‘Remember him before he dismembers you!’
Offerings is a 1988 independent American slasher horror film written, produced and directed by Christopher Reynolds. It was Reynolds’ only horror film and was released in 1989.
Main cast:
Jay Michael Ferguson, Richard A. Buswell, Tobe Sexton (Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare) G. Michael Smith.
Plot from VHS synopsis:
John Radley’s childhood was not a particularly nice one; his father’s abandonment, an abusive mother, bullied by neighborhood kids and his pets had a tendency to die on him. Only his first crush Gretchen ever treated him with kindness.
But this all ended when he was goaded into performing a balancing act, whereupon a malicious prank backfired and Johnny ended up plunging down a dried up well to greet a rock floor. Since then he has been in Oakhurst State mental hospital for over a decade. Left semi-comatose, he has only his now-distorted memories and nightmarish flashbacks for comfort.
One night the continual flood of harsh images is too much for his psyche, and he comes to find himself badly disfigured and severely brain damaged, so much so that he can no longer feel any pain. Who will care for, let alone love, Johnny now? No one, he knows (in what’s left of his damaged mind). He suffers a complete psychotic break, and after venting his fury on a nurse, turns his rage towards those responsible for his condition.
Bursting out of his temporary accommodation, he storms off into the night, dead set on disposing of his old childhood tormentors, whose body parts he intends to offer up to the only person in his life who ever gave a damn about him–a certain girl by the name of Gretchen.
Reviews:
“It’s entertaining enough in its own right and even good for a few unintentional laughs. Hell, there’s even some good scare and gore scenes in it. However, there is little redeeming value to this movie in the long run.” Mike, Horror Freak News
“Offerings is terrible and rather hypnotically so. It’s like watching a dozen Halloween rip offs in one sitting because it goes on forever and whatever trance everybody in this movie is in, is highly contagious.” Kindertrauma
“The acting is laughable, and so isn’t the crazy plot hole of WHY would this girl continue to stay at this house after getting two… count em two body parts?! I did enjoy the pizza scene, and even though it’s very low gore wise I thought a few of the kills were pretty interesting in a very simple way.” Staystillreviews
“I can understand how a killer could carve a fillet or a rough steak out of a human victim, maybe even grind up the meat into human hamburger. But sausage? So John Radley killed somebody, butchered some meat off their body, ground it up, seasoned it, filled it into a casing, cooked it, and then waited around for the teens to order a pizza for his savory cannibalistic topping?” When the Dead Walk the Earth
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
“Much as I’d like to say this film isn’t another low budget Halloween rip-off, that’s all it is really. There are one or two effective moments, but for the most part the cast sleep walk through their roles, and the direction, camerawork and editing are all extremely basic. Not bad if you’ve nothing better to do, but not worth searching high and low for.” Jim Harper, Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies
Cast and characters:
- Loretta Leigh Bowman as Gretchen
- Richard A. Buswell as John Radley
- G. Michael Smith as Sheriff Chism
- Jerry Brewer as Professor kJim Paxton
- Elizabeth Greene as Kacy
- Tobe Sexton as David
- Jay Michael Ferguson (as Jay Ferguson) as Little David
- Max Burnett (as J. Max Burnett) as Tim
- Chase Hampton as Ben Dover
- Barry Brown as Deputy Buddy
- Heather Scott as Linda
- Patrick H. Berry as Greg
- Josh Coffman as Little John
- Kerri Bechthold as Little Gretchen
- Patrick Stratton as Little Tim
- Soren Myatt as Little Greg
- Barbie Yocum as Little Linda
- Amanda Tyner as Little Kacy
- Gail Tucker as David’s Mom
- Christopher Reynolds as Doctor Rowland
Choice dialogue:
John’s Mom: “I know how you treat your pets… I saw what you did to your turtle last week.”
Doctor Rowland: “Nah the one you wanna be nervous of is Mr. Franks. Every time he takes a crap, he thinks he’s having an abortion. Let me tell you, he’s had some ugly kids…”
Sheriff: “It don’t look like sausage to me.”
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca
Filming locations:
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Keywords:
synthesizer score | smoking | slovenly | oppressive mother | mute | teasing | bullying | well | accident | disfigured | mental hospital | doctor | nurse | hypodermic needle | murder | college professor | sheriff | mystery phone call | dog | teenagers | bondage | chainsaw | electric drill | hammer | college | Shakespeare | teacher | Hamlet | night | broken neck | pizza delivery | suburbs | cannibalism | insomnia | parents | graveyard | intern | mortician | worm | desecrated grave | disembodied nose | masturbator | pornography | deputy | lights out | panic | fear | terror | 911 call | darkness | final girl | unkillable killer | slow motion | regret | shivering
