Burnt Offerings (1976)
Genre: Horror
Duration: 116 minuten
Alternative title: Trauma
Country:
United States / Italy
Directed by: Dan Curtis
Stars: Bette Davis, Karen Black and Oliver Reed
IMDb score:
6,4 (15.216)
Releasedate: 18 October 1976
Burnt Offerings plot
"Up the ancient stairs, behind the locked door, something lives, something evil, from which no one has ever returned."
Ben (Oliver Reed) and Marian Rolf (Karen Black) think they've found the ideal home for their vacation with a mansion where they're moving with their son David (Lee Montgomery) and older aunt Elizabeth (Bette Davis). Their stay turns into a nightmare when it turns out to be haunted.
Actors and actresses
Marian Rolf
Ben Rolf
Arnold Allardyce
Aunt Elizabeth
Roz Allardyce
David 'Davey' Rolf
Walker
Ben's Father
Young Ben
Minister
Reviews & comments
Bottleneck
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- 8233 messages
- 2119 votes
The summer counterpart of The Shining? Unbelievable how many similarities there are: the opening scene in the car on the way to a remote building (and immediately ominous music), the 'care tasks', the parents who go crazy, a building that 'lives', the photos at the end etc. The film and the book came out before The Shining and King's book, so it can hardly be otherwise that King and Kubrick did not look at this with a slanted eye, but with their eyes wide open.
Anyway, Burnt Offerings is indeed a great atmospheric horror. Everything focused on the three characters, the house, increasing mutual tensions and in this case fortunately no frightening moments or ghostly acts (with the exception of a slamming door). Thanks to the wonderfully quiet structure and above all a constant creepy soundtrack, Burnt Offerings is fascinating from minute one, I hardly noticed the fairly long playing time and that not much actually happens.
There is invariably a misty glow about the film that makes the already mysterious plot even more misty. Only the camerwa work itself is very flat (how steady shots would have suited this well...), the homeowner and the handyman are just a bit too caricatured and Oliver Reed with his coarse build and Hulk head I don't think is the perfect choice for this role. But he acts well and the ending is very tight, especially because much remains shrouded in mystery. Then also that successful 'slow pace' and it's one of the best haunted house horrors I've seen. And strangely enough hardly an audience for it..
Translated from Dutch · View original
Noodless
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- 10087 messages
- 6205 votes
This movie is already 43 years old and I actually didn't know the movie until last year in the horror challenge.
Finally watched it now and it's quite a good horror movie. The film must mainly rely on a calm, good structure with attention to the different characters and the dark atmosphere that prevails around the story. Excellent acting, by the way. There may be too little happening, but the story remains captivating until the end. In addition, the story has a nice feature : the house feeds on the souls of the people who come to live there. Nice 'old' 
discovery ! 7/10
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13508 messages
- 11319 votes
Good film in which a family rents a very large house in the summer for a low price. The slow build-up is certainly good and enough happens that it doesn't really collapse anywhere. The house itself contributes greatly to the atmosphere of this mysterious horror film. Some exciting scenes and also a great denouement.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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