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Deadly Blessing

Deadly Blessing (1981)

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No Reviews Yet...

Release Date: Apr 14, 1982 Wide

audience

36

liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 595

My Rating

Movie Info

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

R,

Drama, Action & Adventure, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Cult Movies

Glenn M. Benest, Matthew Barr

United Artists

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Critic Reviews for Deadly Blessing

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (2) | Rotten (4) | DVD (3)

The script may be strictly A Touch of Satan, but Wes Craven's deep-seated ambivalence with his own religious upbringing sometimes sparks the rote Jesus freakery of Deadly Blessing to life.

January 31, 2013 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

One of Wes Craven's best films, an oddball but often scary thriller mixing elements from religious, slasher, snake, spider and monster flicks

July 11, 2005 Full Review Source: Slasherpool
Andreas Samuelson
Slasherpool Source: Slasherpool

Craven misses the mark with this one.

March 19, 2003
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
View all critic reviews (8)

Audience Reviews for Deadly Blessing

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Wes Craven has had a long and illustrious career in the horror genre, making some of the most legendary films that would ultimately chill you to the bone. Over the course of his career, he has made a few films that are sadly not as well known as others in his filmography. Swamp Thing was one such example, the other is Deadly Blessing. Although not one of Craven's best works, this is still one of his most underrated works, and I quite enjoyed it for what it was. The film relies on atmosphere to create the tension unfolding on-screen, and it offers up an entertaining horror experience. I really don't see why Deadly Blessing got so much flack as it has plenty of effective elements going for it. The cast is good and there are some surprising performances here. The film is much better than one might thing, and though it's not Craven's most stellar picture, it's certainly not his worst either. The best performances of the film were probably that of Sharon Stone and Michael Berryman, who is an icon of the genre and who always manages to be creepy in his performances. The film tends to deliver enough scares to satisfy your horror needs and even if it's nothing truly remarkable in terms of truly engaging horror, Deadly Blessing is a worthwhile viewing for Wes Craven fans. The effects are very well done, and add to the thrills that the film provides. For what it is, this is a well crafted film that should be seen if you love supernatural horror and it is not nearly as bad as critics have claimed it to be. The performances are good, the script is interesting and the plot is entertaining and it deserves to be rediscovered. If you come across this film, give it a shot as it is an overlooked horror flick that has been overshadowed by Wes Craven's later work.
January 22, 2013
TheDudeLebowski65
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

A tame but fairly decent effort from Wes Craven. The film doesn't provide much of a body count or gory detail for splatter fans, but it does well building suspense and moments of creepiness and sets up a very good finale with an unexpected turn in the plot. It's not the most talked about Craven film but it's definitely worth a watch.
December 8, 2011
WrenchLT
Lee ?

Super Reviewer

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