Burnt Offerings

Rating:
Summary: Poor commentary as an extra
Review: Great movie, though derivitive. A pinch of "The Shining" and a dash of "Psycho" and a bit of "The Haunting"..... Still, a wonderful film with wonderful acting. The DVD seems blurry and hazy....but the worst part is the rambling commentary of Curtis, Karen Black and the scriptwriter: they offer very little insight into the movie and seem like they remember very little of the actual making of it. They also do naught but subtly knock Oliver Reed. Listening to these three is a total waste of time. Watch the movie and.....watch Reed's magnificent performance.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing Transfer
Review: Burnt Offerings: I remember watching this classic flick when I was 10 or 11 years old in 1977. It was on NBC yearly for awhile. With memories of this movie coming back to me as I read the many reviews of this film on Amazon, I couldn't wait to see a DVD transfer of one of my favorite scary flicks.

I remember vividly the look in Oliver Reed's eyes when he was approaching his son David in the pool scene. That was one of the best elements of this movie: the actors' eyes and facial expressions. They were really into their roles, it would never have been half the movie it was without them. Oliver's character looked mad, like he was possessed when attempting to drown his son. A VERY intense moment to say the least. So I popped the DVD in and sat back waiting for this and many other moments to shine digitally from my home theater...

Well, I am writing today to say that this transfer looks NOTHING like the network broadcasts from so many years ago. This transfer is very blurry, some spots so dark its hard to make out what is being displayed. The chilling scene I referenced to above was nullified because Oliver's intense blue eyes seems to be completely lost in the blur. How could MGM's transfer team have messed this up? Did they even bother to look at teh finished product before it was released publicly??

I must say that I am EXTREMELY disappointed with MGM's DVD transfer of this classic movie. The audio is mono as well. Many parts of the dialogue are drowned out my loud music. I stopped watching X Files because of that very reason.

With that said, there is no way I can rank this movie lower than a 5. It is a brilliantly made film. But MGM's transfer to DVD gives it a 2 star bump to 3. I've waited a long time to see Better Davis' last film set to DVD, and I have to say that the results are quite disappointing. We may never see MGM give this a redo either. What a shame, and such a great movie in their catalogue too.

Fans of the movie who know what I'm talking about may opt to stay away from purchasing this DVD. Those of you who haven't seen it may want to give it a spin, but be warned that PLENTY gets lost in the translation. You may not find this as frightening due to the bluriness caused by an uncaring, unprofessional MGM DVD transfer team. To be honest, I've seen VHS to DVD transfers that looked better than this....

Rating:
Summary: still the creepiest movie ever!
Review: When I first saw "BURNT OFFERINGS" it was on television in the late 70's / early 80's. I was a young boy and was scared to death! I had nightmares (litterally for years) especially about Anthony James' character (the morbid chauffeur!) Just hearing the line "I've been waiting for you Ben" still sends shivers up and down my spine! Did any of this stop me from watching it everytime it was on?...not a chance.
The nightmares were so frequent and intense, they are as vivid today as they were then. I watched a lot of horror movies at that age (still do) and although Halloween, The Exorcist, The Omen, Friday the 13th, The Amityville Horror and scores more were terrifying, none of them matched up to the sheer fright that is created via "Burnt Offerings".
Karen Black is fantastic! Veteran actors Bette Davis and Burgess Meredith added so much to this film, and Oliver Reed was simply superb!
17 years later and I've yet to be as scared by a film as I still am when I watch it to this day. The film contains very little blood or gore, but it contains what a true masterpiece of terror should contain; a great story, three dimensional characters played by very talented actors, an eerie musical score, and enough creepiness to keep you squirming in your seat throughout the entire picture! The climax alone is enough to make all the hair on your neck stand at attention and your skin crawl away, that is if you make it that far.
So grab hold of your lovers hand, turn down the lights, turn up the stereo surround sound, and enjoy "BURNT OFFERINGS".

Rating:
Summary: 70s " 'fraid flick" - Time is on its side
Review: Isn't this just one of the most enjoyable " Horror " movies ever??? I remember seeing it on the television as a youngster, and honestly, over 20 years later, I still LOVE watching it.
The family is so ordinary. They laugh together, they quarrel, they have intimate moments with one another and "rolling eyes" moments with each other as well. The wife has both tolerance and annoyance for Davis' Aunt Elizabeth, and at the appropriate times, we feel what she feels. The thing is, we actually FEEL something for the characters.

But things start to unravel, and one is hard-pressed to put an exact finger on the cause. Is it the heat? The summer sounds are so pervasive - the June bugs, the night time crickets, etc.- that one almost feels tempted to swat at a blow-fly every
now and again. And the brightness of some of the outdoor shots, and the blurriness of others gives the impression of intense summer heat. It seems enough to frazzle even the best-wound nerves.

But there is more. The premonitions of the husband. The hallucinations. It IS hot...But...He DOES seem as if he is in need of a good rest.

Is it the House? The wife becomes more and more protective of the house and also becomes quite obsessive about her family's behavior within its walls, and on its grounds. ( Remember when Karen and Oliver initiate a sexual encounter by the poolside? At first both are willing, but then Karen stops it saying that it would not be proper there, as if the act would offend the house! What is even more odd is that though it sounds silly here, when you watch it, and hear it, her response does not seem weird at all...)

And what ABOUT that house??? One of my favorite scenes is the night of the big storm, when Oliver is awakened by the noises outside, perhaps like those of someone trying to get inside. But when he looks out the window...What a terrifying sight. Still creeps me to this day.

And of course, the Limo driver is the stuff that many people's

nightmares were made of. Goodness knows, I had many years of variations on this theme in my OWN night time reveries.

And just who the devil is Mrs. Allardyce, and why do we never get to SEE her or even HEAR her? Why won't Marian let her husband even slip her a single meal??? What spell has the old woman cast over Marian?

Ok, in truth, there are a few weak points, but why dig for them?

So it isn't perfect...Who cares. I love watching Oliver Reed in anything, and seeing him in this movie is a treat. How wonderfully he unravels. Is he a fearless actor or what! Who else would dare to play scenes that require saliva to drip down his lips? He dares to be unglamorous, and it just makes him seem more like a real dad...I love scenes where he trembles until that vein in his forehead pops out, or when he cries and his face gets all red and blotchy. Now THAT is what crying is REALLY like...Karen is ...Well, could anyone else have been as delicious going from "Everymom" to warped and unstrung? Even Lee Montgomery as the son, is great and manages to have an "aw shucks" quality about him that somehow avoids being thoroughly nauseating. Bette Davis is, in turns, obnoxious and empathetic, and arguably underused as well... Burgess Meredith's role in this film, while nearly a cameo, brings to mind his role in "The Sentinel," which came out about the same time, and is unsettling, even in its brevity.

Let me just stop here and say that you ought to watch this movie, just once, if for no other reason than to reminisce about what scared us in the 70s and how nice it is to realize that a movie doesn't need blood and guts and gore to be disturbing if one allows for a little imagination.

Rating:
Summary: MOST TERRIFYING MOVIE
Review: A family rents an isolated house for a summer vacation. Part of the deal is that they must look after the little old lady in the attic. Almost from the start, sinister thing start happening. One of the most effective techniques is the husband's flashbacks to his mother's funeral, in particular, a vision of a grinning hearse driver. Other memorable scenes include a swimming pool that behaves like a storm at sea and the house renewing itself by replacing its tiles. This is one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen and it sure beats most popular horror movies for drawn-out suspense and psychological terror. This one stays with you weeks after you've watched it.

Rating:
Summary: An oscar for the chauffeur driver!
Review: My theory is that scary movies have the greatest impact on younger people. The two characters which scare me the most are the chauffeur driver in this movie and the zuni doll in 'Trilogy of Terror'. Haven't seen anything to this day which comes close.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: There are many unanswered questions but you will still love this movie. I read the book and the movie goes along fairly well with the book. It is just a great haunted house movie. Karen Black, Oliver Reed & Betty Davis are fantastic in it. You will be amazed watching Karen Black "transform" along with the house. You will not regret purchasing this movie!!!! Great to watch on a stormy night.

Rating:
Summary: hearse driver freaks me out!!!!!!!!
Review: THIS IS THE ONLY FILM EVER THAT EVER GAVE ME NIGHTMARES. I WATCHED IT AS A CHILD AND HAD NIGHMARES WITH THE HEARSE DRIVER FOR YEARS. I LOVE HORROR FILMS AND NEVER HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY ANY BUT THIS ONE GOT TO ME. I DONT THINK THE MOVIE IS THAT SCARY BUT THIS GUY IS CHILLING. I WAS SHOCKED TO READ THE REVIEWS AND SEE HOW MANY OTHERS WERE AFFECTED BY THIS. I WATCHED IT YEARS LATER AND IT STILL FREAKED ME OUT. DEFINTLY THE MOST CHILLING IMAGE IN MOVIES.

Rating:
Summary: Saw it when I was 8 years old....scared...me!
Review: Good lord, why am I writing this review? This film scared...me. Saw it on television when I was about 8 years old and living in Virginia. 25 years later, I can still picture that night seeing this film. The limo driver with the glasses is what freaked me out the most. Haven't seen the film since then, but vividly remember it and still get chills when I think about it. Hmmmm, I might have to rent it though, for old times sakes, since there hasn't been a film that really truly scared me since this one (and "Magic" with Anthony Hopkins). If you want a creepy film, not a gory one, then rent this.

Rating:
Summary: Nightmare memories from childhood return!!
Review: I saw this movie at the drive-in when I was a kid and it scared the heck out of me!! Especially, as the other reviewers have pointed out, the hearse driver is the creepiest!!! Just thinking about him now gives me the chills. It makes me glad to know that this flick is coming out on DVD. Highly recommended for it's eerie atmosphere. And remember....don't forget about Mrs. Allardyce!!!