Burnt Offerings (1976) Review

"Burnt Offerings" follows the Rolf family Ben (Oliver Reed), Marian (Karen Black), their son David ( Lee Montgomery) and Aunt Elizabeth (Bette Davis), Who decide to rent an old gothic estate for the summer after being given a unrefusable offer that came with two catches, Number one they must act as the caretakers and make sure the house stays in top shape, And number two they would have to make sure the owners grandmother got three meals a day left outside of her door and told it was unlikely they would ever see her as she keeps to herself always. It isn't long before the house starts to do what it does best, manipulating the family for its own amusement turning what was to be a quiet summer vacation into a battle for ones sanity and ones life.

This movie pre dates both "The Shining" and "The Amityville Horror" and I found the similarities between the three films very interesting, It had been many years since I last viewed "Burnt Offerings" and had totally forgot how a like it was to some of the most famous movies of the "Supernatural" sub genre of horror. This is a must see movie for any fan of classic horror and I highly recommend it for new comers to the genre as well as an example of an outstanding example of 70's horror.




"Burnt Offerings" is a truly creepy film, it sets a beautifully dark and sinister atmosphere that will leave you with a constant feeling of dread and uneasiness as the movie continues to elevate to higher levels of high tension after each encounter breaks the families sanity a little more. The acting in his movie is top notch and when it comes to showing the emotion of sheer terror look for an mind blowing display from Oliver Reed near the final moments of the movie.




I really enjoy this movie and consider it to be one of the best supernatural related horror films ever created, If you're sick of what the sub genre has become silly recreations of camcorder footage and people screaming at empty darkness turn off whatever "Paranormal Activity" clone your about to watch and instead queue up "Burnt Offerings" and you will not be disappointed.




On Behalf of The Liberal Dead I give "Burnt Offerings" a 9 out of 10 and award for best "Out of a window" kill scene in a movie.

9/10



Ted "Ritualistic" Brown