Burnt Offerings (1976)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writers:

Robert Marasco (novel)
William F. Nolan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 October 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Up the ancient stairs, behind the locked door, something lives, something evil, from which no one has ever returned. [UK]

Plot:

Haunted house chiller from Dan Curtis has Oliver Reed and Karen Black as summer caretakers moving into gothic house with their young son...

Plot Keywords:

Haunted House | Underwater | Refrigerator | Attic | Child In Peril

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Karen Black	...	Marian Rolf
Oliver Reed	...	Ben Rolf
Burgess Meredith	...	Arnold Allardyce
Eileen Heckart	...	Roz Allardyce
Lee Montgomery	...	David 'Davey' Rolf (as Lee H. Montgomery)
Dub Taylor	...	Walker
Bette Davis	...	Aunt Elizabeth
Joseph Riley	...	Ben's Father
Todd Turquand	...	Young Ben
Orin Cannon	...	Minister
Jim Myers	...	Dr. Ross
Anthony James	...	The Chauffeur

Also Known As:

Ballata macabra (Italy)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Dunsmuir House & Gardens - 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, California, USA

Company:

Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)

Trivia:

The Dunsmuir House, located in Oakland, California would also be featured in The Vineyard (1989), and So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), as well as in A View to a Kill (1985), True Crime (1999), and even Little Girls Blue (1978).

Goofs:

Continuity: The gray in Marion's hair has completely vanished when she and Ben are out on the porch at night and she has the tea tray.

Quotes:

Roz Allardyce: The house takes care of itself.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Rose Red" (2002)

So so ghost story

"Burnt Offerings" has an interesting premise that takes far too long to explain. A family moves into a house that seems to have a life of its own. Simple and direct. The film, however, at almost 2 hours in length takes its sweet time to get things going only to reach a "surprise" ending which, I will admit, is a bit spooky, but is easy to guess long before it is revealed.

The performances by Karen Black and, especially, Oliver Reed make this film worth watching. There is a scene where Reed puts on a pair of glasses he has found at the bottom of a swimming pool. His son is in the pool with him and soon Reed seems possessed and starts playing with his son a little too rough until it appears Reed may be trying to kill him. Watch Reed closely in this scene and you can see how he is being taken over but is fighting it. He seems to be enjoying hurting his son at the same time that he is trying to stop himself. It's a strong performance in a mediocre film.