Burnt Offerings
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Movie Reviews of Burnt Offerings
Movie Review: On DVD at last!
Summary: 5 Stars
Directed by Dan Curtis (TV's Dark Shadows), BURNT OFFERINGS tells the story of the Rolf family who, one summer, rent a huge house to get away from it all. The home is owned by the Alerdyce (sp) family, an eccentric bunch including Burgess Meredith. The Rolf family is overjoyed, despite having to do amazing amounts of yard work (some vacation) and taking care of the elderly matriarch of the Alerdyce family who lives in the attic and whom no one ever sees. No one except Mrs. Rolf played by Karen Black.The house begins to repair itself and other weird things begin to happen. Sanity if questioned, bonds are broken, trust is shattered, and soon death arrives in the form of a ghostly hearse and it's pale driver...possibly one of the creepiest characters ever to grace your television screen.
I am not sure if this movie was made for television, but that's where I first saw it. Later when I saw it on video, it appeared to be the exact version I saw.
I cannot credit the cast of this movie enough. All were excellent, even the young boy. Bette Davis and Oliver Reed do excellent work, but the standout has to be Karen Black. Move over Scream Queens, Karen Black can outshine anyone when it comes to pushing creepy glances and facial expressions. Her last scene in the film haunts me to this day. Oh man, I can still see her!
The title refers to the practice in some cultures of burning animals alive as sacrifices to the Gods. They don't realize it, but the Rolf family is being led to the altar, the fire is hot, and you are invited along. I encourage anyone who has not seen this film to not miss this opportunity to own it!
Movie Review: still the creepiest movie ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first saw "BURNT OFFERINGS" it was on television in the late 70's / early 80's. I was a young boy and was scared to death! I had nightmares (litterally for years) especially about Anthony James' character (the morbid chauffeur!) Just hearing the line "I've been waiting for you Ben" still sends shivers up and down my spine! Did any of this stop me from watching it everytime it was on?...not a chance. The nightmares were so frequent and intense, they are as vivid today as they were then. I watched a lot of horror movies at that age (still do) and although Halloween, The Exorcist, The Omen, Friday the 13th, The Amityville Horror and scores more were terrifying, none of them matched up to the sheer fright that is created via "Burnt Offerings".
Karen Black is fantastic! Veteran actors Bette Davis and Burgess Meredith added so much to this film, and Oliver Reed was simply superb!
17 years later and I've yet to be as scared by a film as I still am when I watch it to this day. The film contains very little blood or gore, but it contains what a true masterpiece of terror should contain; a great story, three dimensional characters played by very talented actors, an eerie musical score, and enough creepiness to keep you squirming in your seat throughout the entire picture! The climax alone is enough to make all the hair on your neck stand at attention and your skin crawl away, that is if you make it that far.
So grab hold of your lovers hand, turn down the lights, turn up the stereo surround sound, and enjoy "BURNT OFFERINGS".
Movie Review: Have You Ever Seen A Hearse Go By...
Summary: 5 Stars
Ben (Oliver Reed), Marian (Karen Black) , and their son have just rented a house for the summer. What a deal! nine hundred bucks for mansion and grounds! For TWO months! After meeting with the owners (including a very bizarre Burgess Merideth), they discover there is one catch. They must take care of an 85 yo woman who lives on the third floor. They move in, accompanied by Ben's aunt Elizabeth (Bette Davis). Strange things start happening, as nothing is what it seems. The house is actually a trap for our unwary family, set to lure them into a situation from which there is no escape. Marian becomes increasingly obsessed with the place and it's history, to the point of madness. Ben is haunted by dreams of his mother's funeral and the ultra-creepy hearse driver with a permanent, evil smile. His dreams cross over to reality, when he begins seeing the hearse in the daytime! Ben even tries to drown his son in the pool after lapsing into a trance-like state. Things really get going when the grinning hearse driver shows up with a rolling coffin, finishing off aunt Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Marian slips further into her new role as matriarch of the house. Ben is in a vegetative state, until the pool tries to drown his son by creating it's own mini-hurricane. You see, the house isn't just haunted, it's alive! It can even toss off it's old roof tiles and siding, to reveal brand new ones beneath! Is there really an old woman upstairs at all? Can our besieged family survive? Watch and see for yourself. Highly recommended...Movie Review: very sacary...for the over 40 crowd?
Summary: 5 Stars
this movie still elicits a twinge of fear when i watch it. i saw it in theaters when it was released, and it was, for many years, the scariest flick i had ever seen. it still may be. although, today's special effects have certainly made horror movies more intense, the 'waiting' and 'wondering' of this movie, makes up for the lack of scary monsters. filmed with a filtered lense, gives the movie a surreal feel, as i had never seen a film, at that time, with such an erie feel to it. the acting is superb, with no real cheesy dialogue or sequences to speak of. quite a change for films of this nature, or most films of any genre of the 70's. this is the type of film, horror especially, that you can't miss a single scene, to really follow what is going on. one of the only movies i can remember watching in the 70's, besides jaws, where nobody left the theater for a bathroom or concession break. i won't speak of the synopsis of the film, so as not to give anything away. i will just tell you however, that this film blows away 95% of all horror movies of the last 30 years, save for the orig. fri. the 13th and alien. well worth the price of the dvd, this would be an excellent addition to any horror fan's library. i am 43, so maybe a little out of touch with today's horror films, but i still enjoy watching this at least once a year. check it out...Movie Review: "Just take good care of the house and mother and you will enjoy the place"
Summary: 5 Stars
OK first off, this is one of the BEST HAUNTED HOUSE MOVIES EVER IN MY EYES!!! Only Robert Wise's superb version of "The Haunting" is a better movie of things that go bump in the night(and sometimes the day also)! Everything is right with this tale of a summer "rental" house that is to good to be true, and is too good to be true. Over looked during it's release, this is another of the movies that scared the daylights out of me as a child.
A family (Oliver Reed, Karen Black, Lee Montgomery, and Bette Davis) rent a house for the summer from a brother and sister(wonderfully creepy Eileen Heckart and Burgess Meredith) on the condition that their elderly mother who lives upstairs stays and the wife feed her three times a day. Sounds simple enough, but we know better. What follows is 2 hours of the creepiest goings on you have ever seen. To say much more would ruin your chance to see it yourself. But I must give special mention to Anthony James as the Hearse driver from Reeds past that haunts his present. You may not know the name but you will remember his face from many movies and T.V. shows. He never speaks but he owns this movie with his creepy smile and very slow Hearse.
This one hits all the marks and stays with you long after it goes off. A very good non gory horror movie that delivers the goods.