Deadly Blessing (1981) Synopsis

Martha (Maren Jensen) and Jim Schmidt (Douglas Barr) live on an isolated farm named 'Our Blessing', where most of the neighboring population are "Hittites", an austere religious community who according to one of the characters "make the Amish look like swingers". Jim was a Hittite, but left the community when he got married.Jim tells a neighbor, Louisa Stohler (Lois Nettleton), who is the mother of Faith (Lisa Hartman) that his wife, Martha is pregnant and that Louisa's services as a mid-wife will soon be needed by them. Louisa and Faith are not part of the Hittite community, either. In fact, they do not like them due in part to the constant harassment of Faith by William, who chases her and calls her Incubus. That night, Jim 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) and Vicky Anderson (Susan Buckner) come from the city visit Martha after Jim's funeral.William Gluntz is sneaking around the barn when Martha comes in. He manages to escape unnoticed, but accidentally leaves one of his shoes behind.When William Gluntz (Michael Berryman) goes to the house at night to search for his shoe, he spies Martha through her window getting undressed. Then he is stabbed through the back by an unseen figure.The following day, William's father Matthew, and Jim's father and the leader of the Hittites, Isaiah Schmidt (Ernest Borgnine) come to the farm looking for William after he does not return home after being sent by his father to retrieve a his lost shoe. Martha tells the men she has no idea where William is and they start to leave. Then Isaiah goes back to the door and offers to buy the farm from Martha but Martha refuses.The three girlfriends are at breakfast supporting Martha when Lana describes a nightmare she had about a scary man that turns into a spider. Faith joins them and brings them some eggs. She decries the Hittites, saying how much she hates them.Later, Vicky goes jogging along a trail and meets John Schmidt (Jeff East), Jim's Brother. The two strike up a conversation and spend time together. Isaiah interrupts them, and instructs John to shun all outsiders.Lana enters the barn to look for a part for the tractor, 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 Hittites take William's body away, refusing an autopsy, insisting that he was killed by the incubus. The sheriff (Kevin Cooney) advises the three friends to leave town, as someone may be after them.An unseen figure creeps into the house that night and drops a snake into the tub with Martha. She manages to get out of the bathtub and kill the snake with a fireplace poker.John , Martha's brother-in-law is unwillingly engaged to Melissa (Colleen Riley) his cousin. However John feels attracted to Vicky. When he meets Vicky again at the store, Melissa sees him and runs off. John follows after, pleading. He accidentally rips her dress.Meanwhile, Martha practices shooting her new pistol.When Isaiah finds out that John ripped Melissa's dress, he whips John. John stops him, and is cast out of the community by Isaiah.Louisa stops by to visit Martha and apologize for Faith's intrusions.John meets Vicky outside the cinema. Meanwhile, 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. She wakes suddenly.Vicky lets John drive her car, giving him a sense of freedom. They stop at the side of a road and begin to make out but they are attacked by an unseen figure who stabs John multiple times and sets fire to the car, which blows up with Vicky still inside.Lana and Martha are worried about Vicky since she hasn't returned. When Lana goes to the kitchen for a drink of milk,she finds blood in a milk carton. Then Martha finds a scarecrow tied in her room with a flower that was buried with Jim. When Martha hurries to Jim's grave she finds the grave dug up. When she opens the coffin, she is surprised by a flock of chickens that jump out at her.Suspecting Louisa or Faith, she hurries to their home, where she finds a painting of herself being stalked by Death and the dead body of her husband Jim hanging nearby. At the same time, she discovers Melissa on the front lawn approaching the house praying against any evil that exists. Louisa bursts outside, attacking Melissa.When Louisa sees Martha, she tosses Melissa aside and comes after her.Then Martha is attacked by Faith. During the struggle, Faith's shirt is ripped open, revealing her to be a man who has been in love with Martha.Martha rushes home to rouse Lana and get the pistol, but when there is rapping at the door Lana begins to panic because of her fear of Death. Martha hits her, knocking her out and sending her sprawling. Martha shoots Faith as she(he) comes through the window. She tosses the pistol on the couch.Then Louisa breaks through the door with a shotgun and chases Martha. A chase and struggle ensues, when finally Louisa is finished ohh by a bullet shot by the now conscious Lana.However, Faith has survived her gunshot and tries to stab Martha once more, but she is killed when Melissa stabs her in the back. Isaiah turns up and tells them that the messenger of the incubus is now dead.The day after, Lana leaves Martha to go back to LA. When Martha enters her home a ghost of Jim warns her about the incubus. The film ends immediately after the real incubus bursts through the floor and pulls Martha back into the floor.

Martha (Maren Jensen) and Jim Schmidt (Douglas Barr) live on an isolated farm named 'Our Blessing', where most of the neighboring population are "Hittites", an austere religious community who according to one of the characters "make the Amish look like swingers". Jim was a Hittite, but left the community when he got married.Jim tells a neighbor, Louisa Stohler (Lois Nettleton), who is the mother of Faith (Lisa Hartman) that his wife, Martha is pregnant and that Louisa's services as a mid-wife will soon be needed by them. Louisa and Faith are not part of the Hittite community, either. In fact, they do not like them due in part to the constant harassment of Faith by William, who chases her and calls her Incubus. That night, Jim 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) and Vicky Anderson (Susan Buckner) come from the city visit Martha after Jim's funeral.William Gluntz is sneaking around the barn when Martha comes in. He manages to escape unnoticed, but accidentally leaves one of his shoes behind.When William Gluntz (Michael Berryman) goes to the house at night to search for his shoe, he spies Martha through her window getting undressed. Then he is stabbed through the back by an unseen figure.The following day, William's father Matthew, and Jim's father and the leader of the Hittites, Isaiah Schmidt (Ernest Borgnine) come to the farm looking for William after he does not return home after being sent by his father to retrieve a his lost shoe. Martha tells the men she has no idea where William is and they start to leave. Then Isaiah goes back to the door and offers to buy the farm from Martha but Martha refuses.The three girlfriends are at breakfast supporting Martha when Lana describes a nightmare she had about a scary man that turns into a spider. Faith joins them and brings them some eggs. She decries the Hittites, saying how much she hates them.Later, Vicky goes jogging along a trail and meets John Schmidt (Jeff East), Jim's Brother. The two strike up a conversation and spend time together. Isaiah interrupts them, and instructs John to shun all outsiders.Lana enters the barn to look for a part for the tractor, 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 Hittites take William's body away, refusing an autopsy, insisting that he was killed by the incubus. The sheriff (Kevin Cooney) advises the three friends to leave town, as someone may be after them.An unseen figure creeps into the house that night and drops a snake into the tub with Martha. She manages to get out of the bathtub and kill the snake with a fireplace poker.John , Martha's brother-in-law is unwillingly engaged to Melissa (Colleen Riley) his cousin. However John feels attracted to Vicky. When he meets Vicky again at the store, Melissa sees him and runs off. John follows after, pleading. He accidentally rips her dress.Meanwhile, Martha practices shooting her new pistol.When Isaiah finds out that John ripped Melissa's dress, he whips John. John stops him, and is cast out of the community by Isaiah.Louisa stops by to visit Martha and apologize for Faith's intrusions.John meets Vicky outside the cinema. Meanwhile, 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. She wakes suddenly.Vicky lets John drive her car, giving him a sense of freedom. They stop at the side of a road and begin to make out but they are attacked by an unseen figure who stabs John multiple times and sets fire to the car, which blows up with Vicky still inside.Lana and Martha are worried about Vicky since she hasn't returned. When Lana goes to the kitchen for a drink of milk,she finds blood in a milk carton. Then Martha finds a scarecrow tied in her room with a flower that was buried with Jim. When Martha hurries to Jim's grave she finds the grave dug up. When she opens the coffin, she is surprised by a flock of chickens that jump out at her.Suspecting Louisa or Faith, she hurries to their home, where she finds a painting of herself being stalked by Death and the dead body of her husband Jim hanging nearby. At the same time, she discovers Melissa on the front lawn approaching the house praying against any evil that exists. Louisa bursts outside, attacking Melissa.When Louisa sees Martha, she tosses Melissa aside and comes after her.Then Martha is attacked by Faith. During the struggle, Faith's shirt is ripped open, revealing her to be a man who has been in love with Martha.Martha rushes home to rouse Lana and get the pistol, but when there is rapping at the door Lana begins to panic because of her fear of Death. Martha hits her, knocking her out and sending her sprawling. Martha shoots Faith as she(he) comes through the window. She tosses the pistol on the couch.Then Louisa breaks through the door with a shotgun and chases Martha. A chase and struggle ensues, when finally Louisa is finished ohh by a bullet shot by the now conscious Lana.However, Faith has survived her gunshot and tries to stab Martha once more, but she is killed when Melissa stabs her in the back. Isaiah turns up and tells them that the messenger of the incubus is now dead.The day after, Lana leaves Martha to go back to LA. When Martha enters her home a ghost of Jim warns her about the incubus. The film ends immediately after the real incubus bursts through the floor and pulls Martha back into the floor.

Published Time: 2021-02-23 11:03:38