Art returns to his childhood home in Brooklyn with his pregnant wife, Claire, hoping to reconcile with his father, Saul, in order to clear some of his outstanding debt. Saul works as the undertaker for the local Hasidic community, and unfortunately, their latest corpse carries a Jewish demon with plans for Claire’s unborn child. As the body count rises and the fate of Claire’s baby hangs in the balance, the family must dive into Kabbalah lore to ward off the entity and protect their future.

THE OFFERING is a welcome update to the haunted house genre, with characters discussing ancient interpretations of the Torah and translating Hebrew to build demon traps. Much of the movie takes place in a candlelit funeral home, which thankfully offers numerous dark corners from which the demon can hide and jump out. The finale of THE OFFERING is a visual effects showcase as the funeral home becomes a maze of walking corpses and shadowy monsters.

As the characters lose their sanity and the funeral home comes under the demon’s control, reality is tossed out the proverbial window in favor of unique set design and over-the-top setpieces. THE OFFERING continuously ups the ante until the film’s final, surprising twist. (AUSTIN KING)