In 1976, supernatural horror film, Burnt Offerings, was directed and co-written by Dan Curtis. The film was based on a novel by the same name, written by author Robert Marasco. The story follows a family of four: Marian Rolf, Ben Rolf, Elizabeth Rolf, and Davey Rolf. They moved into an old isolated mansion for the summer, hoping for peace and relaxation. Instead, they find themselves trapped in nightmares as the house begins to feed on them, draining their energy, twisting their minds, and claiming their souls one by one. What first seems like a quiet getaway turns into a slow, haunting descent into madness, where the true evil isn’t what lurks in the shadows, but the house itself.

Idiots Feed Horror 

Horror movies cannot exist without the existence of absolute idiots who lack common sense. Think about it; in almost every horror movie, they’re in these dangerous situations because they have the survival instincts of a walnut. It’s no different with Marian, Ben, and Davy. Tell me, if you’re renting a home from someone and it happens to be absolutely massive – expensive rugs, furniture, food, a pool – and all they want is $900 for the entire summer, are you accepting? If you say yes, you aren’t any better than the characters in this film, and I mean that in a derogatory way. Renting a room for a WEEK at a mediocre hotel costs more than this. It’s way too good to be true. As if that’s not enough of a red flag, the Allardyce’s also inform them that their 85-year-old mother is just going to be…staying there with them. Sorry, but is that not insane? Even Ben pointed out that it’s really weird to just leave your elderly mother in a house with complete strangers. In typical horror movie idiocy, Marian attributes it to the Allardyce’s not being money hungry or something, and convinces Ben to take up the offer anyways. I’ll cut Ben some slack since he didn’t want to, but I’m still going to just say they deserved what came  to them, just because they decided to go for it anyway. I guess it runs in the family too because their son is also an idiot. Sure he’s like, twelve years old, but I knew not to get into the deep end of a pool if I couldn’t swim when I was a first grader. This kid almost dies so many times, it’s crazy. Then again, horrors and thrillers wouldn’t thrive the way they do if their characters had fully functioning brain cells. 

I Get It…? 

Okay, so this movie honestly is kind of confusing. Like, I understand the basic idea: the family moves into this creepy old house, and then things start getting weird but the way it all happens just leaves you guessing the whole time. Half the time I couldn’t tell if what was going on was real or just in their heads. The mom starts acting strange, the house keeps changing, and people keep getting hurt, but the movie never really explains why any of this is happening. It’s like the house has some kind of power, but they never actually say how it works or what it even wants. Some scenes feel super random too, like they mean something deep but you can’t quite figure out what that “something” is. By the end, I was just sitting there trying to connect everything together, but it still didn’t fully make sense. It’s one of those movies that makes you think the whole time, but instead of giving answers, it leaves you even more confused in an unsettling way.

Not Scary, Definitely Uncomfortable

I’m just gonna come out and say that this film isn’t scary. Like, at all. Not once did I jump or feel like it would keep me awake at night – other than the confusion and questions it left me with anyway. If anything, the scenes are just…uncomfortable? Unsettling, I suppose? For example, the first drowning scene went on for way too long. It was very aggressive, and pretty unique if I’m honest. Not your typical ‘held under water’ scenario that shows mild struggle. Instead, Ben was flipping Davy into the water violently. Like I said, it lasted for so much longer than it needed to. Another scene also left me more confused than scared too, also involving the pool. This was a disturbing moment between Ben and Marian. I won’t go into detail, however, it felt like I was watching an assault, but also not? Plus, he didn’t force anything and stopped. He made this confused face and I was right there with him. There were more uncomfortable scenes, but nothing. Scary. If you’re into jumpscares or things like that, don’t watch this. You will NOT be fed. Starved if anything. Burnt Offerings is more of a psychological horror than anything. 

This Kid Is NOT Safe

Honestly, the kid in this movie did not feel safe at all. Like, from the start, you can tell something bad is going to happen around him. The parents are too distracted by the weird stuff going on in the house to even notice how much danger he’s in. Every time something creepy happens, he’s either right there or ends up being the one who gets scared the most. It’s almost like the house is watching him or trying to get him specifically. In the beginning when Ben and Marian talk to the Allardyce’s, Roz and Arnold Allardyce do keep mentioning how Davy will be good for the house, seeming very excited that a child will be present. I assume that may have something to do with it. I guess his youth provides the house with more  sustenance? I couldn’t tell you. You can just feel that he’s not protected, and that makes everything way more stressful to watch. The scariest part is that no one really steps in to help him. Most of the time they’re all too caught up in their own madness while the kid’s just stuck living in the house that basically wants to destroy his family. 

The Chauffeur 

Towards the beginning, kind of start of the middle of the film, Ben has this nightmare about his mother’s funeral. During which, the audience is introduced to ‘The Chauffeur’. He doesn’t have an actual name, but it’s made clear that he’s been haunting Ben for a while for some reason. I’m bringing him up because he’s shown multiple times throughout the movie as someone that Ben and the audience should be afraid of, but I’m genuinely unsure why. I don’t even understand why Ben is even scared of him to be completely transparent. They genuinely give us no actual background to anything he had done for him to be scary. In the nightmare, all he does is smile in a sort of creepy manner, and do his job – which is drive. Not to diss his trauma, but literally what did this guy do to him? From what’s shown in the movie, he has almost zero reasonable cause to be this terrified for The Chauffeur. This fully grown man is literally trembling and sweating every single time The Chauffeur pops up. Either he did something diabolical off screen, or Ben is incredibly dramatic. I genuinely do not know how The Chauffeur is significant to the film in any way. I can only assume they just needed to add some type of apparition for viewers to fear since a hungry house gets boring on its own, but there’s nothing to even be scared of. 

I Don’t Even Know 

I honestly don’t even know how to feel about this movie. It’s not terrible, but like it’s not great either, it’s just… something. Like, the whole time I was watching it, I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to be scared, confused, or just weirded out. The story had some creepy moments, but they didn’t always make sense, and the ending left me staring at my screen laughing at it. It’s one of those movies that keeps you thinking, but not really in a good way, more like trying to figure out what you just watched. It’s strange, and uncomfortable. I wouldn’t say I loved it, but also can’t make up my mind. It’s just one of those movies that gives you mixed feelings. I still couldn’t tell you if Mrs. Allardyce actually exists. I can’t figure out if the ending with Marian meant that she herself is Mrs. Allardyce or something like that. I have so many questions: Is Marian Mrs. Allardyce? Does Mrs. Allardyce’s soul haunt the house or something? Did she possess Marian over time? Is it just the house or something? I have literally no clue what Ben pieced together, because I am lost. If you just can’t stand a movie that’s slow, do NOT watch this. It has a crazy long buildup, then hits you with all the action in the last 30-40 minutes. It’s not a terrible movie, but also not groundbreaking. I will say that if you’re into unsettling films, you should definitely watch this.