Burnt Offerings (film)

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 $900 for the entire summer, with one odd request: Their elderly mother will continue to live in her upstairs suite, and the Rolfs are to provide her with meals during their stay. The old woman is obsessed with privacy and will not interact with them, so meals are to be left in her sitting room outside her locked bedroom. The family arrives at the house with Ben's elderly Aunt Elizabeth. Marian becomes obsessed with caring for the home, and wears the Victorian-era garments she finds in Mrs. Allardyce's suite, while distancing herself from her family. Of particular interest to her is Mrs. Allardyce's sitting room, which contains a massive collection of framed portraits of people from different eras, apparently former occupants of the house. Mrs. Allardyce's meals go mostly untouched, according to Marian. Various unusual circumstances occur during the summer; after Davey hurts himself playing, a dead plant starts to grow again; Ben cuts his hand on a champagne bottle, and a dead light bulb is mysteriously repaired; Ben is haunted by a vision of an eerie, malevolently-grinning hearse driver whom Ben first saw at his mother's funeral years earlier. With each accident that occurs, the house appears to rejuvenate itself, feeding on the family's energy. Marian slowly becomes possessed by the energy of the house. Aunt Elizabeth suddenly becomes ill and dies, after which the dead flowers in the solarium bloom. When Marian does not attend Aunt Elizabeth's funeral, Ben angrily confronts her about her obsession with the home and decides to leave the next day. Ben later sees old shingles and siding falling away, replaced by new ones as the house restores itself. Now convinced that the house is a living entity, Ben attempts to escape with Davey but a tree blocks the road. He sees Marian as the chauffeur and falls catatonic. The next day, while Davey is swimming and a catatonic Ben is watching him, the pool water turns into vicious waves, pulling the boy under. Marian rescues her son, and the incident awakens Ben from his catatonia. Marian agrees that it is time to leave but insists on going back inside to inform Mrs. Allardyce. When she fails to return, Ben goes inside to find her. He is horrified when he discovers that the elderly woman upstairs is his wife, who has inexplicably aged. "I've been waiting for you, Ben!" she says. Ben recoils in horror. Waiting in the car, Davey is shocked to see his father plummet from the attic window, landing on the car's windshield. In shock, Davey runs toward the house and is killed when one of the chimneys collapses on him. Some time later, the Allardyces marvel at the restored beauty of their home and rejoice over the return of their "mother". In Mrs. Allardyce's sitting room, the photo collection now includes portraits of Ben, Davey, and Aunt Elizabeth. == Cast ==

Development In a Variety piece published on December 11, 1969, it was announced a project named Burnt Offerings would be directed by Bob Fosse from a screenplay by Robert Marasco; Turman Films and Cinema Center Films would be producers and Lawrence Turman executive producer. Although it never materialized, a novel of the same name by Marasco was published in 1973. According to Curtis, three other directors had considered adapting the novel into a film, but ultimately declined as they believed the project would cost too much to produce. Also, in the DVD/Blu-Ray commentary track, director Curtis implies that footage was indeed shot showing the family in New York City, but it was his decision to excise it from the film. Casting The principal casting of Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith, and Bette Davis was announced in July 1975. Director Dan Curtis commented about offering Davis the role: "[Her] agent was difficult to deal with, so I called her in Connecticut. 'Is it a good part?' she asked. 'I don't disappear in a sneeze, do I?' I shot the script to her, and she loved it." Curtis also remarked favorably of Black: "Her instincts are close to infallible," adding that Reed "is the best actor I ever worked with in my life." Filming in Oakland, California Principal photography of Burnt Offerings began on August 3, 1975 at the historic Dunsmuir House in Oakland, California, on a budget of $2 million. The production leased the home and grounds, which are a public park, through September 13, 1975. Reed spoke favorably of Davis, however, commenting: "I was a little apprehensive about Bette... I don't think I'd like to cross her, but since we're both clever, we get along alright." As a peace offering, Reed later gifted Davis a dove and a bundle of red roses. and accused him of recurrently showing up to the set drunk. == Release ==

Burnt Offerings premiered at the Paris International Festival of Fantastic and Science-Fiction Film in April 1976. It was released in Italy on May 25, 1976, and received a limited theatrical release in the U.S. through United Artists on August 25, 1976, opening in Los Angeles and Buffalo, New York. It premiered in New York City the following month, on September 29, 1976. and the Dolby Digital mono audio that made the voices muddy and indistinct. A North American Blu-ray edition of the film was released on October 6, 2015 by Kino Lorber. The Blu-ray was reissued on February 6, 2024. In the United Kingdom, Arrow Films released a Blu-ray and DVD combination set on October 17, 2016. ==Reception==

Box office Burnt Offerings was regarded as a box-office flop, grossing $1.56 million at the box office against its $2 million budget. Critical response The New York Times declared the film an "outstanding terror movie... an excursion into eeriness led with admirable though not perfect assurance by the director, Dan Curtis." The Arizona Republic critic Mike Petryni was frightened by the film, particularly the smiling chauffeur, but felt it was ruined by an emphasis on constant thrills over subtle horror. He also was confused about several concepts, such as why Marian was depicted as frequently handling Roz Allardyce's trays. Ron Cowan of the Statesman Journal described the film as a "less than Grand Guignol venture" with a "stellar cast," concluding: "The house is a real charmer...  especially when it sheds its shingles and siding and neatly disposes of troublesome people. By then, though, the movie's pace may have disposed of some of the audience." Ted Mahar of The Oregonian likened the film to The Innocents (1961) and praised its mood and suspense, as well as the "skillful" performance of Black, adding that Davis's portrayal is "aptly subdued." While calling Burgess Meredith and Eileen Heckart the best performers in the film, Richard Dyer of The Boston Globe argued the material gave the actors little to work with; he called Black "particularly inconsistent", Reed "looking like an eggplant", and stated Davis "tries to create a Bette Davis character without any Bette Davis lines to work with, so all she can do is puff and snort a lot". Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times similarly gave the film an unfavorable review, writing that it is "too trite, too drawn-out and repetitious, too poorly motivated and finally too vague in the nature of its supernatural evil to make it." Film 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." 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..." In addition to the slow build, Starbursts Robert Martin spotlighted its cast, particularly the chemistry between Reed and Lee Montgomery, Black's "loving and murderous" combination, and Davis' "uncomfortable" heart attack scene. However, he also felt the overall product was held back by its TV film look, particularly its "flat cinematography" and visuals that were more "clever" than scary. Accolades == Themes and analysis ==

Burnt Offerings was part of a trend in 1970s horror films focused on the supernatural, such as The Omen (1976), Carrie (1976), Audrey Rose (1977), and The Amityville Horror (1979). It also was one of many horror films in the 1970s and early 1980s, such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Poltergeist (1982), presenting the negative impacts of middle class life, such as empty-headed consumerism; in the film, the family is destroyed by a house they otherwise dreamed of, generic-looking, in the middle of nowhere, and meant for leisure. Writer Paul Meehan notes in his book The Haunted House on Film: An Historical Analysis (2019) that it is the first film to depict the psychological destruction of a family facilitated by supernatural forces in their home. In the 1978 book An Introduction to American Movies, Steven C. Earley cited Ben Rolf's fall onto a car window as an example of the high presence of violence in films of the 1970s. Retrospective reviews viewed the story as a criticism on obsession on property ownership and the destruction of the nuclear family. Literary critic John Kenneth Muir suggests that the film's depiction of Marian's supernaturally-driven obsession with the home and its physical state can be interpreted as a commentary on materialism, and the concern of physical matter over human and familial relationships. == Soundtrack ==

Like most other Dan Curtis works, the music for Burnt Offerings was composed and conducted by Bob Cobert. In 2011, years after the film's release, the original full soundtrack album was released by Counterpoint and was limited to only 3,000 copies. The album features all of Cobert's original score, plus alternate tracks not used in the film including two alternate "Music Box Themes". The CD booklet is 20 pages long and illustrated with photos taken from the set of the film during production. An original suite of the film's soundtrack can be found on the 2000 Robert Cobert collection album The Night Stalker and Other Classic Thrillers. Track listing ==Notes==