The Offering review.
The Offering has something new to…well…offer. It drips its horror story in religious lore and customs to add a fresh coat of paint to what could have been a well-trodden story. Perhaps more impressively, The Offering avoids the traps that most religion-based horror fall into.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
The Offering
Directed by Oliver Park
Written by Hank Hoffman
Starring Paul Kaye, Nick Blood, Allan Corduner, Emily Wiseman and Velizar Binez
The Offering Review
I need to preface this review by telling you that I have zero knowledge of Jewish customs and traditions. The practices of the religion aren’t something I’m versed in…at all. That might seem like an odd admission to make at the start of a horror movie review…but The Offering is steeped in all of it. I’m happy to report that if, like me, you know nothing about that particular religion…you can still have a very good time with this movie.
I obviously can’t speak to the accuracy of The Offering the further it dives into either the customs of death or the actions of demons…but I can tell you that it all feels very much like a labor of someone who knows what they’re doing. It was certainly refreshing to be presented with something I had no familiarity with while The Offering builds out its lore. We’ve previously seen Joko Anwar infuse his Satan’s Slave series with Muslim death customs to great effect. The Offering gives us that too…but it goes even further by building its entire demonology out of Jewish mythology.
Art (Nick Blood) returns home with his pregnant wife Claire (Emily Wiseman) in hopes of making peace with his funeral director father. What they don’t know is that a body in the morgue below them houses an ancient demon. When the demon is let loose…it has designs on Claire and her unborn child.
The Offering begins by showing us how this body came to trap the demon in the first place. Right from the start it’s clear that this movie is going to adhere to a deep faith-based mythology. When I say that I don’t mean that it does the typical “only faith can save you” trope that religious horror films so often repeat. The Offering wants you to know that all sides of the faith are real. Even the scary ones about demons who take children.
I’ve only talked about that commitment to being a faith-based horror movie so far…but I know what you really want to know. Is it scary? Or is this all just window dressing for a routine demon horror film? The answer is somewhere between the two…but it leans towards effective. You’ve seen most of the setups here before…but they’re scenes that usually work. The craft here elevates it over the average movie of its type.
The craft…and the ending. After some perfectly good jump scares and tension…The Offering enters its end game. Like the rest of the story, it is about the customs and demons associated with this religion. And like the rest of the story, it completely works. Without discussing specifics…The Offering sticks the landing big time. There is an exciting, well executed finish in store for viewers. Its unique perspective culminates in a satisfying conclusion true to everything that came before it.
The Offering provides an, at times, engaging family drama combined with a heavily faith-based demon story. Interestingly, the trouble begins the way that most demon movies usually end. By getting the demon out of the body. What follows is an entertaining horror movie told from a different angle than we usually see. A great ending closes out a smart, occasionally scary, story about family, faith and a child stealing demon. You know…that old movie.
Scare Value
The biggest surprise with The Offering isn’t how authentic it feels to the traditions and customs of the Jewish faith…it’s how it manages to avoid every cliche other religion infused horror movies rely on. This isn’t the standard faith overcomes evil tale. We’ve seen that one too many times, often done heavy handedly. The Offering utilizes religion to justify its demon…not to simply provide a way to combat it. Faith won’t protect you here. What you believe in is true…for better or for worse.
3.5/5
The Offering Links
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The Offering Trailer
If you enjoyed this review of The Offering, please check out Consecration
