Burnt Offerings (1976)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

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:

In the commentary with director Dan Curtis, he says that he actually read the novel 'Burnt Offerings' years before he got the offer to direct this film. Curtis said that he hated the open-ended conclusion of the novel and at the time thought to himself that he would pity anyone who would attempt to make it into a movie. Ironically years later the offer to direct the movie version of the novel came to him and the first thing he did was write an ending that he liked - the one featured in the film.

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)

One of the scariest movies that I have ever seen.

Without a doubt, one of the scariest movies that I have ever seen. The scene with the undertaker and coffin coming up the stairs still gives me nightmares. The final scene in the attic throws you out of your seat; a scene that I have never forgotten.