[Fantastic Fest] Review: The Offering
Over recent years, there has been an increase in religious horror entering the independent film space, and even more recently, an increase of Jewish and Hebrew inspired horror films. This has resulted in fantastic films such as the Hasidic horror The Vigil making its debut on the big screen. It is films like these that show the versatility in folk horror storytelling and also showcases religious influenced stories that aren’t Christian focused, further highlighting Jewish filmmaking and importance of Jewish stories in horror.
This year at Fantastic Fest, Jewish folk horror film The Offering—also known by its Hebrew title Abyzou—premiered to audiences. The film focuses on the familial trauma of Arthur (Nick Blood) and his orthodox practicing father, Saul (Allan Corduner)—a funeral director for the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn. Arthur has returned to his childhood home to make amends with his father after being shunned for marrying outside of the faith, however; Saul suspects the reasoning for Arthur’s return to have ulterior motivation, but welcomes Arthur and wife Claire (Emily Wiseman) with open arms. One evening, Saul invites Arthur to prepare the body of a recently deceased member of the community. At the start of the film, we witness this same man fighting off an evil presence within his home before taking his own life in what looks like a protection ritual. From this evening onwards, strange occurrences happen in the home, leading to a demonic presence being unleashed within the house.
The Offering gives us insight into the life and practices of Hasidic communities and the rituals following death. The film provides a wealth of information into the folklore and storytelling that surrounds the demonic presence within the lives of Saul, Arthur, and Arthur’s pregnant wife, Claire. In Eastern European folklore, the demon Abyzou goes by many names: Albasandria (Egypt), Gylou (Byzantine), and appears in Hebrew, Greek, and Romanian folklore. The one element that strings them altogether is her motive: infant mortality and miscarriages. It is said that she is to blame for the loss of children in utero because she is jealous of those who can carry children as she is unable to. Throughout The Offering, we are shown hints of the demon and its shadowing over Arthur and his family. However; unfortunately the timing of the information and connection to the wife and unborn child missed the mark. The movie focused on Arthur and his experiences rather than also drawing Claire into the circle of the narrative.
Whilst this is an unfortunate aspect of the film, Director Oliver Park and screenwriter Hank Hoffman have woven a story of horror and terror. The atmosphere of the film is palpable and has an indie horror film. This is usually a tough quality to achieve. Set in the one location of Arthur's family home, including the morgue and funeral home they operate, the scare factor ante is upped substantially. The tense moments are stylistically created through lighting and wide angles, meeting the close up sharpness that ignites fear in the viewer. These classic techniques are used creatively and incorporated purposely to increase the impact of the storytelling. Besides these filmmaking techniques, the haunted house narrative is woven into the film in a unique and often terrifying way with the supernatural elements bringing the ultimate scares of the film.
Overall, The Offering is a promising film by director Oliver Park. The film is stylistic, dark, and often full of dread. The only letdown is how the characters weren’t woven together to show the connection to the demon, which let the impact of Abyzou and her motives fall to the wayside towards the end of the film.
