Director: Wes Craven
Starring: Maren Jensen, Sharon Stone, Susan Buckner, Ernest Borgnine, Jeff East, Colleen Riley, Douglas Barr, Lisa Hartman, Lois Nettleton, Michael Berryman,
Running Time: 104 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Extras: Interview With Wes Craven, Retrospective On Michael Berryman’s Career, Deadly Desires, Audio Commentary, Trailer
Wes Craven is often seen as a horror icon thanks to his films LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and SCREAM. Buried away among such classics is a forgotten film which many have never heard of, DEADLY BLESSING.
DEADLY BLESSING takes place in an Amish-like community, run by a religious group known as the Hittite. As described by one character “they make the Amish look like swingers.” Jim Schmidt has recently been expelled from the group due to his marriage to an outsider the Hittite refer to as an ‘Incubus’; a devil that seduces you in your sleep. After Jim is killed by his tractor, his widow Martha (Jensen), is joined by two city friends to help cope with her grief.
The film builds fear in an expert fashion. It starts with a dark score and black and white photos, but the photos soon become colourful and the score sounds relatively upbeat, we’re put at ease before we’ve even begun. The whole community is soon represented as a terrifying place for outsiders, where religious beliefs trump humane behaviour. But at the same time, Craven doesn’t make it such an unwelcoming atmosphere as to immediately chase his protagonists out of town. We can easily understand why Martha stays around, as she has a point to prove without coming across as stubborn.
Craven uses many skills for which he would later become a master. The most interesting aspect of the film is that it doesn’t fall easily into one form of horror. There are moments that resemble a slasher film, such as first person shots and hiding the killer’s identity, but at the same time there’s a supernatural air which plays upon the religious themes present. Sharon Stone, in her second film appearance, plays one of Martha’s friends and begins to have dreams about what exactly is going on. Even these dream sequences are handled well and woven gradually into the tapestry of the film. It starts with Lana (Stone) recalling her dreams through dialogue, and it isn’t until later we are allowed to experience them visually.
Beautifully shot throughout, cinematographer Robert Jessup turns rather bland landscapes into artistic landscapes. A necessity as it brings a visual consistency that the story fails to deliver. No doubt DEADLY BLESSING is brimming with grand ideas memorable set pieces (there’s even a blueprint for the bathtub scene in NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), and it’s enough to make this a worthwhile and entertaining viewing.
Extras: Great interviews with Craven, Berryman, and co-writer/producer Glenn M. Benest, where each of them is very honest about their experiences on the film and what they truly think. The retrospective on Berryman’s career, lead by Berryman himself, will certainly be a must for any horror fan as he has a gentle but direct way of speaking, especially when dealing out anecdotes. The commentary by Wes Craven is very informative and once again shows Craven’s honesty when discussing his work. Never before having been released on DVD, let alone Blu-ray, this is a great transfer that gets the balances of light and shade exactly right.
DEADLY BLESSING is released on DVD and Blu-ray 25th March. It’s distributed by Arrow Video.
