The Offering – Movie Review (3/5)

THE OFFERING is a new horror movie set in a Hasidic funeral home. This obviously means death is involved, but so is something ancient and demonic. Oh yeah, there are some great jump scares and a fierce ending. Read our full The Offering movie review here!

THE OFFERING is a new horror movie coming to select theaters and on VOD. The story plays out in a Hasidic funeral home, where an ancient demonic presence is wreaking havoc. It’s intense, creepy, and quite the mindf*ck as anything demonic often is.

Think The Autopsy of Jane Doe meets The Vigil. Okay, this new horror movie isn’t quite as strong as either of those. However, it still works very well with efficient jump scares and an ending that packs a punch.

Continue reading our The Offering movie review below. Find it in theaters or on VOD from January 13, 2023. Yes, the first Friday the 13th of 2023.

A funeral home is always a good setting

If you want to make a horror movie, then obviously, a funeral home (or a morgue) is always a very strong setting. You’re surrounded by dead people. Some have died of natural causes, others of accidents, and – in the case of horror movies – others under far more sinister circumstances.

In The Offering, the son of a Hasidic funeral director returns home after many years away. The son married a woman who was not Jewish and the father refused to accept this. He later regretted it and now the son returns with his pregnant wife. As fate would have it, they return to his childhood home (a funeral home) during the wake of a young Jewish girl.

Before the young man and his expecting wife even enter the building, an ancient evil has arrived at the family morgue via another deceased person. Now, this ancient demon – also known as “the taker of children” – has sinister plans for the unborn child of the young couple.

The core cast consists of Nick Blood (Euphoria) and Emily Wiseman (Winchester) as the young couple, Art & Claire. The father is portrayed wonderfully by Allan Corduner and a family relative by an intense Paul Kaye (The Stranger).

The ending of The Offering horror movie

Don’t worry, I won’t be doing spoilers for the actual ending of The Offering here. We don’t do that here at Heaven of Horror unless very clearly stated (usually only in our “ending explained”-pieces). In any case, I just loved The Offering ending.

Sure, there are elements of the ending that can be a tad enervating. Mostly because you think people should be smarter or take different actions. But hey, that’s what makes the story evolve in such a crazy way.

And what definitely does work, is that final minute or so. The final scene of The Offering is brutal in its simplicity, so you can look forward to that.

Check out The Offering from the first Friday the 13th of 2023

Oliver Park is the director of The Offering and he does an excellent job of creating just the right atmosphere. Sure, it might be a tad heavy-handed at times, but that’s when I’m looking for faults. Otherwise, it’s more a question of whether you feel like you’ve seen it all before. This is the feature film debut of Oliver Park and an impressive one at that.

The screenplay comes from Hank Hoffman and is based on a story by himself and Jonathan Yunger. A first feature film writing credit for both of them as well. Hank Hoffman already has his next screenplay in pre-production. Jonathan Yunger usually produces and was a producer on the Jolt series and the Till Death (2021) movie to name just two of his recent projects.

Personally, I felt a sense of familiarity with the story and setting. However, this was just due to having watched The Autopsy of Jane Doe and The Vigil. These are strong movies with somewhat similar settings in their own way. And yet, The Offering still managed to surprise me and be very entertaining in a classic horror movie way.

The Offering will hit limited theaters and VOD on January 13, 2023.

Details

Release Date: January 13, 2023
Director: Oliver Park
Writer: Hank Hoffman
Story by: Hank Hoffman, Jonathan Yunger
Starring: Nick Blood, Emily Wiseman, Allan Corduner, Paul Kaye