‘The Offering’ is a Chilling Exploration of Jewish Mythology [Review]
Going into The Offering, I was a little apprehensive. We have seen grief and loss explored as themes in countless horror films as of late. And the exploration of said themes has become prevalent enough that I was almost apprehensive about another take on that subject. But I am pleased to say that the film isn’t singularly focused on either of the aforementioned elements and it packs some effective scares into its relatively brief runtime.
The Offering follows Art (Nick Blood) and his spouse, Claire (Emily Wiseman) as they return to Art’s familial childhood dwelling, which also serves as a Hasidic funeral home. At first, the reunion is joyous. Art and his estranged father have agreed to mend fences in advance of the arrival of Claire and Art’s firstborn. Sadly, the happy reunion is quickly interrupted by the presence of a spiritual entity attached to a body housed in the family mortuary.
From the get-go, The Offering is somber and atmospheric. It immediately evokes a sense of palpable dread. Even before I fully knew what was was in store, it was evident that director Oliver Park possesses a keen understanding of establishing atmosphere. And for the most part, he does a commendable job of maintaining that. The film takes full advantage of the foreboding nature of the mortuary setting where the bulk of the picture unfolds. The locale inspires a sense of unease that makes even the innocuous feel menacing.
There is an atmospheric scare in the first act that nearly made me throw my computer. There’s very little buildup to it which serves to make it all the more unexpected. It’s more conventional to build to a crescendo. But I’m a fan of the element of surprise and Park uses it to great effect in the aforementioned instance.
Park employs dim lighting throughout, which is also rather jarring. It conveys the feeling that darkness is always upon the central characters. That combined with the gloomy visuals, muted color palette, and effective depiction of the darker side of Jewish mythology make this a mostly impressive effort.
My chief complaint with The Offering is that I felt a little let down by the exploration of the demon’s mythology. Oftentimes, less is more. But this is a case where I could have used a little more context. The backstory surrounding the antagonistic force at the center of the narrative was a bit underdeveloped. We get a brief primer on the demon’s function but a little bit more information would have made the force that much more imposing for me. Knowing only the bare minimum piqued my curiosity. But I would have felt more threatened by its presence if I had even a few additional details to put everything into perspective.
As it stands, I could tell that the entity was imposing and effectively showcased. However, I wanted to know a little more about what was at stake. It’s a delicate balance to give the audience just the right amount of context. One doesn’t want to overwhelm the viewer and water down the efficacy of the mythical antagonist. But inversely, it’s possible to give the audience too little to work with and in turn fail to make the creature as imposing as it should be.
My only other criticism is that the pacing is a bit up and down. The film starts strong and finishes strong. But there are some dips in between that lessen its efficacy. With that said, The Offering is still very much worth checking out when it bows in limited release (and digital) on January 13.
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The Offering
Summary
An effective chiller with no shortage of atmosphere.
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