Burnt Offerings (film)
Burnt Offerings is a 1976 American supernatural horror film co-written and directed by Dan Curtis and starring Karen Black, Oliver Reed and Bette Davis, and Lee H. Montgomery, with Eileen Heckart, Burgess Meredith and Anthony James in smaller roles. It is based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Robert Marasco. The plot follows a family who begins to interpersonally dissolve under supernatural forces in a large estate they have rented for the summer.
While the film received mixed reviews from critics, it won several awards in 1977. Originally set on Long Island, New York, the movie moves the action to California and was the first movie to be filmed at Dunsmuir House in Oakland, California.
Plot
Writer Ben Rolf, his wife Marian, and their 12-year-old son Davey tour a large, shabby, remote neo-classical 19th-century mansion to rent for the summer. The home's eccentric owners, elderly siblings Arnold and Rosalyn Allardyce, offer them a bargain price of nine-hundred dollars for the entire summer, with one odd request: Their elderly mother, who they claim is 85 but could pass for 60, will continue to live in her upstairs room, and the Rolfs are to provide her with meals during their stay. The siblings explain that the old woman is obsessed with privacy and will not interact with them, so meals are to be left outside her door. Marian eagerly accepts this task, having begun to succumb to the allure of the ornate house and its period decor.The family arrives at the house at the beginning of summer along with Ben's elderly Aunt Elizabeth, a painter. Marian quickly becomes obsessed with caring for the home, and eventually wears the Victorian era garments she finds in Mrs. Allardyce's suite, while increasingly distancing herself from her family. Of particular interest to her is Mrs. Allardyce's sitting room, which contains a collection of framed portraits of people from different eras, presumably former occupants of the house, and a music box. Mrs. Allardyce's meals go mostly untouched, according to Marian, who expresses concern. Various unusual circumstances occur during the summer: After Davey falls and hurts his knee playing in the garden, a dead plant starts to grow again; Ben cuts his hand on a champagne bottle, and a dead light bulb in the kitchen storeroom is mysteriously repaired; while playing in the pool, Ben turns violent and almost drowns Davey; a gas heater in Davey's bedroom turns itself on and the windows and door lock shut; Ben is haunted by a dream and a waking vision of an eerie, malevolently grinning hearse driver whom Ben first saw, or thought he saw, at his mother's funeral many years earlier. With each "accident," the house further restores itself.
Initially unknown to her family, Marian is becoming possessed by the spirit of the house. When Aunt Elizabeth suddenly becomes ill and dies, Marian does not attend the funeral. She steps into the previously barren conservatory to discover the plants have revived and bloomed. Ben and Davey return to the house after the funeral. Ben confronts Marian, who retreats to Mrs. Allardyce's sitting room. Ben angrily confronts her about what her obsession with the house is doing to their family. When she denies it, he reveals his intention to leave the next day, "with or without you".
Ben sleeps in an armchair in his son's room but awakens to a commotion outside. Looking out the window, he sees that old shingles and siding are falling away, replaced by new ones as the house rejuvenates itself. He attempts to escape with his son, but a tree blocks the road. When Marian drives them back to the house, Ben accuses her of being a part of what is going on, then sees her as the chauffeur, and becomes catatonic. The next day, while Davey is swimming and a still catatonic Ben is watching him, the placid pool water turns churns into vicious waves, pulling the boy under as Ben is unable to move. Only Marian has the power to save her son. She dives in and rescues him, the incident awakening Ben out of his catatonic state. Marian agrees that it's time to leave.
As Ben readies his family to leave, Marian insists on going back inside to tell Mrs. Allardyce they are leaving and give her their phone number. When Marian fails to return to the car, Ben goes inside to find her, but cannot. Ben decides to confront Mrs. Allardyce, whom he has never seen. He is horrified when he discovers that his wife is now the old woman in the attic. Ben is thrown from an attic window, landing on the windshield of his car. In shock, Davey runs toward the house and is killed when one of the chimneys falls on him.
With the house and grounds now fully rejuvenated, the Allardyce siblings and Walker reappear and are heard marveling at the restored beauty of their home and rejoicing over the return of their "mother". The photo collection now includes photos of Ben, Davey and Aunt Elizabeth, the latest victims.
Cast
Production
Filming took place in August 1975 at the Dunsmuir House located in Oakland, California. Burnt Offerings was the first movie to be filmed at the Dunsmuir House. According to a commentary with Dan Curtis, William F. Nolan, and Karen Black, Curtis reveals that his rationale for the fog machine was to shoot "motes."Bette Davis reportedly had conflicts with Karen Black, feeling that Black did not extend to her an appropriate degree of respect and that her behavior on the film set was unprofessional. Davis also disliked Oliver Reed's noisy drunken escapades, frequently waking her up in the middle of the night when he returned from his carousing to the hotel where the actors all stayed during filming.
Prior to Curtis's taking the role of director, the producers of the film offered Bob Fosse, who was directing his recent film at the time, Sweet Charity to direct the film next. Fosse was intrigued with the project and saw it as a challenge to direct a non-musical and a dark horror story, which wasn't his milieu. Fosse was especially interested in the story's central question; How much of a beating can a happy family withstand? Fosse and the producers settled on a summer 1970 shoot date, and Fosse took a trip to California to look for his haunted mansion. Eventually, Fosse's involvement with the project never materialized and he went on to direct Cabaret, instead.
Critical reception
Movie critic Roger Ebert called the film "a mystery, all right", concluding "Burnt Offerings just persists, until it occurs to us that the characters are the only ones in the theater who don't know what's going to happen next." Variety stated "The horror is expressed through sudden murderous impulses felt by Black and Reed, a premise which might have been interesting if director Dan Curtis hadn't relied strictly on formula treatment."In contrast, Chris Wright of MoreHorror.com praised the film's plot, stating "A simple yet original plot for a movie that is done so well. The acting is superb from all the actors. The low tone music adds a strikingly eerie presence to the movie." Rovi Donald Guarisco of Movie Guide called the film "worthy of rediscovery by the horror fans who missed it the first time", concluding "In the end, Burnt Offerings is probably a bit too methodical in its pacing for viewers accustomed to slam-bang approach of post-'70s horror fare but seasoned horror fans will find plenty to enjoy..."
Awards
Home media
In 2003, MGM released a region 1 DVD of Burnt Offerings. The original video shape is in wide screen and also features an audio commentary with Dan Curtis, Karen Black and William F. Nolan. The DVD was poorly received. Reviewers criticized the video quality, which appeared to have been shot with soft focus, and the Dolby Digital Mono audio that made the voices muddy and indistinct.A Blu-ray of the film was released on October 6, 2015 by Kino Lorber.