Deadly Blessing
Encyclopedia
Deadly Blessing is a horror movie directed by Wes Craven
, released in the United States on August 14, 1981.
Friends Lana Marcus (Sharon Stone
) and Vicky Anderson (Susan Buckner) visit Martha after Tom's funeral. Some time after Martha refuses to sell the farm to Isaiah Schmidt (Ernest Borgnine), the leader of the Hittites, and slams the door in his face. When William Gluntz (Michael Berryman
) goes to the house at night to search for his shoe he accidentally left earlier when sneaking around, he is stabbed through the back by an unseen figure.
Martha is now being accused of being the incubas. Lana enters the barn the next day to look for something in the haystack but all the doors and windows suddenly close, trapping her inside. In a panic, she searches for a way out but encounters a figure dressed in black. When escaping out the now open barn door William's corpse swoops down at her, hanging from a rope. The police clears up the mess as the sheriff (Kevin Cooney) advises the three friends to move out of town, as someone may be after them. However, Martha descides to stay where she is and buy a gun for protection. Multiple events follow, such as a snake being put into Martha's bathroom while she's taking a bath by an unseen figure who creeps in her house. She manages to get out of the bath and kill it.
John Schmidt (Jeff East), Martha's brother-in-law is unwillingly engaged to Melissa (Colleen Riley). However John feels attracted to Vicky. John is eventually expelled from home and the community when he retaliates to his father who begins hitting him. John meets Vicky outside the cinema and she lets John drive her car, giving him a sense of freedom. They stop at the side of a road and begin to engage in sex but they are attacked by an unseen figure who stabs John multiple times and sets fire to the car which eventually blows up with Vicky still inside.
Lana has a nightmare in which a pair of hands take hold of her head, forcing her to open her mouth as a spider falls in. When she wakes up she finds blood in a juice bottle as Martha finds a scarecrow tied in her room with a flower that was buried with Tom. When Martha hurries to Tom's grave she finds him dug up. Martha also discovers it was Louisa and Faith who commited the murderes as they attack Melissa. Martha is chased back to her home where she engages in a quick battle with Faith. In a struggle Faith's shirt is ripped open, revealing her to be a man who has been in love with Martha. Lana and Martha have to fight Louisa and Faith. When Martha shoots Faith she is confronted by Louisa with a shotgun. Fortunatly she too is shot by Lana. However, Faith has survived her gunshot and tries to kill Martha once more but she is killed when Melissa stabs her in the back. Isaiah turns up and tells them that the incubas is now dead. The day after, Lana leaves Martha to go back to LA. When Martha enters her home a ghost of Tom warns her about the incubas. The film ends immediately after the real incubas bursts through the ground and pulls Martha back with it.
Sharon Stone
as Lana Marcus
Susan Buckner as Vicky Anderson
Jeff East as John Schmidt
Colleen Riley as Melissa
Douglas Barr as Jim Schmidt
Lisa Hartman as Faith Stohler
Lois Nettleton as Louisa Stohler
Ernest Borgnine as Isaiah Schidt
Michael Berryman
as William Gluntz
Kevin Cooney as Sheriff
in Lockhart, Texas
. A real spider was dropped into Stone's mouth; she initially rejected participating in the scene until it was defanged. Michael Berryman
had previously worked with Craven on The Hills Have Eyes
as similar character.
's second movie. Academy Award-winner Ernest Borgnine
was nominated for a Razzie award for "Worst Supporting Actor" for this movie.
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...
, released in the United States on August 14, 1981.
Synopsis
Martha (Maren Jensen) and Tom Schmidt (Jonathon Gulla) live in an isolated farm named 'Our Blessing', where most of it's population are of the Hittite religion. Jim used to be a Hittite himsef but left the community when he got married. Martha tells matron Louisa Stohler (Lois Nettleton), who is the mother of Faith (Lisa Hartman)that she is pregnant. That night, Tom searches in the barn after hearing strange noises from inside, but is murdered when a mysterious figure runs him over with his tractor. This is seen as a mechanical accident.Friends Lana Marcus (Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
) and Vicky Anderson (Susan Buckner) visit Martha after Tom's funeral. Some time after Martha refuses to sell the farm to Isaiah Schmidt (Ernest Borgnine), the leader of the Hittites, and slams the door in his face. When William Gluntz (Michael Berryman
Michael Berryman
Michael John Berryman is an American actor. He has appeared in several horror movies and other B movies. Berryman is famous for having a distinctive physical appearance as a result of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition which prevents him from developing hair, sweat glands...
) goes to the house at night to search for his shoe he accidentally left earlier when sneaking around, he is stabbed through the back by an unseen figure.
Martha is now being accused of being the incubas. Lana enters the barn the next day to look for something in the haystack but all the doors and windows suddenly close, trapping her inside. In a panic, she searches for a way out but encounters a figure dressed in black. When escaping out the now open barn door William's corpse swoops down at her, hanging from a rope. The police clears up the mess as the sheriff (Kevin Cooney) advises the three friends to move out of town, as someone may be after them. However, Martha descides to stay where she is and buy a gun for protection. Multiple events follow, such as a snake being put into Martha's bathroom while she's taking a bath by an unseen figure who creeps in her house. She manages to get out of the bath and kill it.
John Schmidt (Jeff East), Martha's brother-in-law is unwillingly engaged to Melissa (Colleen Riley). However John feels attracted to Vicky. John is eventually expelled from home and the community when he retaliates to his father who begins hitting him. John meets Vicky outside the cinema and she lets John drive her car, giving him a sense of freedom. They stop at the side of a road and begin to engage in sex but they are attacked by an unseen figure who stabs John multiple times and sets fire to the car which eventually blows up with Vicky still inside.
Lana has a nightmare in which a pair of hands take hold of her head, forcing her to open her mouth as a spider falls in. When she wakes up she finds blood in a juice bottle as Martha finds a scarecrow tied in her room with a flower that was buried with Tom. When Martha hurries to Tom's grave she finds him dug up. Martha also discovers it was Louisa and Faith who commited the murderes as they attack Melissa. Martha is chased back to her home where she engages in a quick battle with Faith. In a struggle Faith's shirt is ripped open, revealing her to be a man who has been in love with Martha. Lana and Martha have to fight Louisa and Faith. When Martha shoots Faith she is confronted by Louisa with a shotgun. Fortunatly she too is shot by Lana. However, Faith has survived her gunshot and tries to kill Martha once more but she is killed when Melissa stabs her in the back. Isaiah turns up and tells them that the incubas is now dead. The day after, Lana leaves Martha to go back to LA. When Martha enters her home a ghost of Tom warns her about the incubas. The film ends immediately after the real incubas bursts through the ground and pulls Martha back with it.
Cast
Maren Jensen as Martha SchmidtSharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
as Lana Marcus
Susan Buckner as Vicky Anderson
Jeff East as John Schmidt
Colleen Riley as Melissa
Douglas Barr as Jim Schmidt
Lisa Hartman as Faith Stohler
Lois Nettleton as Louisa Stohler
Ernest Borgnine as Isaiah Schidt
Michael Berryman
Michael Berryman
Michael John Berryman is an American actor. He has appeared in several horror movies and other B movies. Berryman is famous for having a distinctive physical appearance as a result of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition which prevents him from developing hair, sweat glands...
as William Gluntz
Kevin Cooney as Sheriff
Production
The film was shot on locationOn location
On location can refer to:*Filming location, a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced*On Location , a name of an HBO special series*Adobe OnLocation, computer software for direct to disk recording....
in Lockhart, Texas
Lockhart, Texas
-External links:* *...
. A real spider was dropped into Stone's mouth; she initially rejected participating in the scene until it was defanged. Michael Berryman
Michael Berryman
Michael John Berryman is an American actor. He has appeared in several horror movies and other B movies. Berryman is famous for having a distinctive physical appearance as a result of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition which prevents him from developing hair, sweat glands...
had previously worked with Craven on The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes (1977 film)
The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 American horror film directed by Wes Craven and starring Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman, and Dee Wallace. It is about a family on a road trip who become stranded in the Nevada desert, and are hunted by a clan of deformed cannibals in the surrounding hills...
as similar character.
Reception
It was Sharon StoneSharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
's second movie. Academy Award-winner Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
was nominated for a Razzie award for "Worst Supporting Actor" for this movie.