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Deadly Blessing

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  • Trailer for Deadly Blessing

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Wes Craven

Producer:

Micheline H. Keller, Max A. Keller

Release Date:

Apr 14, 1982

Runtime:

1hr 40m

Synopsis

After her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her.

Cast

  • Maren Jensen
  • Ernest Borgnine
  • Susan Buckner
  • Sharon Stone
  • Jeff East
  • Lisa Hartman
  • Lois Nettleton
  • Coleen Riley
  • Doug Barr
  • Michael Berryman

Letterboxd User Reviews

2.8
15.4K
11.2K
2.4K
RATINGS 1 FANS
2.8
  • Mar 30, 2019

    Deadly Blessing feels like a bridge in Wes Craven's career... connecting The Last Hills on the Eyes with a Nightmare on Serpent and the Rainbow Street... mixing psychological horror with slasher and possession vibes... still ironing out kinks but knitting a nifty little…

    218 Likes
    Ian West
    Ian West
    Apr 19, 2026

    "Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn!" A snail paced tractor baiting offering from Wes Craven that has a made for TV feel (maybe it is? ... if only there was a way to find out?) with one of the Fall Guys (not Lee Majors sadly!) Michael Berryman as a (type-casted) simpleton and Sharron…

    162 Likes
    VIVE_le_FILTH
    VIVE_le_FILTH
    Sep 16, 2015

    A Stench In The Nostrils of God 'Deadly Blessing' is almost like a Wyeth painting with some detail or surface feature or embroidered aspect of such glaring off-keyness that it creates a surpassing sense of a horror so deep and vast that an entire culture was woven…

    152 Likes
    nathaxnne [goodbye <3]
    nathaxnne [goodbye <3]
  • Feb 6, 2019

    I’m being quite brave by admitting that this was a first time watch. Yes, I know, it’s Craven and I should have seen this 35 years ago but this is one of those early 80’s horror films that slipped by. Unfortunately I feel it would have meant something more to me if I…

    127 Likes
    Sean Baker
    Sean Baker
    Mar 6, 2023

    Man, amish people really need to chill.

    103 Likes
    kat🕷
    kat🕷
    Oct 6, 2024

    Creepy countryside horror from Wes Craven. Deadly Blessing focuses on the widow of a man who died in a mysterious tractor accident as she comes to believe her that Amishish neighbours are behind many of the srrange things going on their community. The film is a real slow…

    83 Likes
    Slig001
    Slig001
  •
    May 22, 2021

    Cinematic Time Capsule 1981 Marathon - Film #96 “I went into the forbidden barn” Old Wes Craven had a farm Ee i ee i o And on his farm he had an snake Ee i ee i oh With a splish-splash here And a splish-splash there Here a splish, there a splash Everywhere a…

    79 Likes
    📀 Cammmalot 📀
    📀 Cammmalot 📀
    Oct 31, 2019

    Featuring one of the most jaw-grinding sequences involving a bed, a satanic chant and a spider; one that has stained my memory since childhood - it just goes to show how special this movie really is, and what a strange mixture of elements that all work together so…

    81 Likes
    MJsays
    MJsays
    Sep 27, 2023

    While Deadly Blessing is ultimately too much of a slow burn for me to work as a horror film, it remains interesting due to Craven’s willingness to put his own history with religion under the microscope. Craven has gone on record many times about his upbringing and the…

    80 Likes
    Dave Edwards
    Dave Edwards
See All Reviews on Letterboxd.com

Queue Community Reviews

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Top Reviews
  • Brett Bettendorf
    Brett Bettendorf liked
    Deadly Blessing

    What an interesting religious horror movie. Wouldn’t mind watching this one again.

    1Y
    Boomer Doomer
    Boomer Doomer loved
    Deadly Blessing

    Hilarious.

    1Y
View More Popular Deadly Blessing Reviews on Queue

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

56
metacritic
Based on 6 Critics
6.8

USER SCORE (6)

Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Reviews
70

A better-than-average horror film, in large part because it isn't about terrified coeds being stalked by an ax wielding loon. Its story is more original than that -although where horror-movie ingenuity is concerned, it's only a thin line that separates the original from the bizarre.

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Metacritic review by Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
The New York Times
63

More often than not, the movie only glancingly burrows beneath America’s attitudes toward rural evangelism that surfaced concurrently with the advent of the Moral Majority.

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Metacritic review by Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Deadly Blessing (1982) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is Deadly Blessing (1982)?
The movie is 1hr 40min long.
What's Deadly Blessing (1982) about?
After her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her.
Who's the cast of Deadly Blessing (1982)?
  • Maren Jensen as Martha Schmidt
  • Ernest Borgnine as Isaiah Schmidt
  • Susan Buckner as Vicky Anderson
  • Sharon Stone as Lana Marcus
  • Jeff East as John Schmidt
  • Lisa Hartman as Faith Stohler
  • Lois Nettleton as Louisa Stohler
  • Coleen Riley as Melissa
  • Doug Barr as Jim Schmidt
  • Michael Berryman as William Gluntz
Who's the director behind Deadly Blessing (1982)?
Wes Craven directed Deadly Blessing (1982).
Who produced Deadly Blessing (1982)?
Micheline H. Keller and Max A. Keller produced Deadly Blessing (1982).