Burnt Offerings
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Movie Reviews of Burnt Offerings
Movie Review: The only true film masterpiece ever produced in the horror genre!
Summary: 5 Stars
First there was Psycho, with Anthony Perkins - and he was truly amazing, as was the supporting cast, but slasher flicks can only be so terrifying compared to the idea of a house with it's own mind, or some completely unknown (and unknown is the key) force controlling all who enter it.
Burnt Offerings shortly predated both the Amityville Horror and The Shining, which are two of the most highly-rated horror flicks of all time, but anyone who fails to see the superiority of Burnt Offerings has ADD. These two which followed it were great with the special effects, but the Amityville Horror did not have Oliver Reed, Karen Black, Bette Davis, a truly gifted child actor, a truly inspired storyline by a novelist who didn't write screenplays for a living, and director Dan Curtis's talent for focusing on the story and the characters instead of bombarding the audience with special effects which may look impressive, but aren't needed where writing, acting, musical score, and directoral talent are all top notch.
The impact of the expressions on the faces of Karen Black and Oliver Reed, as the house hijacked their will will never, ever be trumped by any puke-out images of gorey detail, nor disgusting natural phenomenon such bee swarms. Compared to these expressions, The Shining's wall of blood was just silly, not that it makes Jack Nicholson's performance any less respectable - he certainly never lacked this specific talent. I'm sure Nicholson studied Reed for his own role, which he performed masterfully. The Shining deserves it's rating as one of the finest horrors, but it's hook was dulled by revealing too much from the beginning - you knew, before the family entered that house, that Nicholson's character was a loser, and when ghosts started talking to him, you knew he was losing it. Burnt Offerings deserved a higher rating for keeping the viewers on their toes until the very end.
As for the horrific impact of Burnt Offerings compared to it's contemporaries, ask anyone who saw it first as a child in the '70's - I can only echo others who have said that the shocking impact is no less now than it was then, and my parents wondered why I seemed so much afraid of them in the weeks that followed.
Movie Review: The King of haunted house stories!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Remember Dark Shadows? Of course you do! But do you remember the movie Night Of Dark Shadows, released after the tv series went off the air? If you've seen that movie and then watch Burnt Offerings, you may have noticed quite a few similarities, especially at the end. That's because both movies were directed by Dan Curtis, but whereas Night Of Dark Shadows was anything but scary, Burnt Offerings conquers the list of haunted house stories by being everything NODS wasn't. By replacing the cast with superior actors, coming up with a mostly new script, new plot and forgetting all about Dark Shadows, except for some of the recognizable music, Curtis came up with a horror movie that scared even the goosebumps on my skin. Here's the plot in a nutshell: Oliver Reed and Karen Black play Marion and Ben Rolf, who along with Ben's aunt Elizabeth (played superbly by Bette Davis) and the Rolfs' son, agree to pay $900.00 and take care of an 85-year-old woman in exchange for living in a decaying old mansion on a large estate for the summer. There are several clues about what they're in for right at the beginning, such as Ben and Marion viewing about a dozen pictures of the house, all from the same angle and each picture showing the house looking exactly the same even though there's over one hundred years separating the first picture from the most recent.
Ben begins seeing one of the most horrifying characters in horror movies, someone he'd repeatedly dreamed about following his mother's death years earlier. Marion seems to become possessed by the house, and aunt Elizabeth seems to grow weaker by the scene. And the slightest injury to any of the characters seems to cause part of the estate to become like new. The ending, although similar to that in Night Of Dark Shadows, is a hundred times more frightening and will be long remembered afterwards. Though released in 1976, Burnt Offerings is a classic horror movie that can still scare viewers today, partly because the scare factor is not dependent on virtually non-existent special effects or loads of blood and gore, but instead is supported by a fantastic script and the ability of its stars to utilize their talents. The Haunting has nothing on this film.
Movie Review: The King of haunted house stories!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Remember Dark Shadows? Of course you do! But do you remember the movie Night Of Dark Shadows, released after the tv series went off the air? If you've seen that movie and then watch Burnt Offerings, you may have noticed quite a few similarities, especially at the end. That's because both movies were directed by Dan Curtis, but whereas Night Of Dark Shadows was anything but scary, Burnt Offerings conquers the list of haunted house stories by being everything NODS wasn't. By replacing the cast with superior actors, coming up with a mostly new script, new plot and forgetting all about Dark Shadows, except for some of the recognizable music, Curtis came up with a horror movie that scared even the goosebumps on my skin. Here's the plot in a nutshell: Oliver Reed and Karen Black play Marion and Ben Rolf, who along with Ben's aunt Elizabeth (played superbly by Bette Davis) and the Rolfs' son, agree to pay $900.00 and take care of an 85-year-old woman in exchange for living in a decaying old mansion on a large estate for the summer. There are several clues about what they're in for right at the beginning, such as Ben and Marion viewing about a dozen pictures of the house, all from the same angle and each picture showing the house looking exactly the same even though there's over one hundred years separating the first picture from the most recent.
Ben begins seeing one of the most horrifying characters in horror movies, someone he'd repeatedly dreamed about following his mother's death years earlier. Marion seems to become possessed by the house, and aunt Elizabeth seems to grow weaker by the scene. And the slightest injury to any of the characters seems to cause part of the estate to become like new. The ending, although similar to that in Night Of Dark Shadows, is a hundred times more frightening and will be long remembered afterwards. Though released in 1976, Burnt Offerings is a classic horror movie that can still scare viewers today, partly because the scare factor is not dependent on virtually non-existent special effects or loads of blood and gore, but instead is supported by a fantastic script and the ability of its stars to utilize their talents. The Haunting has nothing on this film.
Movie Review: A masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
I had read the book BURNT OFFERINGS by Robert Marasco and loved it. I was thrilled to see it made into a movie. This film is very underrated. It is expertly crafted classic horror. These days most horror films are filled with violence and gore galore. Not this film. The evil in this film is the house and is a character of the movie in itself.
We have a very happy family - mother, father, son with grandmother in tow - who rent a summer house. It's a run down huge mansion style house and amazingly cheap. They are asked to do upkeep and merely feed the owners mother who lives in the attic. The creepiness starts at the very beginning when the parents are being interviewed and the son is playing in the yard. The owner sees him fall and hurt himself through the window and smiles gleefully, saying nothing.
This film plays upon all your innermost fears. The creepy atmosphere never lets up - it ebbs and flows but is always there. The acting is impeccable. Karen Black is superb as the mother who becomes more a mother to the house than her own family. The house seems to change her and possess her. Oliver Reed is excellent as the husband who is trying to figure out what is happening. This film is rare for it is not a mere suspense film. It is a definite horror film but without the blood and gore. The mood that keeps butterflies in your stomach never lets up. The dreams that the father has about the funeral are absolutely terrifying here. Bottom line, we have a house that is not happy and discovering how it gets what it needs is chilling.
We also have the benefit of Bette Davis here who is always great. It is one of her later roles and she is fine with playing second fiddle to Karen Black. Karen rules her. As she become one with the house she becomes a mysterious presence to be reckoned with.
I highly recommend this film. Excellent acting and horror that will stay with you long after viewing it. Remember there is not blood and gore here but something that is actually worse. The is an undertone of creepiness and a growing terror that will stay under your skin. This shows what a great movie it is.
Movie Review: I guess the grandma preferred something else for lunch!
Summary: 5 Stars
Pre-dating both "The Amityville Horror" and "The Shining", "Burnt Offerings" is an incredibly well-written haunted-house horror story, starring the talents of Oliver Reed, who would get fame from his star role in David Cronenberg's "The Brood" three years after this movie. The other star is Karen Black, in ironically one of the few horror roles I think she's done.
Now, while "Burnt Offerings" lasts over a good hour and forty minutes, it's a gripping, brilliant and entertaining movie for several reasons. First off, it draws you in with its settings. The bright-green, comfortable forests of the summer home in California really lures you in and hypnotizes you. Then, we have the characters. Remember what they taught you in horror movie lover's school? If the villain isn't the 300-pound giant with a six-foot chainsaw (think Texas Chainsaw Pt. 2), then the horror is probably internal.
OK, so I'm showing my semi-sarcastic side, but in all honesty, the second part of "Burnt Offerings"'s combo-punch is the characters. The mother, father and son all change and develop over and over, making for some interesting high/low points in the story, and a few really creepy scenes, too!
Finally, characters and setting aside, this movie was really well written. I felt like the climax and escalade to it were really long, but kept me in edge-of-my-bed suspense. All the twists and turns in the plot surprised, and sometimes spooked, me.
And how about the grand finale? Well, the ending makes a lot of sense and resolves the whole storyline, but honestly, left me feeling empty inside.
So while I could drop a star for the gloomy ending, instead, I'll let all five stars stay, as "Burnt Offerings" was a gripping, exciting, atmospheric and visually-hypnotic horror movie. It was, as I repeat, really well-written with some really chilling scenes. If you want a haunted-house story done right, or a thrilling movie that's sure to hold your attention, "Burnt Offerings" will make you its sacrifice! Thanks for the time, and peace.