“I’ve been waiting for you, Ben.”
If I had to guess, many of you have not seen the 1976 horror film “Burnt Offerings”. As a trailblazer in the psychological horror world, the film presented one-of-a-kind, complex ideas and plot twists. I’m here, however, to argue that this movie was too ahead of its time, and missed out on popularity from it.
Spoiler Alert! If you want to watch this movie now, I would highly recommend you stop now and watch the movie. With that warning in mind, let’s get down to business. When you type in “Burnt Offerings” to Google, the first recommended search is “Burnt Offerings ending explained”. That alone shows just how confusing this film can be.
“Burnt Offerings” presents a multitude of complex, confusing plot twists that aren’t always caught on the first watch. Even the over-arching plot, the fact that the house is killing Ben and Davey, but brainwashing Marion may go over your head at first. This aspect is where I’d argue that “Burnt Offerings” was too early. Yes, I know hindsight is always 20/20, but the cinematography in the 1970’s had many shortcomings.
The big appeal of psychological horror is that it is complex to understand. But, their production can either make them really good or bad. Sadly, the camera quality and special effects for “Burnt Offerings” made the story hard to understand and, in the end, boring. As a film geek and overall argumentative writer, I’m here to propose that a remake of the ’76 fright-filled film would bring a much-needed refresh to the story. A far larger fan base would surely follow, especially with the right effects to make the story a little easier to follow.
I can try to convince you all I want that the 1976 thriller could’ve thrived much better in modern resolution, but you have to watch the film for yourself. So, this spooky season, curl up on the couch with a blanket and some candy, and see this revolutionary film for yourself!
