IMDb RATING
5.5/10
7.3K
YOUR RATING
After her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her.After her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her.After her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
Colleen Riley
- Melissa
- (as Coleen Riley)
Douglas Barr
- Jim Schmidt
- (as Doug Barr)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWes Craven compared his work with actor Ernest Borgnine to John Carpenter's work with Donald Pleasance in the original Halloween (1978). He states that Borgnine was the first "big name actor" he had worked with and was at first intimidated by the actor.
- GoofsThe cult members only accuse female characters of being the Incubus. In folklore, however, an Incubus is an exclusively male demon, the counterpart to the exclusively female Succubus. **The "incubus" in this case actually was a man, who was living as a woman, so this isn't entirely a goof.**
- Quotes
[in reference to Martha's land]
Vicky Anderson: If I owned a piece of property like this and I kicked the bucket, my parents would start building condos on it on the way home from the funeral!
- Crazy creditsThe end credits start rolling before the narrator's dialogue is finshed.
- Alternate versionsIn the British version, to avoid what they might call confusion, they omitted the "finale" in which the incubus ascends from hell. This version runs 98 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Directors: The Films of Wes Craven (1999)
Featured review
This film is underrated as hell. I personally consider it Craven's best film aside from The Hills Have Eyes. Of course, I've always been interested in the Amish culture, so this film taking it a step further with the Hittites was something I was intrigued by before I'd even first watched it. The film is thematically interesting in it's juxtaposition of a strict, patriarchal culture with individuals who hold more modern values. Fertile ground for Craven given his stern religious upbringing. while the movie adheres more closely to the slasher formula, the setting and the implications of the supernatural both help to distinguish it.
The entire film is shrouded in an eerie atmosphere from the get-go. The country setting is beautiful, yet strangely menacing in the confines of the film. We also are treated to a few unnerving sequences, the snake in the bathtub and the spider dream sequence in particular. There's also a lengthy set-piece which takes place in the barn, exceptionally well-done.
Maren Jenson is a gorgeous woman (much more so than Stone), and she brings a grounded quality to her leading role. It's a pity she didn't do anymore films, TV or anything after this. This film marked Sharon Stone's first speaking role, and while she isn't great or even good, I did like her delivery when describing her dream early on. Ernest Borgnine and Michael Berryman are both favorites of mine, and they deliver two more solid characters to their resumés. The underrated Lois Nettleton is here too as Jensen's oddball neighbor.
I also have to admit that I loved the ending, which is often bashed. I thought if fit with everything that had come before, like the dog on the prowl, the spiders, Stone's dream sequences, etc. It felt like a malevolent force was influencing the surrounding area.
This film is a long-standing favorite of mine, and I for one think it deserves more respect. Of course, for that to happen, I suppose more people would need to see it first. Probably Craven's least seen film, which is most unfortunate.
The entire film is shrouded in an eerie atmosphere from the get-go. The country setting is beautiful, yet strangely menacing in the confines of the film. We also are treated to a few unnerving sequences, the snake in the bathtub and the spider dream sequence in particular. There's also a lengthy set-piece which takes place in the barn, exceptionally well-done.
Maren Jenson is a gorgeous woman (much more so than Stone), and she brings a grounded quality to her leading role. It's a pity she didn't do anymore films, TV or anything after this. This film marked Sharon Stone's first speaking role, and while she isn't great or even good, I did like her delivery when describing her dream early on. Ernest Borgnine and Michael Berryman are both favorites of mine, and they deliver two more solid characters to their resumés. The underrated Lois Nettleton is here too as Jensen's oddball neighbor.
I also have to admit that I loved the ending, which is often bashed. I thought if fit with everything that had come before, like the dog on the prowl, the spiders, Stone's dream sequences, etc. It felt like a malevolent force was influencing the surrounding area.
This film is a long-standing favorite of mine, and I for one think it deserves more respect. Of course, for that to happen, I suppose more people would need to see it first. Probably Craven's least seen film, which is most unfortunate.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Dem Tode geweiht
- Filming locations
- Waxahachie, Texas, USA(Martha Schmidt's home)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $8,279,042
- Gross worldwide
- $8,279,042
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content