Possible minor spoilers.
Before turning to big-budget, ultra-commercial garbage like Scream, Wes Craven made some fiercely original and memorable horror films. Deadly Blessing is perhaps the last in this category. Though not up to the level of Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977) in terms of quality or audacity, it's still a tense and imaginative experience. Maren Jensen is a gorgeous woman whose husband is killed in a highly suspicious "accident." She and her luscious friends (Susan Buckner of Grease and a young Sharon Stone) soon find themselves threatened by her Hittite in-laws, who "make the Amish look like swingers"...and possibly someone else.
The film is surprisingly lush looking, all things considered, with glossy color and imaginative visuals. The acting is good all around, especially Lisa Hartman in the role of a lifetime as simpleminded neighbor Faith ("F-A-I-T-H. Like in believe.") and Lois Nettleton as her tough-as-nails mama. There are several dynamite set pieces, not the least of which involves a snake in a bathtub (though why Jensen is bathing in panties is anyone's guess). The heroines are very appealing, and all the stops are pulled out in a frenzied climax that goes Beyond the Valley of Friday the 13th and back again. Some of the dialogue is unintentionally funny ("You are a stench in the nostril of God!"), but it doesn't really detract from the proceedings. In fact, the only major problem is a monumentally stupid, tacked-on shock-twist ending that cheapens the whole affair. With Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" on the soundtrack, the old noises-outside-the-car bit, and pop-eyed Ernest Borgnine ranting like never before. Worth seeing. Severe arachnophobes beware.
Before turning to big-budget, ultra-commercial garbage like Scream, Wes Craven made some fiercely original and memorable horror films. Deadly Blessing is perhaps the last in this category. Though not up to the level of Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977) in terms of quality or audacity, it's still a tense and imaginative experience. Maren Jensen is a gorgeous woman whose husband is killed in a highly suspicious "accident." She and her luscious friends (Susan Buckner of Grease and a young Sharon Stone) soon find themselves threatened by her Hittite in-laws, who "make the Amish look like swingers"...and possibly someone else.
The film is surprisingly lush looking, all things considered, with glossy color and imaginative visuals. The acting is good all around, especially Lisa Hartman in the role of a lifetime as simpleminded neighbor Faith ("F-A-I-T-H. Like in believe.") and Lois Nettleton as her tough-as-nails mama. There are several dynamite set pieces, not the least of which involves a snake in a bathtub (though why Jensen is bathing in panties is anyone's guess). The heroines are very appealing, and all the stops are pulled out in a frenzied climax that goes Beyond the Valley of Friday the 13th and back again. Some of the dialogue is unintentionally funny ("You are a stench in the nostril of God!"), but it doesn't really detract from the proceedings. In fact, the only major problem is a monumentally stupid, tacked-on shock-twist ending that cheapens the whole affair. With Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" on the soundtrack, the old noises-outside-the-car bit, and pop-eyed Ernest Borgnine ranting like never before. Worth seeing. Severe arachnophobes beware.