Well a Wes Craven what could go wrong with a Wes Craven Film
Rotten Tomatoes
Deadly Blessing, a disappointing effort from famed horror-film
director Wes Craven, tells the story of a woman's fight against a
religious cult which will not stop at murder. Martha (Maren Jensen)
lives alone near a conservative, repressive religious cult led by Isaiah
(Ernest Borgnine). Martha's husband was murdered under mysterious
circumstances after he left the cult. Martha and her two visiting
friends Vicky (Susan Buckner) and Lana (Sharon Stone) find themselves
being pressured to live in
the area and they begin
having nightmares and accidents. Soon more murders begin, and the woman
fear for their lives. Craven gets good performances from his cast and
bases his plot on the interesting premise of persecution and
retribution, but the unsatisfying and implausible ending ruins what
suspense he has built. While on the whole, the film is a failure, it has
outstanding cinematography by Robert Jessup and a beautiful score
composed by James Horner. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
'Deadly Blessing' Is Wes Craven's Misstep on the Way to Elm Street
By
W. Scott Poole 24 January 2013
A horror subgenre best described as “religious horror” first emerged in the late ‘60s with
Rosemary’s Baby. By the time
The Exorcist
spit pea soup on audiences in December of 1973, religion as a symbol
system for producing terror had become as much a part of the horror
tradition as mad scientists and vampires.
In the ‘80s, religious-themed terror took a jingoistic turn. In a decade that began with the Mariana boat lift, films like
Angel Heart and
The Believers fed off of fears of foreign “cults”. In other words, the fear of the immigrant Other.
Religious horror could also fuel the fear of the Other within.
Americans felt threatened by more than strange religions from foreign
shores.
Deadly Blessing fits snuggly into this unfortunate trend
with a portrayal of a homegrown religious cult, a group known as the
Hittites modeled closely on the Amish (though in a snatch of dialogue
makes it clear that they are not the Amish). The Hittites believe that
some strangers in their midst, recently widowed Maren Jensen and her two
friends from L.A. played by Susan Buckner and Sharon Stone, are aligned
with “the Incubus”, an explained source of seductive evil (not,
strangely, the succubus, usually the name given to feminized evil).
The plot devolves rather quickly into a cross between a slasher film
and a rather pedestrian murder mystery that may or may not have a
supernatural background. Meanwhile, Sharon Stone wears a lot of lingerie
and other things happen.
In other words, this is not a film to snatch up. By the time Craven made
Deadly Blessing, he had already directed two horror classics,
The Last House on the Left and
The Hills Have Eyes.
Nightmare on Elm Street, his masterpiece before the making of
Scream, would come in 1984. Craven explains the origin of
Deadly Blessing as coming out of TV work that he did with producer Max Heller. Unfortunately,
Deadly Blessing has the feel of a made-for-TV effort, with a bit of nudity added here and there to insure an R-rating.
In other words, there’s not much here for horror fans to love.
There’s a slightly creepy scene involving a tarantula. Michael Berryman
looks as disturbing as he did in
The Hills have Eyes, but does
little more than slink around farmhouses and barns before he himself
becomes a victim of whatever exactly is happening in Hittite country.
The one real tour de force here involves Maren Jensen in the bathtub
with (paging Dr. Freud) a snake. Not only does the scene successfully
shows off Craven’s genius for horror, the shot will be immediately
recognizable to horror fans. This sequence is, almost frame for frame,
Craven’s scratch work for the infamous scene in
Nightmare on Elm Street when Freddy’s glove rises menacingly between Heather Langenkamps’ legs. The snake is, if anything, much more effective.
Special features focus on how
Deadly Blessing included an odd
ensemble of actor ranging from Ernest Borgnine to Sharon Stone to Lisa
Hartman and Craven alum Michael Berryman. Craven in the excellent audio
commentary describes himself as being mostly in charge of the casting
process. If this is the case, he put together a cast from which he could
get good performances in the midst of a bad script and a plot that
staggers like its drunk.
Craven also tells us that he himself did an extensive rewrite on the
work, suggesting that it came in rather bad shape. Interestingly the
disc features a short interview with screenwriters Glenn Benest and
Matthew Barr. They came at the script, apparently, with some fairly
half-baked Freudianism. Benest and Barr basically suggest that they
shaped the story and Craven did rewrite most of the script. They give
him substantial credit for the few jump scares the film pulls off.
Other features include a discussion of the unfortunate creature
effects at the end (both screenwriters were appalled at the ending and
you will be, too). Horror fans will be delighted with an interview with
icon Michael Berryman, well known to Craven aficionados.
The surprises ending of
Deadly Blessing, fairly well
telegraphed in an earlier scene or two, comes with an abrupt shock that
apparently cost the studio an extra hundred thousand dollars and
actually destroyed what little of value could have be salvaged from the
plot.
In fact, perhaps the most positive thing I can say about the special
edition of the film is its packaging. Its released in a distressed DVD
box that gives it the appearance of a well-used VHS tape of a trashy
horror film from the ‘80s. In other words, it hopes to sell itself on
its B-flick origins.
Sadly, there are a lot better B-grade horror flicks from that era worth owning. This is one for Craven completists only.
Full Film on
SnagFilms
PLOT-CRUNCH
Hot chick (Maren Jensen)
lives in the Pennsylvania farmlands with her man. One night her husband
mysteriously kicks the bucket which results in her two best friends
coming down from the city to have her back. Next thing ya know, peeps
are dying, dangerous animals keep popping up in the girls bizznaz while
the Amish-like neighbors (the Hitittes) bust chops and name drop the
word “Incubus” any chance they get. WTF is going on here! A deadly
blessing bitches, that's what!
THE LOWDOWN
This past weekend was the so
called rapture (am still here, I guess I'll be partying in hell... along
with the rest of the population) and I celebrated it with FINALLY
clocking Wes Craven's first Studio effort DEADLY BLESSING. I had bought a
bootleg of it eons ago at a Comic Con and only now did I give it a
whirl. Hey, shit takes the time it takes. DEADLY BLESSING came after
Craven's indie shockers THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), THE HILLS
HAVE EYES (1977) and the TV Movie SUMMER OF FEAR (1978). It marked his
return to the big screen where he damn belonged. So how did it go down?
Smooth as a hooker's well moisturized ass!
DEADLY BLESSING made my day in an “I so missed old school” kind of way.
The image was grainy (mostly cause my copy was a rip of a VHS with lines
that scroll up through the image and all... nice), the pace
deliberately slow (in a good way) and the scares handled in a simple yet
efficient manner. In fact DEADLY BLESSING totally came across as Wes
Craven's training-wheels effort for NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and SCREAM.
There was a bathtub scene in here that was pretty much a repeat of the
Elm Street rub-a-dub bit. Same went for the way Craven shot the ominous
looking house, how he conveyed the teen dynamic and used bad dreams to
up the “brrr” of the piece. At some point, Sharon Stone's character yaps
about a nightmare she had, having to do with a spider and some scary
dude calling her name. If I squinted real hard, it could've been the
sequence from Elm Street when Tina tells Nancy about her nightmare. On
top of that, Maren Jensen was a dead ringer for Nancy (its the other way
around, but ya know what I mean). As for the Scream similarities? Try a
whodunit and a hooded killer dressed in black doing the stalker doo!
Yup, it was a trip to witness Craven doing his cinematic push-ups, the
pumps that would bring him to the Horror Master level he's at today.
What about the picture itself? Tight! The initial premise was gnarly,
the mystery had me bamboozled throughout and there were so many horror
subgenres at play here that it was tough to not find something to lust.
Am talking: a slasher, a supernatural ditty, a psychological ringer and a
religious horror jamboree...all rolled into one! Take that to the blood
bank and bleed it! Directing wise; the picture was filled with spooky
imagery, dread filled atmosphere, powerful wide shots and a money use of
the killer POV device. Moreover, Craven was “on” when it came to
surprising its audience (in this case me and my hand puppet Harry) and
even managed to spit out a couple of clit biting suspense laced
sequences. Oh and that red filter he slapped on during one of the kills?
GOLD! Loved it! The fine cast delivered big time as well. Maren Jensen
(Battlestar Gallactica), a young Sharon Stone (when she had meat on her
bones...yum), the sexy “I had the hots for her in this” Susan Buckner
(the preggers chick in Grease), Lisa Hartman, Jeff East, an
entertainingly scene gobbling Ernest Borgnine, Hills Have Eyes star
Michael Berryman... an eclectic and talented cast who brought validity
to the nutty proceedings. Add to that potent sound design (the wind
blowing = creepy) and a low key yet chilling score by James Horner
(chanting = creepy) and you get a rollicking fear flick that got the job
done!
So what dragged this sucka down? Well Sharon Stone's character and what
ailed her was a tad underused. She was also very whiny. Shape up girl!
Get up, dust yourself off, grab your crotch and scream “I am woman hear
me get the hell out of dodge!” The whole “why aren't they just leaving
that shit hole farm” thang also kept ringing in my hollow melon. When
you know things are getting dangerous; ya book out, no? Not these dames!
Sigh. My biggest peeve though was that the story was uber busy the
whole way, hinting at so much, but when the finale kicked in, I realized
that most of the buzz was for nothing. Taking into account what was
built up, I was let down by the WHY behind the madness. But hey I'm a
finicky f*ck. Lastly, the final frames were left field and somewhat
cheesy. Like really man? I could have easily gone without them. Seems
that the European release of the movie snipped out that final moment.
Good for them! They saw a better movie!
With that spat, buried, unearthed and necro-defiled DEADLY BLESSING made
for a compelling watch from start to finish. Not only cause it was
involving, frightening, with talent in front and behind the lens, but
also cause as a Wes Craven fan, it was dope to see early Craven flex his
shit. So you gonna get blessed by this one or what?
GORE
Pretty grandma dry. We get some stabbings, light blood and bullet hits. More red would have helped give this one further impact.
T & A
Maren Jensen treated us to her mini-Ts and sweet A. And there's another tangerine shot later on.
BOTTOM LINE
I love it when there are no
theatrical genre films spooking the big screen as it gives me a shot to
go back and crash older horror parties that I have yet to see. Horror
from the 70s and 80s are tops in my world and DEADLY BLESSING was no
exception. It had me hooked the whole way, showcased well done fear set
pieces, reeked of morose cinematography, was filled with swell ideas and
had a bang-on cast to boot. Bummer that it randomly suffered from the
usual duh horror pitfalls, Sharon Stone's character was a pinch
slim/grating, the final frames blew and that all it built up didn't
really come together come the finale. But ya know what? It didn't ruin
the movie for me, had a blast, hope it wont for you either. Next up, I
have yet to see LETS SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH, have owned it forever;
being that next weekend there are no genre theatrical releases... IT'S
ON!
BULL'S EYE
This was Sharon Stone's second movie.
A real spider was dropped into Stone's mouth and the only way she would
do the scene was to have the spider defanged. So they amputated the
insect... poor spider...
Actor Jeff East was also in Pumpkinhead (1988)
The film was shot on location in Lockhart, Texas.
During the tub scene, you can see Jensen's black panties beneath the bubbles. Booo!
- See more at: http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/reviews/deadly-blessing#sthash.ZPle3JIk.dpuf
PLOT-CRUNCH
Hot chick (Maren Jensen)
lives in the Pennsylvania farmlands with her man. One night her husband
mysteriously kicks the bucket which results in her two best friends
coming down from the city to have her back. Next thing ya know, peeps
are dying, dangerous animals keep popping up in the girls bizznaz while
the Amish-like neighbors (the Hitittes) bust chops and name drop the
word “Incubus” any chance they get. WTF is going on here! A deadly
blessing bitches, that's what!
THE LOWDOWN
This past weekend was the so
called rapture (am still here, I guess I'll be partying in hell... along
with the rest of the population) and I celebrated it with FINALLY
clocking Wes Craven's first Studio effort DEADLY BLESSING. I had bought a
bootleg of it eons ago at a Comic Con and only now did I give it a
whirl. Hey, shit takes the time it takes. DEADLY BLESSING came after
Craven's indie shockers THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), THE HILLS
HAVE EYES (1977) and the TV Movie SUMMER OF FEAR (1978). It marked his
return to the big screen where he damn belonged. So how did it go down?
Smooth as a hooker's well moisturized ass!
DEADLY BLESSING made my day in an “I so missed old school” kind of way.
The image was grainy (mostly cause my copy was a rip of a VHS with lines
that scroll up through the image and all... nice), the pace
deliberately slow (in a good way) and the scares handled in a simple yet
efficient manner. In fact DEADLY BLESSING totally came across as Wes
Craven's training-wheels effort for NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and SCREAM.
There was a bathtub scene in here that was pretty much a repeat of the
Elm Street rub-a-dub bit. Same went for the way Craven shot the ominous
looking house, how he conveyed the teen dynamic and used bad dreams to
up the “brrr” of the piece. At some point, Sharon Stone's character yaps
about a nightmare she had, having to do with a spider and some scary
dude calling her name. If I squinted real hard, it could've been the
sequence from Elm Street when Tina tells Nancy about her nightmare. On
top of that, Maren Jensen was a dead ringer for Nancy (its the other way
around, but ya know what I mean). As for the Scream similarities? Try a
whodunit and a hooded killer dressed in black doing the stalker doo!
Yup, it was a trip to witness Craven doing his cinematic push-ups, the
pumps that would bring him to the Horror Master level he's at today.
What about the picture itself? Tight! The initial premise was gnarly,
the mystery had me bamboozled throughout and there were so many horror
subgenres at play here that it was tough to not find something to lust.
Am talking: a slasher, a supernatural ditty, a psychological ringer and a
religious horror jamboree...all rolled into one! Take that to the blood
bank and bleed it! Directing wise; the picture was filled with spooky
imagery, dread filled atmosphere, powerful wide shots and a money use of
the killer POV device. Moreover, Craven was “on” when it came to
surprising its audience (in this case me and my hand puppet Harry) and
even managed to spit out a couple of clit biting suspense laced
sequences. Oh and that red filter he slapped on during one of the kills?
GOLD! Loved it! The fine cast delivered big time as well. Maren Jensen
(Battlestar Gallactica), a young Sharon Stone (when she had meat on her
bones...yum), the sexy “I had the hots for her in this” Susan Buckner
(the preggers chick in Grease), Lisa Hartman, Jeff East, an
entertainingly scene gobbling Ernest Borgnine, Hills Have Eyes star
Michael Berryman... an eclectic and talented cast who brought validity
to the nutty proceedings. Add to that potent sound design (the wind
blowing = creepy) and a low key yet chilling score by James Horner
(chanting = creepy) and you get a rollicking fear flick that got the job
done!
So what dragged this sucka down? Well Sharon Stone's character and what
ailed her was a tad underused. She was also very whiny. Shape up girl!
Get up, dust yourself off, grab your crotch and scream “I am woman hear
me get the hell out of dodge!” The whole “why aren't they just leaving
that shit hole farm” thang also kept ringing in my hollow melon. When
you know things are getting dangerous; ya book out, no? Not these dames!
Sigh. My biggest peeve though was that the story was uber busy the
whole way, hinting at so much, but when the finale kicked in, I realized
that most of the buzz was for nothing. Taking into account what was
built up, I was let down by the WHY behind the madness. But hey I'm a
finicky f*ck. Lastly, the final frames were left field and somewhat
cheesy. Like really man? I could have easily gone without them. Seems
that the European release of the movie snipped out that final moment.
Good for them! They saw a better movie!
With that spat, buried, unearthed and necro-defiled DEADLY BLESSING made
for a compelling watch from start to finish. Not only cause it was
involving, frightening, with talent in front and behind the lens, but
also cause as a Wes Craven fan, it was dope to see early Craven flex his
shit. So you gonna get blessed by this one or what?
GORE
Pretty grandma dry. We get some stabbings, light blood and bullet hits. More red would have helped give this one further impact.
T & A
Maren Jensen treated us to her mini-Ts and sweet A. And there's another tangerine shot later on.
BOTTOM LINE
I love it when there are no
theatrical genre films spooking the big screen as it gives me a shot to
go back and crash older horror parties that I have yet to see. Horror
from the 70s and 80s are tops in my world and DEADLY BLESSING was no
exception. It had me hooked the whole way, showcased well done fear set
pieces, reeked of morose cinematography, was filled with swell ideas and
had a bang-on cast to boot. Bummer that it randomly suffered from the
usual duh horror pitfalls, Sharon Stone's character was a pinch
slim/grating, the final frames blew and that all it built up didn't
really come together come the finale. But ya know what? It didn't ruin
the movie for me, had a blast, hope it wont for you either. Next up, I
have yet to see LETS SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH, have owned it forever;
being that next weekend there are no genre theatrical releases... IT'S
ON!
BULL'S EYE
This was Sharon Stone's second movie.
A real spider was dropped into Stone's mouth and the only way she would
do the scene was to have the spider defanged. So they amputated the
insect... poor spider...
Actor Jeff East was also in Pumpkinhead (1988)
The film was shot on location in Lockhart, Texas.
During the tub scene, you can see Jensen's black panties beneath the bubbles. Booo!
- See more at: http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/reviews/deadly-blessing#sthash.ZPle3JIk.dpuf
PLOT-CRUNCH
Hot chick (Maren Jensen)
lives in the Pennsylvania farmlands with her man. One night her husband
mysteriously kicks the bucket which results in her two best friends
coming down from the city to have her back. Next thing ya know, peeps
are dying, dangerous animals keep popping up in the girls bizznaz while
the Amish-like neighbors (the Hitittes) bust chops and name drop the
word “Incubus” any chance they get. WTF is going on here! A deadly
blessing bitches, that's what!
THE LOWDOWN
This past weekend was the so
called rapture (am still here, I guess I'll be partying in hell... along
with the rest of the population) and I celebrated it with FINALLY
clocking Wes Craven's first Studio effort DEADLY BLESSING. I had bought a
bootleg of it eons ago at a Comic Con and only now did I give it a
whirl. Hey, shit takes the time it takes. DEADLY BLESSING came after
Craven's indie shockers THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), THE HILLS
HAVE EYES (1977) and the TV Movie SUMMER OF FEAR (1978). It marked his
return to the big screen where he damn belonged. So how did it go down?
Smooth as a hooker's well moisturized ass!
DEADLY BLESSING made my day in an “I so missed old school” kind of way.
The image was grainy (mostly cause my copy was a rip of a VHS with lines
that scroll up through the image and all... nice), the pace
deliberately slow (in a good way) and the scares handled in a simple yet
efficient manner. In fact DEADLY BLESSING totally came across as Wes
Craven's training-wheels effort for NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and SCREAM.
There was a bathtub scene in here that was pretty much a repeat of the
Elm Street rub-a-dub bit. Same went for the way Craven shot the ominous
looking house, how he conveyed the teen dynamic and used bad dreams to
up the “brrr” of the piece. At some point, Sharon Stone's character yaps
about a nightmare she had, having to do with a spider and some scary
dude calling her name. If I squinted real hard, it could've been the
sequence from Elm Street when Tina tells Nancy about her nightmare. On
top of that, Maren Jensen was a dead ringer for Nancy (its the other way
around, but ya know what I mean). As for the Scream similarities? Try a
whodunit and a hooded killer dressed in black doing the stalker doo!
Yup, it was a trip to witness Craven doing his cinematic push-ups, the
pumps that would bring him to the Horror Master level he's at today.
What about the picture itself? Tight! The initial premise was gnarly,
the mystery had me bamboozled throughout and there were so many horror
subgenres at play here that it was tough to not find something to lust.
Am talking: a slasher, a supernatural ditty, a psychological ringer and a
religious horror jamboree...all rolled into one! Take that to the blood
bank and bleed it! Directing wise; the picture was filled with spooky
imagery, dread filled atmosphere, powerful wide shots and a money use of
the killer POV device. Moreover, Craven was “on” when it came to
surprising its audience (in this case me and my hand puppet Harry) and
even managed to spit out a couple of clit biting suspense laced
sequences. Oh and that red filter he slapped on during one of the kills?
GOLD! Loved it! The fine cast delivered big time as well. Maren Jensen
(Battlestar Gallactica), a young Sharon Stone (when she had meat on her
bones...yum), the sexy “I had the hots for her in this” Susan Buckner
(the preggers chick in Grease), Lisa Hartman, Jeff East, an
entertainingly scene gobbling Ernest Borgnine, Hills Have Eyes star
Michael Berryman... an eclectic and talented cast who brought validity
to the nutty proceedings. Add to that potent sound design (the wind
blowing = creepy) and a low key yet chilling score by James Horner
(chanting = creepy) and you get a rollicking fear flick that got the job
done!
So what dragged this sucka down? Well Sharon Stone's character and what
ailed her was a tad underused. She was also very whiny. Shape up girl!
Get up, dust yourself off, grab your crotch and scream “I am woman hear
me get the hell out of dodge!” The whole “why aren't they just leaving
that shit hole farm” thang also kept ringing in my hollow melon. When
you know things are getting dangerous; ya book out, no? Not these dames!
Sigh. My biggest peeve though was that the story was uber busy the
whole way, hinting at so much, but when the finale kicked in, I realized
that most of the buzz was for nothing. Taking into account what was
built up, I was let down by the WHY behind the madness. But hey I'm a
finicky f*ck. Lastly, the final frames were left field and somewhat
cheesy. Like really man? I could have easily gone without them. Seems
that the European release of the movie snipped out that final moment.
Good for them! They saw a better movie!
With that spat, buried, unearthed and necro-defiled DEADLY BLESSING made
for a compelling watch from start to finish. Not only cause it was
involving, frightening, with talent in front and behind the lens, but
also cause as a Wes Craven fan, it was dope to see early Craven flex his
shit. So you gonna get blessed by this one or what?
GORE
Pretty grandma dry. We get some stabbings, light blood and bullet hits. More red would have helped give this one further impact.
T & A
Maren Jensen treated us to her mini-Ts and sweet A. And there's another tangerine shot later on.
BOTTOM LINE
I love it when there are no
theatrical genre films spooking the big screen as it gives me a shot to
go back and crash older horror parties that I have yet to see. Horror
from the 70s and 80s are tops in my world and DEADLY BLESSING was no
exception. It had me hooked the whole way, showcased well done fear set
pieces, reeked of morose cinematography, was filled with swell ideas and
had a bang-on cast to boot. Bummer that it randomly suffered from the
usual duh horror pitfalls, Sharon Stone's character was a pinch
slim/grating, the final frames blew and that all it built up didn't
really come together come the finale. But ya know what? It didn't ruin
the movie for me, had a blast, hope it wont for you either. Next up, I
have yet to see LETS SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH, have owned it forever;
being that next weekend there are no genre theatrical releases... IT'S
ON!
BULL'S EYE
This was Sharon Stone's second movie.
A real spider was dropped into Stone's mouth and the only way she would
do the scene was to have the spider defanged. So they amputated the
insect... poor spider...
Actor Jeff East was also in Pumpkinhead (1988)
The film was shot on location in Lockhart, Texas.
During the tub scene, you can see Jensen's black panties beneath the bubbles. Booo!
- See more at: http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/reviews/deadly-blessing#sthash.ZPle3JIk.dpuf
PLOT-CRUNCH
Hot chick (Maren Jensen)
lives in the Pennsylvania farmlands with her man. One night her husband
mysteriously kicks the bucket which results in her two best friends
coming down from the city to have her back. Next thing ya know, peeps
are dying, dangerous animals keep popping up in the girls bizznaz while
the Amish-like neighbors (the Hitittes) bust chops and name drop the
word “Incubus” any chance they get. WTF is going on here! A deadly
blessing bitches, that's what!
THE LOWDOWN
This past weekend was the so
called rapture (am still here, I guess I'll be partying in hell... along
with the rest of the population) and I celebrated it with FINALLY
clocking Wes Craven's first Studio effort DEADLY BLESSING. I had bought a
bootleg of it eons ago at a Comic Con and only now did I give it a
whirl. Hey, shit takes the time it takes. DEADLY BLESSING came after
Craven's indie shockers THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), THE HILLS
HAVE EYES (1977) and the TV Movie SUMMER OF FEAR (1978). It marked his
return to the big screen where he damn belonged. So how did it go down?
Smooth as a hooker's well moisturized ass!
DEADLY BLESSING made my day in an “I so missed old school” kind of way.
The image was grainy (mostly cause my copy was a rip of a VHS with lines
that scroll up through the image and all... nice), the pace
deliberately slow (in a good way) and the scares handled in a simple yet
efficient manner. In fact DEADLY BLESSING totally came across as Wes
Craven's training-wheels effort for NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and SCREAM.
There was a bathtub scene in here that was pretty much a repeat of the
Elm Street rub-a-dub bit. Same went for the way Craven shot the ominous
looking house, how he conveyed the teen dynamic and used bad dreams to
up the “brrr” of the piece. At some point, Sharon Stone's character yaps
about a nightmare she had, having to do with a spider and some scary
dude calling her name. If I squinted real hard, it could've been the
sequence from Elm Street when Tina tells Nancy about her nightmare. On
top of that, Maren Jensen was a dead ringer for Nancy (its the other way
around, but ya know what I mean). As for the Scream similarities? Try a
whodunit and a hooded killer dressed in black doing the stalker doo!
Yup, it was a trip to witness Craven doing his cinematic push-ups, the
pumps that would bring him to the Horror Master level he's at today.
What about the picture itself? Tight! The initial premise was gnarly,
the mystery had me bamboozled throughout and there were so many horror
subgenres at play here that it was tough to not find something to lust.
Am talking: a slasher, a supernatural ditty, a psychological ringer and a
religious horror jamboree...all rolled into one! Take that to the blood
bank and bleed it! Directing wise; the picture was filled with spooky
imagery, dread filled atmosphere, powerful wide shots and a money use of
the killer POV device. Moreover, Craven was “on” when it came to
surprising its audience (in this case me and my hand puppet Harry) and
even managed to spit out a couple of clit biting suspense laced
sequences. Oh and that red filter he slapped on during one of the kills?
GOLD! Loved it! The fine cast delivered big time as well. Maren Jensen
(Battlestar Gallactica), a young Sharon Stone (when she had meat on her
bones...yum), the sexy “I had the hots for her in this” Susan Buckner
(the preggers chick in Grease), Lisa Hartman, Jeff East, an
entertainingly scene gobbling Ernest Borgnine, Hills Have Eyes star
Michael Berryman... an eclectic and talented cast who brought validity
to the nutty proceedings. Add to that potent sound design (the wind
blowing = creepy) and a low key yet chilling score by James Horner
(chanting = creepy) and you get a rollicking fear flick that got the job
done!
So what dragged this sucka down? Well Sharon Stone's character and what
ailed her was a tad underused. She was also very whiny. Shape up girl!
Get up, dust yourself off, grab your crotch and scream “I am woman hear
me get the hell out of dodge!” The whole “why aren't they just leaving
that shit hole farm” thang also kept ringing in my hollow melon. When
you know things are getting dangerous; ya book out, no? Not these dames!
Sigh. My biggest peeve though was that the story was uber busy the
whole way, hinting at so much, but when the finale kicked in, I realized
that most of the buzz was for nothing. Taking into account what was
built up, I was let down by the WHY behind the madness. But hey I'm a
finicky f*ck. Lastly, the final frames were left field and somewhat
cheesy. Like really man? I could have easily gone without them. Seems
that the European release of the movie snipped out that final moment.
Good for them! They saw a better movie!
With that spat, buried, unearthed and necro-defiled DEADLY BLESSING made
for a compelling watch from start to finish. Not only cause it was
involving, frightening, with talent in front and behind the lens, but
also cause as a Wes Craven fan, it was dope to see early Craven flex his
shit. So you gonna get blessed by this one or what?
GORE
Pretty grandma dry. We get some stabbings, light blood and bullet hits. More red would have helped give this one further impact.
T & A
Maren Jensen treated us to her mini-Ts and sweet A. And there's another tangerine shot later on.
BOTTOM LINE
I love it when there are no
theatrical genre films spooking the big screen as it gives me a shot to
go back and crash older horror parties that I have yet to see. Horror
from the 70s and 80s are tops in my world and DEADLY BLESSING was no
exception. It had me hooked the whole way, showcased well done fear set
pieces, reeked of morose cinematography, was filled with swell ideas and
had a bang-on cast to boot. Bummer that it randomly suffered from the
usual duh horror pitfalls, Sharon Stone's character was a pinch
slim/grating, the final frames blew and that all it built up didn't
really come together come the finale. But ya know what? It didn't ruin
the movie for me, had a blast, hope it wont for you either. Next up, I
have yet to see LETS SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH, have owned it forever;
being that next weekend there are no genre theatrical releases... IT'S
ON!
BULL'S EYE
This was Sharon Stone's second movie.
A real spider was dropped into Stone's mouth and the only way she would
do the scene was to have the spider defanged. So they amputated the
insect... poor spider...
Actor Jeff East was also in Pumpkinhead (1988)
The film was shot on location in Lockhart, Texas.
During the tub scene, you can see Jensen's black panties beneath the bubbles. Booo!
- See more at: http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/reviews/deadly-blessing#sthash.ZPle3JIk.dpuf
PLOT-CRUNCH
Hot chick (Maren Jensen)
lives in the Pennsylvania farmlands with her man. One night her husband
mysteriously kicks the bucket which results in her two best friends
coming down from the city to have her back. Next thing ya know, peeps
are dying, dangerous animals keep popping up in the girls bizznaz while
the Amish-like neighbors (the Hitittes) bust chops and name drop the
word “Incubus” any chance they get. WTF is going on here! A deadly
blessing bitches, that's what!
THE LOWDOWN
This past weekend was the so
called rapture (am still here, I guess I'll be partying in hell... along
with the rest of the population) and I celebrated it with FINALLY
clocking Wes Craven's first Studio effort DEADLY BLESSING. I had bought a
bootleg of it eons ago at a Comic Con and only now did I give it a
whirl. Hey, shit takes the time it takes. DEADLY BLESSING came after
Craven's indie shockers THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), THE HILLS
HAVE EYES (1977) and the TV Movie SUMMER OF FEAR (1978). It marked his
return to the big screen where he damn belonged. So how did it go down?
Smooth as a hooker's well moisturized ass!
DEADLY BLESSING made my day in an “I so missed old school” kind of way.
The image was grainy (mostly cause my copy was a rip of a VHS with lines
that scroll up through the image and all... nice), the pace
deliberately slow (in a good way) and the scares handled in a simple yet
efficient manner. In fact DEADLY BLESSING totally came across as Wes
Craven's training-wheels effort for NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and SCREAM.
There was a bathtub scene in here that was pretty much a repeat of the
Elm Street rub-a-dub bit. Same went for the way Craven shot the ominous
looking house, how he conveyed the teen dynamic and used bad dreams to
up the “brrr” of the piece. At some point, Sharon Stone's character yaps
about a nightmare she had, having to do with a spider and some scary
dude calling her name. If I squinted real hard, it could've been the
sequence from Elm Street when Tina tells Nancy about her nightmare. On
top of that, Maren Jensen was a dead ringer for Nancy (its the other way
around, but ya know what I mean). As for the Scream similarities? Try a
whodunit and a hooded killer dressed in black doing the stalker doo!
Yup, it was a trip to witness Craven doing his cinematic push-ups, the
pumps that would bring him to the Horror Master level he's at today.
What about the picture itself? Tight! The initial premise was gnarly,
the mystery had me bamboozled throughout and there were so many horror
subgenres at play here that it was tough to not find something to lust.
Am talking: a slasher, a supernatural ditty, a psychological ringer and a
religious horror jamboree...all rolled into one! Take that to the blood
bank and bleed it! Directing wise; the picture was filled with spooky
imagery, dread filled atmosphere, powerful wide shots and a money use of
the killer POV device. Moreover, Craven was “on” when it came to
surprising its audience (in this case me and my hand puppet Harry) and
even managed to spit out a couple of clit biting suspense laced
sequences. Oh and that red filter he slapped on during one of the kills?
GOLD! Loved it! The fine cast delivered big time as well. Maren Jensen
(Battlestar Gallactica), a young Sharon Stone (when she had meat on her
bones...yum), the sexy “I had the hots for her in this” Susan Buckner
(the preggers chick in Grease), Lisa Hartman, Jeff East, an
entertainingly scene gobbling Ernest Borgnine, Hills Have Eyes star
Michael Berryman... an eclectic and talented cast who brought validity
to the nutty proceedings. Add to that potent sound design (the wind
blowing = creepy) and a low key yet chilling score by James Horner
(chanting = creepy) and you get a rollicking fear flick that got the job
done!
So what dragged this sucka down? Well Sharon Stone's character and what
ailed her was a tad underused. She was also very whiny. Shape up girl!
Get up, dust yourself off, grab your crotch and scream “I am woman hear
me get the hell out of dodge!” The whole “why aren't they just leaving
that shit hole farm” thang also kept ringing in my hollow melon. When
you know things are getting dangerous; ya book out, no? Not these dames!
Sigh. My biggest peeve though was that the story was uber busy the
whole way, hinting at so much, but when the finale kicked in, I realized
that most of the buzz was for nothing. Taking into account what was
built up, I was let down by the WHY behind the madness. But hey I'm a
finicky f*ck. Lastly, the final frames were left field and somewhat
cheesy. Like really man? I could have easily gone without them. Seems
that the European release of the movie snipped out that final moment.
Good for them! They saw a better movie!
With that spat, buried, unearthed and necro-defiled DEADLY BLESSING made
for a compelling watch from start to finish. Not only cause it was
involving, frightening, with talent in front and behind the lens, but
also cause as a Wes Craven fan, it was dope to see early Craven flex his
shit. So you gonna get blessed by this one or what?
GORE
Pretty grandma dry. We get some stabbings, light blood and bullet hits. More red would have helped give this one further impact.
T & A
Maren Jensen treated us to her mini-Ts and sweet A. And there's another tangerine shot later on.
BOTTOM LINE
I love it when there are no
theatrical genre films spooking the big screen as it gives me a shot to
go back and crash older horror parties that I have yet to see. Horror
from the 70s and 80s are tops in my world and DEADLY BLESSING was no
exception. It had me hooked the whole way, showcased well done fear set
pieces, reeked of morose cinematography, was filled with swell ideas and
had a bang-on cast to boot. Bummer that it randomly suffered from the
usual duh horror pitfalls, Sharon Stone's character was a pinch
slim/grating, the final frames blew and that all it built up didn't
really come together come the finale. But ya know what? It didn't ruin
the movie for me, had a blast, hope it wont for you either. Next up, I
have yet to see LETS SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH, have owned it forever;
being that next weekend there are no genre theatrical releases... IT'S
ON!
BULL'S EYE
This was Sharon Stone's second movie.
A real spider was dropped into Stone's mouth and the only way she would
do the scene was to have the spider defanged. So they amputated the
insect... poor spider...
Actor Jeff East was also in Pumpkinhead (1988)
The film was shot on location in Lockhart, Texas.
During the tub scene, you can see Jensen's black panties beneath the bubbles. Booo!
- See more at: http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/reviews/deadly-blessing#sthash.ZPle3JIk.dpuf
