It was also somewhat fun seeing Sharon Stone playing on of her friends but the performance itself isn't all that great. Former Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine plays the leader of the group in what has to be called one of his least memorable screen roles. Michael Berryman also appears as one of the family members. DEADLY BLESSING might be of interest to fans of the cast or those wanting to see everything Craven has directed but others will want to stay clear as it just can't overcome the weak story.