BURNT OFFERINGS

The Rolfe family decides to spend their summer vacation in a beautiful and fascinating villa rented, for a bargain price, by a strange couple of elderly people. While Marion falls more and more in love with the house and devotes herself to it body and soul, Ben understands, after a series of inexplicable events - made even more terrifying by the return of certain childhood nightmares - that this mysterious villa hides a terrible secret. The house, in fact, uses human sacrifices to maintain its magnificence unchanged over the years and now wants the Rolfes... Little known to the general public, this "Macabre Ballad" is a small gem of horror cinema, a story that, beyond the usual atrocities, offers atmosphere and tension. Based on a novel by Robert Marasco and directed by an inspired Dan Curtis (who rarely, with his subsequent films, will reach these levels), the film can boast one of the best casts and most happily matched that a horror movie can remember. Two great actresses, Bette Davis (in the role of Aunt Elisabeth) and Karen Black, exemplary in portraying their characters, but also an exceptional male protagonist like Oliver Reed, a great actor who has interpreted some of the most interesting horror films of the 70s/80s ("The Devils" by Ken Russel, "The Brood" by Cronenberg). Excellent also the scenography (curated by Curtis himself). "Macabre Ballad" offers in particular two moments of sure impact and great suspense that are not easily forgotten: the death of Aunt Elisabeth's character and the chilling final sequence. It is no coincidence that someone who knows about suspense and fear like Stephen King has included it among the ten best horror films of all time! Absolutely must-see.