REVIEW: DEADLY BLESSING (1981)

 By Stephen Pytak

Some aspects of Chris Stuckmann's Shelby Oaks made me think a bit about this thriller from Wes Craven.

So perhaps it's time for me to sit down and review Deadly Blessing (1981), a film I've always had a soft spot for. 

I recently saw it on 35 mm at GAP Theatre in Wind Gap, Pennsylvania. So it's fresh in my mind. The screening was dedicated to the memory of actress Susan Buckner, who died in 2024. 

I saw Shelby Oaks at a preview screening the other night. And if you want my thoughts on that film, you can check out my review on this blog. You can find it by clicking HERE.

These films would make for an interesting double bill. If I were running that show, I'd start with Craven's film, then move onto Stuckmann's.

If shown that way, I think you'd have a nice build up to the reveal of the main baddie in Shelby Oaks.

Yes, there will be spoilers here. You have been warned.

Lisa Hartman as "Faith" in Wes Craven's "Deadly Blessing (1981)."

Both films deal with a mythological demon called the Incubus, an evil thing which gets you in your sleep. It's known to prey on women in particular.

This kind of thing has been included in a number of films over the years, including The Incubus (1981) and Rosemary's Baby (1968).

So you can watch any number of films if you want a theme to your movie night, or if you just want some more perspective on the villain in Shelby Oaks.

For starters, Deadly Blessing feels kind like a TV movie, a sinister drama with a slow burn. 

And it's not as easy to digest as, say, Dark Night of the Scarecrow, which also came out in 1981.

Craven's film gives us a more complex story. And it doesn't have a straightforward, simple narrative. Maybe that's why it's not as popular as some of his greatest hits.

It's about the power of belief, how it can affect others and repression and the trouble it can cause.

There are numerous characters. Many are at odds with one another. I think the story involves four parties. Let me describe them and, in the process, I'll try to explain the plot.

-- There's the Hittites, a strict religious sect based somewhere in Pennsylvania. They are a rigid and uncompromising bunch. "According to Martha, the Hittites make the Amish look like swingers," says "Lana Marcus (played by Sharon Stone)." The leader of the community, "Isaiah Schmidt (played by Ernest Borgnine)" forbids any of his flock to interact with any non-Hittites. One of the more colorful Hittites is "William Gluntz" played by Michael Berryman. He enjoys picking on a non-Hittite girl from the area named "Faith Stohler (Lisa Hartman)" and calling her "Incubus." Wait! I thought the Incubus was a male creature. Hmmmm...  Faith calls him a "retard."

-- Martha Schmidt (played by Maren Jensen) is married to a former Hittite, "Jim (Doug Barr)." They live near the Hittite community. The families do not get along. Jim is killed a few minutes into the film. It's a strange situation. In the middle of the night, his tractor roars to life. When he goes to investigate, it plows right into him. Two of Martha's college friends from Los Angeles come out to his funeral. They decide to stay a few nights to give Martha some support. They include Lana and the blonde bombshell "Vicky Anderson (played by Susan Buckner)."

-- Then there's Faith and her mother, a single mom, "Louisa (Lois Nettleton)." All day I've been trying to figure out how to describe them. And this is where we really get into spoiler territory. If you really want to experience Deadly Blessing without knowing much of anything, leave now. Because this is where it gets nuts. When I first saw this film, I thought these two were just supporting characters, folks who had one foot in reality. Well, it turns out they're a little crazier than the Hittites. More on them later. They may be the most interesting people in this film.

 --Last, but not least, is the Incubus. According to Craven, the studio executives wanted a shock ending akin to the one in Carrie (1976) and Friday the 13th (1980). So, somehow it was decided to show the creature Michael Berryman's character ranted and raved about. It bursts up from the depths of Hades, grabs hold of the film's heroine, Martha, and drags her down. Floor boards explode, then after a moment of terror they settle back into place as if nothing had happened. This scene is the reason I compared this film to Shelby Oaks. In that film, we also get to see the beast. 

Okay. That's everyone.

So, what's going on here?

Most of the film is about the strained relationship between Ernie Borgnine and his flock and "Lieutenant Athena" from Battlestar Galactica (1978). 

I think Maren Jensen is really good in this. I was sorry to see this was her last film, since she left the business, according to the IMDb. 

I like a lot of the performances in this. Sharon Stone and Susan Buckner are fun to watch. So is Jeff East, who I remember from Superman: The Movie (1978). Here, he plays Isaiah's son, "John."

I never heard of the actress who played Faith. Lisa Hartman had the title role in a 12-episode TV series sequel to the Bewitched series. Called Tabitha, it ran from 1977 to 1978. 

Faith is the character I've been thinking the most about. What we have here is something that's a little more interesting than the Incubus. And fans of the Sleepaway Camp series might want to check this out. 

Okay, Faith and her mother have a secret. She is biologically male but identifies as female. And she has a crush on our protagonist, Maren Jensen's character Martha.

She is the film's main antagonist. Obsessed with Martha, she kills the husband, Jim. Then she takes out Michael Berryman's character (who kind of had it coming). Then she decides to knock off a Hittite -- "John" -- who is making out with a non-Hittite -- "Vicky" -- in a red sports car. 

Faith is a unique mass murderer.

She's kind of like the black gloved killers you see in Italian giallo films. Actually, Faith reminds me a bit of the one in Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). That's "Monica Ranieri (played by Eva Renzi)." Maybe it's because Faith is an artist, and Monica Ranieri is fascinated by art. After there is an attempt on her life, she becomes obsessed with the incident, disguises herself as the man who attempted to kill her and starts a murder spree. Murder becomes her art. 

Faith is also a bit like the photographer "Derek (Andrew Stevens)" in The Seduction (1982). He became obsessed with a newscaster "Jamie Douglas (played by Morgan Fairchild)." And his obsession eventually led to murder. Derek enjoyed taking pictures of Jamie. And Faith enjoyed painting illustrations of Martha. Both lost their minds and their grip on reality.

If she had survived the events of Deadly Blessing, Faith might have continued to stalk Maren Jensen's character and become someone akin to "Marie" in High Tension (2003), who was played by Cecile De France.

So, how does the Incubus fit into all this?

I dunno.

But since the Hittites go on and on about it, and it shows up just before the credit crawl, it certainly can, and probably should, be part of any critical discussion of this film.

I know some reviewers have some interesting theories. I enjoyed the one John Kenneth Muir had in his review, which is included in his book "Horror Films of the 1980s."

But I think it's some kind of demon which enjoys causing chaos simply for its own amusement.

In the end, the Incubus drags Maren Jensen's character off screen, down into what appears to be a fiery pit.

So was she killed? Or was she simply abducted like "Riley Brennan?"

Hmmmm...

What we know for sure is that Martha Schmidt is taken away by a sinister force.

This will surely cause some more unrest in the community. Who will be blamed for her disappearance? I'm sure there will be a lot of finger pointing. I'm sure most folks in the area will blame the Hittites.

We don't learn much about the Incubus in Deadly Blessing (1981).

The one in Shelby Oaks is given more to work with. That one can do cool stuff like possess people and summon demons which look like hell hounds to do its bidding. 

Then again, I have a feeling when Stuckmann was working on his film, the Incubus was part of the plan.

You can argue that the Incubus in Deadly Blessing is active throughout the film. 

Maybe it killed Jim Schmidt.

But, honestly, I'd like to credit that kill to Faith. It falls more in line with her motivations. I mean, if you're lusting after the farmer's wife, you're going out of your mind and you just have to kill someone, you're probably going to start with the farmer.

I think the Incubus is lurking about during the course of the film.

Sharon Stone's character Lana has a series of nightmares about spiders. There's a key scene involving that. And I can't imagine Faith having anything to do with that. 

Some other wild stuff happens that's hard to explain. When Lana goes to the fridge for some milk, she finds that the carton is filled with blood. Maybe Faith did this. She likes art. She likes the color red. She probably saw Carrie (1976). She has a lot of chickens. It would be no problem for her to drain the blood from one or two for such a stunt. But, why go to all the trouble?

The Incubus, on the other hand, likes to mess with Lana.

A lot of the really crazy stuff in this film seemed to happen to Lana.

And maybe that makes sense. I mean, if there was an Incubus creeping about, why wouldn't it be attracted to Sharon Stone? 

RATING (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4.