Burnt Offerings: A different riff on the old scary house sub-genre, this horror film from the 70’s is an okay little film. Karen Black and Oliver Reed are a married couple looking to rent a house for the summer. They come across a rundown house run by Roz Allardyce and her brother (played by Eileen Heckart and Burgess Meredith). The house is a steal financially and comes with only one condition - the Allardyces’ mothers lives on the top floor and they aren’t to disturb her, though they are supposed to leave her a tray of food every day. Almost immediately all manner of strange goings-on happen as the house begins to magically revitalize at the expense of the health, mental well-being, and lives of those living there. Think of it as a house that eats people. Fine for what it is, though explanations are completely absent (for example, a spooky man wearing sunglasses shows up repeatedly, but there is no explanation of who he is in the grander narrative scheme of things) and various little set pieces don’t really add up to a whole lot together. Reed is about as believable as a father as Jack Nicholson in “The Shining”. He’s easily the most intense screen father in the history of film. Could have been better, but is actually very tame. Woodchuck sez, “Was hoping for more.”
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