Deadly Blessing Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Deadly Blessing Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 27, 2013

Wes Craven's "Deadly Blessing" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; video interview with co-writer and associate producer Glenn M. Benest; video interview with actor Michael Berryman; audio commentary by director Wes Craven; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring writing on the film by author and film critic Kim Newman as well as a reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

I am the law

If snakes scare you, avoid Deadly Blessing like the plague. This film has a very famous sequence, apparently sourced from a nightmare Wes Craven endured some years ago, featuring a massive deadly snake that is genuinely spooky. While I dislike snakes, I am not scared of them, and this sequence spooked me. I could easily tell that in its final moments the snake was not even real.

Deadly Blessing visits an area just outside the fictional town of Oak Creek, somewhere in rural Pennsylvania. Here, the members of a deeply religious, traditional Hittite sect spend all of their time virtually working on a massive farm called Our Blessing. The land gives them everything they need, so their interactions with the modern world and those who reside there are minimal. When they occur, the Hittite sect’s patriarch, Isaiah Schmidt (Ernest Borgnine), makes sure that no one breaks its strict rules.

But Schmidt’s oldest son, Jim (Douglas Barr), has permanently exited the sect and started a family with Martha (Maren Jensen), who is preparing to become a mother. Jim has also purchased a large tractor and other mechanical equipment to work on the family’s farm, which is right next to the Hittite sect’s farm. For daring to claim his freedom, Jim has been publicly banished from the Hittite sect by his bitter father.

Just days after Jim is mysteriously murdered in their barn, Martha is visited by two old friends from Los Angeles, Lana (Sharon Stone) and Vicky (Susan Buckner), who do their best to help her recover. When the killer strikes again, the three women begin panicking, while the Hittites proclaim that the infamous Incubus has arrived to corrupt their way of life.

Deadly Blessing is a conventional whodunit disguised as a horror film whose bag of tricks is not deep. However, it does not need to be because it spends virtually all of its time in the present, not in that fluid fantastical place that Craven’s most famous horror films visit. Unfortunately, as a whodunit, Deadly Blessing is not particularly effective, either. Its narrative is structured around a couple of misdirection plays preparing for a surprising reset before the killer is revealed, and they are all very easy to see through. While the reset is prepared, the only genuine surprises emerge from a few sequences that do not directly affect it, like the one with the massive deadly snake.

Jensen, Borgnine, Stone, and Buckner all do well in individual sequences. Jeff East, Michael Berryman, and Lois Nettleton also do not disappoint. However, these sequences do not produce an impressive genre film. For example, the supernatural, identified as the Incubus, is supposed to be a major character, but Craven clearly struggles to establish it as such. As a result, plenty of the paranoia and friction between the different characters begin looking awkward. There is a similar negative effect on the integrity of the main characters as well.

Ultimately, Deadly Blessing should be recommended only to folks who need a fresh reload of jump scares. Deadly Blessing has several good ones. The rest is fluff that is not going to impress anyone expecting to match the quality of Craven’s best work.

Deadly Blessing Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

Light to moderate noise is often visible. There are select sequences where the noise even suppresses the not so evenly distributed grain (see screencapture #9). Unsurprisingly, there are detail and clarity fluctuations. Light wear and compression artifacts can also be seen (see screencapture #18). Generally speaking, the color-scheme is stable, but key colors occasionally look somewhat faded. There are also traces of extremely light sharpening corrections. Still, in motion the film has enough depth and excluding the occasional noise spikes there really aren't any serious issues that could potentially distract you. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues to address in this review. All in all, it is obvious that the high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source. Unsurprisingly, while viewing the film one is likely to notice some of the issues noted above. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Deadly Blessing Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track serves the film well. Its dynamic amplitude is rather limited - even during the final sequence, where the monster appears, dynamic movement is quite modest - but this is because the film has a modest sound design. There are no serious balance issues with James Horner's very effective score either. Some extremely light background hiss is present, but it never becomes distracting. The dialog is very crisp, very clear and easy to follow.

Deadly Blessing Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - a short introduction to Deadly Blessing by actor Michael Berryman.

• Trailer - original trailer for Deadly Blessing. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Deadly Desires - in this video interview, co-writer and associate producer Glenn M. Benest recalls how Deadly Blessing came to exist, his first impression of Sharon Stone, how the film was initially received, etc. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Michael Berryman - in this video interview, actor Michael Berryman talks about his quite unusual career and recalls his contribution to Deadly Blessing. In English, not subtitled. (29 min, 1080p).

• Wes Craven - in this video interview, director Wes Craven explains how Deadly Blessing was funded, what were some of the compromises that had to be made (the producers insisted that Sharon Stone is in the film and that all of the girls wear some lingerie), how the finale was scripted, etc. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this is an outstanding audio commentary by Wes Craven. The director discusses in depth the strengths and weaknesses of Deadly Blessing, the film's production history, his initial impression of Sharon Stone, the unusual finale, his interaction with the film's producers, etc. Indeed, a very honest and very informative commentary.

• Easter Eggs -

• Sleeve - reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin.

• Collector's Booklet - featuring writing on the film by author and film critic Kim Newman.

Deadly Blessing Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Deadly Blessing is a film that should appeal primarily to longtime fans of director Wes Craven. The cast is far from impressive, but the atmosphere in the film is quite good. I was also pleasantly surprised by James Horner's score - it is simply perfect for the film. Arrow Video's release also comes with a good selection of supplemental features. I strongly recommend listening to Wes Craven's audio commentary. It is very honest, informative and entertaining. RECOMMENDED.