Directed by:
Dan CurtisCinematography:
Jacques R. MarquetteComposer:
Bob CobertCast:
Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Lee Montgomery, Bette Davis, Burgess Meredith, Eileen Heckart, Dub Taylor, Anthony James, Patsy SmartPlots(1)
When college lecturer Ben Rolf (Oliver Reed) and his family rent a remote country mansion at a bargain price, they believe they're in for an uneventful summer. Little do they realise that they've just moved into a veritable house of horrors! As the malevolent force that dwells within its walls exerts its dark influence on the minds of its new inhabitants, and the sinister occurrences begin to mount up, it grows increasingly clear that this is a holiday they'll never forget... provided any of them live to tell of it. Also starring Karen Black and Bette Davis, Burnt Offerings provides a unique and chilling portrait of a modern family in meltdown. (Arrow Films)
(more)Reviews (2)
Burnt Offerings is a decent horror film on the theme of family vs. mysterious house, with the main characters gradually sinking into psychological despair. It is sometimes terrifyingly severe (the drowning of the son in the pool at the hands of his father) and sometimes enticingly mysterious (the old lady in the upstairs room), but it is also often needlessly drawn out and half-baked, leading to unfulfilled potential and a lack of viewer satisfaction (for example, the whole motif involving the driver from the funeral of the main character’s mother). However, the exterior of the house is delightful and the actors are first-rate. The Omen from the same year, 1976 (20th Century Fox), is more deserving of a fourth star, as it completely outshined this competing project from United Artists.
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The very good and terrifying atmosphere didn’t get fully cooked until the last 10 minutes or so, which turned the three normal stars into three strong ones.
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