"The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11)

The concept of a burnt offering is a disturbing one: a blood sacrifice made to God (in the form of a ram, bull, or other male animal) to save yourself. Your sins could be forgiven, and your life spared, through the death of another. That's the cleverly hidden (and amazingly creepy) idea behind Burnt Offerings, yet another great horror movie from MGM's vaults (are they ever going to run out of these things?). While it may at first seem like a typical haunted house tale, it surprises and satisfies with an original concept and top-notch cast.

Ben and Marian Rolf (Oliver Reed and Karen Black) are renting a summer home from the peculiar Allardyces (including the wheelchair bound Arnold, played with gleeful creepiness by Burgess Meredith). Shocked and delighted that they can rent the stately manor for the entire summer for only $900, they move in for the summer on one condition: that they leave a tray of food for Mother Allardyce three times daily. Joining them are their obnoxious son and daffy aunt (the legendary Bette Davis) to round out the cast. Of course, being a haunted house movie, strange events start happening: once-dead plants start to flourish, Ben strikes out violently against his son (I don't blame him), Marian becomes obsessed with the upkeep of the house, and the once lively Aunt Elizabeth begins to become sedentary and lethargic. Ben starts to have hallucinations about a ghastly Chauffeur (very creepily played by Anthony James), who taunts him relentlessly with memories of his mother's death, and comes to collect the soul of the dying Aunt Elizabeth. Disgusted with Marian when she expresses no sadness over Elizabeth's death, only concern over the welfare of the house. He demands that they leave, and when he attempts to do so, the house won't let him go.

As much as it may sound like typical fare, the execution and underlying plot of Burnt Offerings is pure genius. The house itself is almost a living thing, destroying lives in its quest for perpetual "youth." One of the most disturbing scenes in the movie shows the house shucking off its outer shell, splintered siding falling away to reveal new siding underneath. Even more disturbing is how creepy the whole affair is without any real violence or special effects. Mood is king in this movie, and every frame drips with it. Helped immensely by its phenomenal cast, this movie is a real treat to watch. Bette Davis is as amazing as ever as Aunt Elizabeth, Oliver Reed's brooding Ben almost tips into the realm of cold insanity, and Karen Black's Martha Stewart on speed routine is oddly enjoyable. While many people found it too slow paced, I found it to move at a nice, deliberate trot. It's genuinely good stuff.

As seems to be the deal with ALL of MGM's releases, Burnt Offerings has a pretty nice AV presentation. Colors were bold (especially the flowers!) and print damage was minimal. The image looked a little peculiar and hazy at times, but that was more due to the strange over-lighting that Dan Curtis seemed to enjoy using. Audio is a crystal clear mono, and sounded quite nice. Shockingly, MGM gave us audio commentary (not just a trailer? Gasp!) from Dan Curtis, Karen Black, and writer William F. Nolan. They’re learning...slowly.

For a mere ten bucks at Best Buy and many other retailers, you can own one hell of a creepy little gem. Gorehounds may be bored (until the end), and many people just won't get it, but Burnt Offerings is great horror that deserves to be in your collection.