Deadly Blessing (1981)

Director:

Wes Craven

Writers:

Glenn M. Benest (story) &
Matthew Barr (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 August 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A gruesome secret, protected for generations, rises to give its...

Plot:

This film is set in Amish Country, at a local farm, where a woman's husband is mysteriously killed by his own tractor!

Plot Keywords:

Tractor | Incubus | Farm | Widow | Wainscoting

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Maren Jensen	...	Martha Schmidt
Sharon Stone	...	Lana Marcus
Susan Buckner	...	Vicky Anderson
Jeff East	...	John Schmidt
Colleen Riley	...	Melissa (as Coleen Riley)
Douglas Barr	...	Jim Schmidt (as Doug Barr)
Lisa Hartman	...	Faith Stohler
Lois Nettleton	...	Louisa Stohler
Ernest Borgnine	...	Isaiah Schmidt
Michael Berryman	...	William Gluntz
Kevin Cooney	...	Sheriff
Bobby Dark	...	Theatre Manager
Kevin Farr	...	Fat Boy
Neil Fletcher	...	Gravedigger
Jonathon Gulla	...	Tom Schmidt
Chester Kulas Jr.	...	Leopold
Lawrence Montaigne	...	Matthew Gluntz
Lucky Mosley	...	Sammy
Dan Shackleford	...	Medic
Annabelle Weenick	...	Ruth Schmidt
Jenna Worthen	...	Mrs. Gluntz
Percy Rodrigues	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Minton	...	Leopold's Friend (uncredited)
Dean Nolen	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Wes Craven

Writing credits
Glenn M. Benest		(story) &
Matthew Barr		(story)
Glenn M. Benest		(screenplay) &
Matthew Barr		(screenplay) and
Wes Craven		(screenplay)

Produced by
Matthew Barr	....	associate producer
Glenn M. Benest	....	associate producer
William S. Gilmore	....	executive producer (as William Gilmore)
Patricia Herskovic	....	producer (as Patricia S. Herskovic)
Max A. Keller	....	producer
Micheline H. Keller	....	producer

Original Music by
James Horner

Cinematography by
Robert C. Jessup		(as Robert Jessup)

Film Editing by
Richard Bracken

Casting by
Liz Keigley
Shari Rhodes

Production Design by
Jack Marty

Set Decoration by
Okowita

Costume Design by
Patricia McKiernan

Makeup Department
Lynn Decker	....	hair stylist
Jimi White	....	makeup artist
John Naulin	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Bert Gold	....	unit production manager
Jere Henshaw	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Eyler	....	assistant director
Jerram A. Swartz	....	assistant director

Art Department
E.W. Bradford	....	construction coordinator
Derek R. Hill	....	lead man
Mike Parsons	....	property master (as Michael Parsons)
Robert E. Parsons	....	assistant property master (as Bob Parsons)

Sound Department
George Baetz	....	boom operator
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jay M. Harding	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael J. Kohut	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Phillips	....	sound effects editor
Robert Wald	....	sound mixer (as Bob Wald)

Special Effects by
Jack Bennett	....	special effects

Stunts
May Boss	....	stunts (as Mary R. Boss)
Kerrie Cullen	....	stunts (as Kerrie K. Cullen)
Stephanie Epper	....	stunts
Donna Garrett	....	stunts
Ted Grossman	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Curtis Bingham	....	electrical best boy
Murray K. Campbell	....	lamp operator
Robert Driskell	....	gaffer
Robert Horne	....	first assistant camera
Philip C. Pfeiffer	....	camera operator (as Phil Pfeiffer)
Tony Poston	....	key grip
Kerry Rike	....	best boy
Zade Rosenthal	....	still photographer
Bob Hall	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Riccardo Bertoni	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Chuck Ellison	....	assistant film editor
Cate Hardman	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Kenneth Karman	....	music editor (as Ken Karman)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer
James Horner	....	conductor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Clifford Yarborough	....	transportation

Other crew
Jean Aldrich	....	production accountant
Betty A. Buckley	....	production coordinator (as Betty Buckley)
Edward Gold	....	production assistant
Robert Jellen	....	insurance
Bob Jennings	....	unit publicist
Martin Kitrosser	....	script supervisor
Zoila De la Pena	....	production secretary
Janet Lucas Lawler	....	first aid (as Janet Lawler)

Production Companies

• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (as Polygram Pictures) (presents)
• Inter Planetary

Distributors

• United Artists (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• Barber International (198?) (UK) (theatrical)
• Globe Films S.A. (1981) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Arrow Films (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Arrow Films (2011) (UK) (DVD) (special edition)
• Arrow Video (2011) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1988) (USA) (TV)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Future Film (2010) (Finland) (DVD)
• Independent Television (ITV) (1990) (UK) (TV)
• PolyGram Video (1983) (UK) (VHS)
• PolyGram Video (19??) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Roadshow Home Video (1986) (Australia) (VHS)
• Shout! Factory (2013) (USA) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2013) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (19??) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Reeltime Creative  trailer music

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Finland:K-18 (1987) | Finland:(Banned) (1982) | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Iceland:16 | Norway:(Banned) (1981-2003) (cinema release) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/18

Filming Locations:

Ashtabula, Ohio, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

Susan Buckner and Douglas Barr were both in the same TV series, "When the Whistle Blows" (1980), before going on to this film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Martha's hair while the three girls are talking by the fire.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator:In the rolling hills of a sinful farm community, untouched by time, a gruesome secret has been protected for generations.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Eisai to tairi mou: Episode #1.2" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Maggie May

Delightfully bizarre horror!

Early thriller from Wes Craven is a truly twisted tale of rural horror.

When a farmer is mysteriously killed by his tractor, his wife and her visiting friends are terrorized by someone...or something.

Deadly Blessing is a prime example of a horror film that's powered by eerie atmosphere. The story has many different kinds of horror elements feeding into it; psychological horror, slasher film, supernatural, religious horror. The rustic Texas filming locations are perfect to the foreboding nature of this movie. James Horner's weird chant-like music score is effectively creepy. Craven's direction is solid, as the film builds some tremendously suspenseful shock sequences. Yet Deadly Blessing is light on gore, this film relies upon far more skin-crawling terrors like spiders, snakes, and ominous dark figures -with knifes.

Sure, many people complain about the strange left-field ending but over all it doesn't hurt the film as bad as some people make out. After all this is the kind of horror film that runs on 'nightmare logic'.

The cast is pretty strong. Maren Jensen, Susan Buckner, and a young Sharon Stone make for a lovely trio of leading ladies. Veteran actor Ernest Borgnine is intimidating as the leader of a sect of religious fanatics. Douglas Barr is good as the ill-fated farmer, as is Jeff East as his morally confused younger brother.

Deadly Blessing is an undervalued horror film that should appeal to horror fans who enjoy their films firmly on the strange side.

*** out of ****