Why is 'Burnt Offerings' so criminally underrated?

Love this movie

I think this is a great movie too.

Lee Montgomery, who played the little boy, turned out to be quite a hottie.

The house used in the movie was also used for the movie Phantasm.

Oliver Reed was indeed a pompous ass.

Shelley Winters famously dumped a drink on his head after he went on a sexist diatribe on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

It happens around 9:10. The lead-up more than justifies Shelley’s wordless statement.

Bette Davis was right.

I can definitely see Bette and Karen not getting along. Wasn't Karen a crazy diva like Faye Dunaway?

Bette was the crazy diva.

Bette had many great qualities, but getting along with her co-stars was not one of the, I can see her objections to faye Dunaway's crazy behavior on set of the Aimee Semple McPherson being justified (since faye was doing drugs and was completely unprofessional), and even Oliver reed, but she didn't like anyone, and it just got worse as she grew older. She even objected to working with Lillian Gish, who by all accounts was a consummate professional and had the patience of a saint.

Bette is always fun to read about, but she was a nightmare to work with, especially as she got older.

She sums up the phrase "beloved cunt."

Love this movie too! The killer pool! The death head chauffeur! Granny in the attic! Killing makes the house bloom!

The The Dunsmuir House was also prominently on display in A View to a Kill (1985) among many other more B list films. Lee Montgomery was the original Joey Lawrence and one Hell of a hottie in his late teens and twenties. I have loved this movie since I first saw it late at night as a 7 or 8 year old. It's one of those films that you can watch 100 times and never tire of. So does Karen Black's character live on at the end? It seems that the house killed all of its other inhabitants (minus the brother and sister of course).

Davis and Reed were both good actors who made too many crappy movies. Personality-wise they were probably pretty similar too: arrogant and prickly and drunk.

Burnt Offering was conceived by and directed by Dan Curtis who brought us the iconic gothic/horror soap opera Dark Shadows.

That creepy chauffeur still gives me the chills thinking about him.

Dan Curtis on the movie set of House Of Dark Shadows.

It’s a great atmospheric thriller and horror film, and the amazing Karen Black suited that role beautifully.

I remember being so creeped out by the chauffeur with the black glasses.

We were all so frightened of this film as kids that my siblings and I gave each other copies of the DVD when it first came out on DVD as prank gifts.

It’s a really cool old film.

The novel it's based on is quite good.

Lee Montgomery was very hot...this is him today at 58...time has not been kind

Did Bette die from the coronavirus in the movie?

I love it, and the performances. Reed and Black were very underrated - However, Karen was always a lovely person IRL while Reed became a drunken monster. Steven King was also a fan of the book and admitted that it inspired The Shining.

^^ I mean Stephen King

Stephen King has said that Burn Offerings is one of his favorite films.

[quote]Bette Davis reportedly had conflicts with Karen Black

Bette reportedly had conflicts wilts many of her costars over the years...which leads me to believe maybe Bette was the problem in most instances.

It was shit.

This movie was a hacky piece of shit that falls completely apart after the first half and just goes on and on.

Nothing 'magnificent' about it, but it is entertaining in a 'rainy day on the couch movie' kinda way, teetering toward camp. We gays thank the producers for nabbing Bette for the part.

It doesn't sound like Karen got along with anyone in any movie. She was an odd duck, but compelling on film.

R17 Sad.

[quote]Bette reportedly had conflicts wilts many of her costars over the years...which leads me to believe maybe Bette was the problem in most instances.

I disagree. Bette was a consummate professional and expected her fellow actors to show up on time, know their lines and treat everyone with respect. She certainly did. She only had conflicts with hussies like Faye Dunaway, Karen Black and Joan Crawford, who were acted unprofessionally and unbecoming of a major star.

I saw the movie and like some reviewers pointed out, it is slow and plodding. It really wasn't one of my favorites. Blah. Definitely not one of Dan Curtis's better productions.

What the fuck with Lee Montgomery. That is some truly bad aging. Would never have made the connection if I saw pics of young and old Lee side by side. Did he do meth or something?

[quote] Bette was a consummate professional and expected her fellow actors to show up on time, know their lines [bold]and treat everyone with respect. She certainly did.[/bold]

Oh, [italic]please.[/italic]

The infamous and oft-repeated story of the first read-through for "All About Eve"--the rest of the cast is gathered at the table as Bette Davis walks in

CELESTE HOLM: "Good morning, Miss Davis!"

BETTE DAVIS: (loudly) "Shit! Manners!"

So, try again, r27....

I tried to watch it because of this thread but couldn't get through it all. I thought Karen was bland and had no chemistry with Oliver Reed, who was sexy. Bette Davis energised the screen whenever she was on. Karen does the DVD commentary with Dan Curtis which I hoped to listen to but got so bored by the movie I didn't bother.

I forget where I read it but apparently Bette Davis and Lee Montgomery became close during the making of the movie. Davis said there was no one on set looking out for him so she took it upon herself to take him under her wing.

I've always enjoyed this one but I'm sure nostalgia is part of it. I saw it as a young child and it left an impression. It's slow and doesn't have a lot of overly flashy moments but the ending is devastating. And yes, r10, Black lives on as the house's new heart/life force , though her character Marion Rolfe is probably completely gone.