Offerings

Starring:Kerri Bechthold, Patrick H. Berry, Loretta Leigh Bowman, Jerry Brewer (II), Barry Brown (II), J. Max Burnett, Richard A. Buswell, Josh Coffman, Elizabeth Greene, Chase Hampton, Mark Massey, Soren Myatt, Doobie Potter, Rayette Potts, Heather Scott, Tobe Sexton, Jackie Shaw, G. Michael Smith, Patrick Stratton
Studio: Madacy Records
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Atmospheric tale of a house of evil
The Chauffeur
"Just take good care of the house and mother and you will enjoy the place"
[3.5]--Fairly Creepy
Subtle and sinister thriller for cerebral audience.

Burnt Offerings
Starring: Karen Black , Oliver Reed , Burgess Meredith , Eileen Heckart , and Lee Montgomery
Director: Dan Curtis
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Trilogy of Terror
The Haunting
The Legend of Hell House
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
The Innocents

ASIN: B00009PY32
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Amazon.com

Based on the Robert Marasco novel of the same name, Dan Curtis's eerie movie puts a spin on celluloid haunted-house sagas. The well-adjusted Rolf family (father Oliver Reed, mother Karen Black, aunt Bette Davis, and young son Lee H. Montgomery) rent a huge old summer house only to find that its spirit is in control of the estate. The requisite sinister proceedings appear--including a possessed pool and the vision of a sinister hearse driver following Reed--that disrupt the family's unity. Black also falls under the spell of an elderly woman whom she is required to take care of, but no one ever sees. While it may not be as overtly shocking as other ghost tales, Burnt Offerings has a creepiness that gets under your skin thanks to good performances and the dreamy, soft-focus photography. --Bryan Reesman

Description

Step inside a vacation house of horror in this terrifying thriller that "does for summer homes whatJaws did for a dip in the surf" (The New York Times)! Starring Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith and Bette Davis, this riveting haunted-house chiller delivers "hidden terrors [that] mount creepily as the film builds to a climax of pulverizing fright" (Rex Reed)! Marian (Black) and Ben (Reed) find it hard to believe that for only $900 they've rented a sprawling old country mansion for the entire summer. But as they settle into their isolated estate with their son and Ben's aunt (Davis), they find themselves surrounded by a living presencean evil, hypnotic, occult forcethat feeds on torture, fear and murder.

Customer Reviews:

Atmospheric tale of a house of evil.......2007-06-16

Burnt Offerings is a classic haunted house story, and though it was made in 1976 [from the creator of Dark Shadows, Dan Curtis], it still manages to deliver chills with the help of excellent casting and spooky atmosphere. The story begins with a couple, Marian [Karen Balck] and Ben [Oliver Reed] Rolf who lease an old gothic house for the summer from a pair of creepy siblings,the Allardyces, played by Burgess Meredith and Eileen Heckart. Marian [Black] is immediately taken in by the charm of the old house, and against his better judgement, Ben [Reed] agrees to lease it for the ridicuously low sum of 900 for the entire summer. There is only one condition - marian will also have to take care of the Allardyce's ailing mother who lives in seclusion in a room upstairs. The Rolf's move in together with their young son David and Ben's aunt Elizabeth [Bette Davis]. It doesn't take long before Ben realises there is something sinister going on, but his wife seems oblivious to it all, content in just taking care of the house and its 'treasures'. The acting is excellent all around - Oliver Reed does an excellent job portraying the puzzled and concerned husband who is also haunted by nightmarish visions from his past [ the hearse driver gives you chills just looking at that sinister smile]. Karen Black is most convincing as the deluded Marian whose obsession with the house grows into a full-scale possession. Bette Davis's Aunt Elizabeth is at first alive with vigor and enthusiasm, but gradually falls into a decline - the house, you see, is a sort of evil parasite that feeds off the life force of its' inhabitants, and the story moves along in a chlling manner towards the shocking climax. The atmosphere is menacing and foreboding at all times, and helps elevate the movie above the usual run-of-the mill haunted house stereotype. All in all - a very watchable horror movie, high on atmosphere, and well-cast.

The Chauffeur.......2007-05-03

the stuff of nightmares. I have seen him in other roles (like the pimp in "the Unforgiven") and I still have to close my eyes!

"Just take good care of the house and mother and you will enjoy the place".......2007-04-15

OK first off, this is one of the BEST HAUNTED HOUSE MOVIES EVER IN MY EYES!!! Only Robert Wise's superb version of "The Haunting" is a better movie of things that go bump in the night(and sometimes the day also)! Everything is right with this tale of a summer "rental" house that is to good to be true, and is too good to be true. Over looked during it's release, this is another of the movies that scared the daylights out of me as a child.
A family (Oliver Reed, Karen Black, Lee Montgomery, and Bette Davis) rent a house for the summer from a brother and sister(wonderfully creepy Eileen Heckart and Burgess Meredith) on the condition that their elderly mother who lives upstairs stays and the wife feed her three times a day. Sounds simple enough, but we know better. What follows is 2 hours of the creepiest goings on you have ever seen. To say much more would ruin your chance to see it yourself. But I must give special mention to Anthony James as the Hearse driver from Reeds past that haunts his present. You may not know the name but you will remember his face from many movies and T.V. shows. He never speaks but he owns this movie with his creepy smile and very slow Hearse.
This one hits all the marks and stays with you long after it goes off. A very good non gory horror movie that delivers the goods.

[3.5]--Fairly Creepy.......2007-03-23

I thought this movie was alright being that it was my first time watching it. It's not anything like the horror movies of today because it obviously relies on an interesting story and creepiness; something Hollywood often does with special effects. This is just a creepy film and runs a bit slow at the beginning but it builds up towards an alright ending. Burnt Offerings is your typical "family buys/rents dream house at bargain price only to regret it" film. Obvious examples being "The Shining" and the "Amityville Horror," both based on books as well. There is also a strange person hidden away upstairs (c.f. Jane Eyre, The Old Dark House, The Ghoul (1975) etc).

The film is a study of family dysfunction, which is exacerbated by the haunted house (see also the first two films mentioned above). Issues explored include child beating, marital stress and breakdown, the importance/impotence of the father figure, and estrangement between all family members.

The most visible manifestation of the "evil" is the ability of the house to clean and repair itself. Unfortunately this is more of a householders dream than nightmare. No more breakages, tidying, "cowboy" building firms, etc. When Ben Rolf appears in a wheelchair, thus emulating Arnold Allardyce at the start, I thought the house was trying to "keep" rather than kill its occupants. The house needed a specific family imprisoned from which to draw its power/feed off. Thus the Alladyces were victims of the house. Their behavior at the start and motivation was of fear and escape. There lays their need to find a replacement family and sudden departure. However, the ending shows the couple to be in league with the evil, my initial impression being wrong.

The conclusion was too open-ended, the origins and mysteries of the house were not fully explained. Perhaps the source novel is clearer. The title, Burnt Offerings, seems a misnomer, nothing is burnt per se. The house itself was the offering; the family had high expectations, only to be fatally disappointed.

Subtle and sinister thriller for cerebral audience........2007-02-27

This is that rarest of things, a cerebral, subtle, and thoroughly sinister horror film from the 1970's--that dreariest of decades, and a time period long after the heyday of the intelligent horror movie.

It shares honors from that decade with "The Changeling," and "Crowhaven Farm," and is vastly superior to those inflated, pop culture, exercises in dumbed down scares--"The Shining," and "The Amityville Horror."

Be forewarned, this is not a film made for, or popular with, those afflicted with MTV length attention spans, those unable to process extended dialogue, or those with an infantine taste for computer generated special effects.

For the few that have actually read Mr. Marasco's novel, you will find in it a faithful adaptation. And for those who are simply connoisseurs of the elegantly macabre,you will not be disappointed.

The cast is uniformly excellent, and Mr. Reed's performance is every bit as good as that which he delivered in "Paranoic."

Recommended.

Third Day Live in Concert - The Offerings Experience

Average customer rating:

Third Day Worship...an awesome DVD!
Worship at its best!
An excellent worship experience.
High energy
WOW!

Third Day Live in Concert - The Offerings Experience
Starring: Third Day
Manufacturer: Essential
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Christian Rock | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Alternative | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Live in Concert: The Come Together Tour
Mercy Me - Live
11 Live - Jars of Clay in Concert
Live Wire (CD & DVD Package)
Switchfoot - Live in San Diego

ASIN: B000060MTZ
Release Date: 2002-02-19

Customer Reviews:

Third Day Worship...an awesome DVD!.......2005-12-02

Highly recommended for any devoted fans of Third Day. I loved this dvd. It really brings home the sense of "worship" in a real way. It's not as emotionally intense as attending a live Third Day show, but it's great as it's available 24/7. If you purchase this dvd you won't be disappointed.

Worship at its best!.......2005-07-14

Wow, what can I say about this DVD! Makes me want to be there live. But Third Day is probably the best rock band out there, even if they are a Christian band. They been playing together for a while and they can still rock for all you Gomers. This particular DVD has all the classic worship songs from the earlier albums.

Mac Powell has a unique voice, a very distinct tone that could be recognized. Brad Avery is the BEST guitarist/distortionist ever and his skills blow me away. Mark Lee is also a talented and great guitar player also. Tai Anderson is phenomenal on the bass, I being a bass player, try to play his style. And Dave Carr is the drummer and the way he plays is very powerful. Overall great DVD, great songs, and a great band, go and get all their DVDs, like this one, "Come Together", and "Live Wire".

An excellent worship experience........2004-07-13

I've enjoyed Third Day's music since 1997, when I first bought "Conspiracy No. 5," but it was the first "Offerings" album that made me a fan for life. The mix of studio tracks and live recordings on both "Offerings" & "Offerings II: All I Have To Give" made the experience of worshipping God through song come alive like never before. And now that experience has been captured on film for this DVD. Some of the musical highlights include "I've Always Loved You," "King of Glory," "Thief," "My Hope is You," "Agnus Dei" and, of course, "Your Love Oh Lord." The documentary segments are interesting and, at times, hilarious. My only disappointment is that a couple of songs which I would have loved to have seen included weren't, such as the tear jerker ballad "Love Song." And I really would have loved to have seen a live performance of their cover of Bob Dylan's "Saved" (one of my favorite tracks from the first "Offerings" CD). Altogether, "The Offerings Experience" is a great representation of 3D's live show--especially the worship experience.

High energy.......2003-10-21

The concert displayed a high energy level with good musicianship. The vocals were difficult to understand, however, if you are familiar with Third Day that may not be too distracting. While this displays some of the spiritual delights you will encounter at a Third Day concert, if you really want to experience the music I would suggest their studio albums.....

WOW!.......2003-09-10

What can I say about ThirdDay. I have watched this DVD atleast 100 times. A great DVD with some great concert footage

Average customer rating:

PYSCHO RETURNS FOR REVENGE.
1.75 STARS: No question about it, this is DEFINITELY a Halloween rip-off, and not a good one at that.
Offerween.
Halloween rip-off?
Entertaining albeit slavishly unoriginal slasher film

Offerings
Starring: Kerri Bechthold , Patrick H. Berry , Loretta Leigh Bowman , Jerry Brewer (II) , and Barry Brown (II)
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Slasher Flicks | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Popcorn
Girls Nite Out
American Gothic
Camp Utopia
Sleepover Nightmare

ASIN: B000094FFV
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Customer Reviews:

PYSCHO RETURNS FOR REVENGE........2007-04-20

i first saw this movie back in high school when it first came out and thought it was a crappy, low budget horror flick which it is and didn't think I would ever see again , but for some reason I purchased it through amazon and have to agree with some of the amazon reviewers that this comes across as somewhat of a " HALLOWEEN" ripoff that centers on this kid with a chain- smoking , uncaring mother who resents him and neighborhood bullies who harass him and cause him to fall into a well where He's disfigured and committed to a mental institution for some ten years before escaping to return to his hometown to seek revenge on those who crossed him.

1.75 STARS: No question about it, this is DEFINITELY a Halloween rip-off, and not a good one at that........2006-12-21

"Offerings" is a rather poor attempt to rip-off the greatest horror movie of all-time in John Carpenter's original classic, "Halloween". These people did not even attempt to hide their plagiarism of Carpernter's classic. The acting is not very good at all, and the movie is certainly unoriginal. Even the music is similar to that in "Halloween". Obviously, this movie was unable to capture the atmospheric brilliance of "Halloween", and is only mildly entertaining as a conventional slasher flick. For a superior attempt to rip-off "Halloween", I recommend "He Knows You're Alone" which is a good horror flick in its own right with its own charm (even though it borrows extensively from "Halloween") and certainly much better than "Offerings" at attempting to clone "Halloween". Overall, "Offerings" comes across as generic and predictable.

Offerween........2006-06-08

"Uh, honey, I checked but they were all out of Halloween, even that crappy one with the Silver Shamrock masks. But they had this other movie..."

A flawed, terrible doppelganger. Oh mama. So deeply immersed were they in the plagiarism process that they even tried to copy the Halloween music. Disturbing. I think in the original Halloween, Michael was listed in the credits as The Shape. I guess they can call this pallid Michael simulacrum The Lump. Has a certain ring to it.

The kid falls down a well---and half of his face is horror-style disfigured. Unfortunately the DVD offered no additional schematics as to exactly how that might happen. Sort of like cutting your hand on a Twinkie or jabbing out your eye in a swimming pool. I'm postulating maybe some kind of pinball theory? All the neighborhood punks are laughing and having a good time. Only the kid's girlfriend, Gretchen, who could very easily pass for Swiss Miss, tries to help him.

Years go by and the kid is now transformed to the Killer. Now all the neighborhood punks are teenagers. Killer, electrified with Michael Myers rip-off energy, escapes from the mental hospital where he, Killer, has remained dormant for several years. In an awkward, inefficient, strained and constipated manner, Killer sets about avenging himself on the neighborhood punks. The rampage is slow and arduous, but one is led to believe that Killer is now working his way back to the virtuous Gretchen.

Gretchen is having a sleepover with her dog food-eating best friend and two boyfriends. They order pizza. Killer intercepts the pizza guy along the way, and covers both pizzas with chunks of his previous victims. Gretchen and the gang mistake this fatty vile-looking chunks for sausage and, hell, just dig right in.

Does he kill them all? Does he sit down and treat himself to a nice shrieking Gretchen pizza one slice at a time? Does Michael show up and stab him seventy-three times with a butcher knife? You'll have to tune in yourself to find out, kiddies. Can your heart stand the fright?

Halloween rip-off?.......2006-01-03

[good things]
There really isn't many good things about this film, but it does seem to be either an homage to the Halloween franchise, or just a blantant rip-off.

[the bad]
It is very low budget, and it shows.
The acting is bad, and the plot sucks-- well, it doesn't suck but it is not unique.
The score is almost identical to the score of Halloween.
Johnny is almost a carbon copy of how Jason Voorhees would be if he morphed with Michael Myers.
The kills are nullified, and crappy.
The Elmsdale police make the police of Haddonfield and Crystal Lake look like geniuses.

[final thoughts]
The movie just seems to be a very bad rip-off of Halloween, nothing more, nothing less. The killer is very Michael-esque, but poor at it.
The P.O.V.'s shot were very Halloween, and all the way down to the score.
The make-up effects also sucked ass.
Don't watch this movie unless you have nothing else to do or really like crappy slasher flicks (as I do).

Entertaining albeit slavishly unoriginal slasher film.......2005-11-03

Here's an original story: A young boy is abused by his mother, a trashy, boozy, foul-mouthed, chain-smoking harridan. The boy endures her daily insults in silence. He never talks. Not to anyone. Not since dad "disappeared" (rumors vary). But at least Quiet Boy has a hobby -- he tortures small animals.

The neighborhood kids think Quiet Boy is retarded, and so they relate to him in the time-honored tradition of how children deal with the mentally handicapped: they tease him. They play pranks on him. And then ... one of those pranks "goes wrong."

Flashforward ten years.

Quiet Boy has spent the past decade institutionalized in an asylum, horribly disfigured from that childhood prank. Doctors think he's a vegetable. Never talks. But one night, a nurse doesn't sedate him on schedule. It never mattered before. But on this, the ten-year anniversary, Quiet Boy escapes. He treks forty miles to his hometown in search of his former tormentors (who've all blossomed into stunningly attractive high school seniors, looking too old for high school) and ... the body count mounts!

Of the many slasher films "inspired" by Halloween (1978), Offerings is both a latecomer and one of the most slavishly unoriginal. Its ominous piano score sounds identical to John Carpenter's. And its killer is an Überpsycho, a dark avenging angel of superhuman strength and endurance.

[I coined the term "Überpsycho" in my essay, "But Is It Horror? Defining and Demarcating the Genre" to distinguish the indestructible post-Halloween "horror psycho" from the more vulnerable "suspense psycho" of such earlier films as Frenzy. For a fuller analysis, read this essay in my book: Halloween Candy.]

With one hand, he lifts a struggling victim off her feet. He tosses a noose around another victim and hauls him up the side of a house without trouble. He is shot several times, but continues relentlessly. A sign warns Danger! High Voltage, yet he grips the electric fence and climbs over.

(Blooper: the electric fence stands isolated. Aren't all "live" fences positioned between dead fences? Otherwise, innocent passersby, on either side, might mistakenly touch it.)

There are some clever deaths and attempts at black humor, and director Reynolds can stretch a low budget. One victim is dragged under bed, his legs flailing, then shuddering, then the blood. That's one way to save on effects: hide the mayhem under bed. Another cost-saving method is to show a screaming head set to be split, then cut to its shadow as it's finally cracked. We hear only the head split, and see blood spattering the shadow. Not necessarily great art, but journeyman competence.

As in Halloween, there's the requisite good girl, Gretchen (Loretta Leigh Bowman, who is pretty, but lacks Jamie Lee Curtis's range and intensity). As a child, Gretchen was the one neighborhood kid who defended Quiet Boy. As an adolescent, Gretchen honors her parents, and says "no" to the boys.

Quiet Boy remembers Gretchen's kindness. As he butchers and slaughters his former tormentors (Gretchen's friends), he leaves their body parts on her porch -- his "offerings" of gratitude and love. (Don't worry: he doesn't just kill his former tormentors, but anyone in his path, so the body count is generous.)

Attempts at black humor include a finger eaten by a dog and pizza topped with human flesh. (A joke too stale to be funny.) Reynolds's broad range of levity also encompasses masturbation and porn jokes, and mocking the boob tube (another old film conceit). One dying boy flails outside the window as his parents watch TV laughing at cartoons. Elsewhere, teenagers watch a horror film on TV, commenting on the characters' stupidity.

Playing off this "in joke," the characters in Offerings are just as dumb. After being knocked out, one teen awakes strapped upon a tool table, his head clamped in a steel vise (not very convincingly). He asks: "Hey, is this a joke? Very funny, guys. C'mon, at least loosen the straps." Yeah, sure it's a joke. My friends are always braining each other, then strapping themselves under drill presses and before circular blades.

Despite following the Halloween blueprint, Offerings suffers from structural sloppiness. Quiet Boy is said to have cannibalized his mother (hence, the pizza toppings?). But when might he have eaten mom? She was fine before the prank, immediately after which Quiet Boy was institutionalized. Quite a plot hole.

Also, it's nighttime in Oklahoma when Gretchen's parents phone from Hawaii. Considering the time difference, and assuming it's May or June, the airport in "Hawaii" still looked too bright for evening. The shadows were long but distinct, and the sky was too bright. It looked like mid-morning in Hawaii and midnight in Oklahoma.

As in much low-budget exploitation indie fare, the lighting is flat rather than atmospheric. And the no-name cast gives a mostly stilted performance (apart from two hams -- a gravedigger and a deputy). However, Offerings went the extra mile to offer night-for-night photography, always a plus in horror. And in addition to its Carpenter-like piano score, Offerings also has generic spacey musical effects, at times sounding like a 1950s sci-fi film. A peculiar choice, but nicely eerie.

The end credits indicate that Offerings was shot with some assistance from the University of Oklahoma's film department, and indeed, some of the film is shot on campus. Maybe this was a film school project? Offerings is woefully unoriginal compared to some of the work produced at the more prominent film schools at NYU, USC, UCLA, and AFI. Still, it's nice to see a film school take an interest in a feature length slasher film.

Choosy audiences will wish to decline these Offerings, but aficionados of low-budget indie horror should be more forgiving. Offerings delivers what it offers ... a generic but serviceable Überpsycho body-count film.

Average customer rating:

PYSCHO RETURNS FOR REVENGE.
1.75 STARS: No question about it, this is DEFINITELY a Halloween rip-off, and not a good one at that.
Offerween.
Halloween rip-off?
Entertaining albeit slavishly unoriginal slasher film

Offerings

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Popcorn
Girls Nite Out
American Gothic
Camp Utopia
Sleepover Nightmare

ASIN: B00005LE02

Customer Reviews:

PYSCHO RETURNS FOR REVENGE........2007-04-20

1.75 STARS: No question about it, this is DEFINITELY a Halloween rip-off, and not a good one at that........2006-12-21

Offerween........2006-06-08

Halloween rip-off?.......2006-01-03

Entertaining albeit slavishly unoriginal slasher film.......2005-11-03

Average customer rating:

Atmospheric tale of a house of evil
The Chauffeur
"Just take good care of the house and mother and you will enjoy the place"
[3.5]--Fairly Creepy
Subtle and sinister thriller for cerebral audience.

Burnt Offerings
Starring: Karen Black , Oliver Reed , Burgess Meredith , Eileen Heckart , and Lee Montgomery
Director: Dan Curtis
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD