Burnt Offerings (1976)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writers:

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

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

Directed by
Dan Curtis

Writing credits
Robert Marasco		(novel)
William F. Nolan		(screenplay) and
Dan Curtis		(screenplay)

Produced by
Dan Curtis	....	producer
Robert Singer	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Bob Cobert

Cinematography by
Jacques R. Marquette		(as Jacques Marquette)

Film Editing by
Dennis Virkler

Casting by
Linda Otto

Production Design by
Eugène Lourié

Set Decoration by
Solomon Brewer

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Al Fleming	....	makeup artist
Abraham Meech-Burkestone	....	hair stylist
Peggy Shannon	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Joseph M. Ellis	....	unit production manager (as Joseph Ellis)
Ira Loonstein	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Howard Grace	....	first assistant director
Stephen Lim	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Gerald MacDonald	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Don J. Bassman	....	sound re-recordist (as Don Bassman)
David M. Ronne	....	sound mixer (as David Ronne)

Special Effects by
Cliff Wenger	....	special effects (as Clifford Wenger)

Stunts
Dar Robinson	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Goldenhar	....	gaffer
Elliott Marks	....	still photographer
Bradford May	....	first assistant camera (as Brad May)
Robert A. Petzoldt	....	gaffer (as Robert Petzoldt)
Sven Walnum	....	camera operator
Robert Blair	....	key grip (uncredited)
Wynn Hammer	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lucia De Martino	....	costumer
Agnes G. Henry	....	costumer (as Agnes Henry)

Editorial Department
Bud Klutchman	....	assistant editor (as Bud Klotchman)

Transportation Department
James E. Foote	....	transportation captain (as James Foote)

Other crew
Pam Ellis	....	production secretary
Eliza Garrett	....	production secretary
Alan Greedy	....	script supervisor
Ruth Kennedy	....	assistant to producer
Susan B. Landau	....	production assistant (as Susan Landau)
Jason E. Squire	....	production executive

Production Companies

• Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA) (presents) (as P.E.A. Films)
• Dan Curtis Productions (produced in association with)

Distributors

• United Artists (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1978) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (VHS)

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:

David Rolf: I hate this place! I want to get of here. I HATE IT!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Rose Red" (2002)

Creepy and mesmerizing!

This is one of the few horror films that I can still sit back and enjoy. It scared me pretty badly as a kid. I still feel all the haunting vibes and chills as an adult.

It may not be action packed (although the scene with Reed trying to kill his soon in the pool was terrifying--and ultra-realistic), but it certainly gets under your skin. This film is about mood, and it is both beautifully entrancing and ominously mesmerizing. I actually found the acting quite good. Reed was wonderful. I loved the two weird siblings, Roz and Brother (Burgess Meredith, wonderful actor). Their adoration of the house sends chills up my spine.

The true stars of the movie are the music (Bob Cobert's amazing Music Box Theme) and the house (Dunsmuir House & Gardens, in Oakland, California). For true horror buffs out there, this movie inspired the creators of PHANTASM to drive up to Oakland and use this same mansion as the infamous Morningside Mortuary. Which is probably, when the opening moments of PHANTASM rolled in 1979, I already had such fear upon seeing the mansion again on screen!

I have to wonder if other elements of BURNT OFFERINGS inspired PHANTASM as well. Note the creepy old lady upstairs at the end. Reminds one of PHANTASM's eerie fortuneteller. How about B.O.'s terrifying hearse chauffeur? He's kind of like a forerunner of the Tall Man!

BURNT OFFERINGS is well worth the viewing. Don't expect any real jolts or screams. But turn off the lights and let it really sink in. It's well worth a viewing. There are many moments (such as the house renewing itself during the rainstorm) that are bizarre and horribly fascinating. I haven't seen this good a haunted house movie in years.

And definitely visit Dunsmuir in real life. This place is spectacular. You'll fall in love with it, just like Karen Black! I certainly did. I spent awhile helping out as tour guide and volunteer at the estate while attending college in the Bay Area.