The Offering (2022 film)

Category: Jewish supernatural horror.

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The Offering has become one of my favourite recent horror films, so much so that it now ranks third on my list. Well-crafted, and the monster looks genuinely scary!

The plot for this movie is two-fold - on the surface, Arthur, the son of a Hasidic funeral director has come back to New York along with his pregnant wife Claire to make amends with his father and family friends, but soon finds that the supernatural forces he has accidentally unleashed are pretty difficult to keep at bay. And running parallel is Arthur's ulterior motive in trying to stave off debt collectors back home that ends up breaking his dad's heart (or did it?).

You see, Arthur has accidentally unleased Abyzou, a demon that is traditionally thought to be responsible for miscarriages and infant mortality - and guess who is pregnant!

I'm really glad that this movie is REALLY Jewish - it exposes us to Hasidic culture, features Jewish actors and actresses, shows how conservative Jews view outsiders, but also show how the Jews have these deep-seated traditions and slang built up over thousands of years.

The ending, though not the happiest, is pretty darn good - just when you think that all will end well, the guttural growl in the man's voice comes across like a slap in the face, and the squelch as the screen cuts to black is a kick in the nuts.

And before that, the "repeat sequence" - really good film-making!

Everything being said, aside from the demon, the most unrealistic thing is that the man is able to park anywhere he wants on the streets of New York and sees no need to lock his car or turn his headlights off. Seeing that irks me.

I will also point out Abyzou is typically a female demon, whereas in this movie it's either male, or androgynous at best - I would have liked to see a more female presentation. The reliance on jump scares - a few is good, more than a few is a bit much. And I thought middle third could have been changed to make it a bit more engaging - but that's just me.

FINAL STAR RATING: 4.25/5