Movie Review: Offspring (2009)

The movie stars Amy Hargreaves, Ahna Tessler, Tommy Nelson, Holter Graham, Jessica Butler and Kelly Carey. 

My wife and I decided to watch this film last night both because it had been a while since we had watched a movie about cannibals and because the description sounded somewhat interesting. Unfortunately, the film turned out not to be as good as expected.

I'm not opposed to films in this genre having a lot of blood and gore. After all, it's the whole reason for watching a movie like this. However, it's very easy to put too much emphasis on the blood and gore and not enough on the actual overall plot. And, that is pretty much what happened with this movie.

Even though, at least from what I can tell, this film wasn't a sequel, it did have a sequel feel to it. In other words, as I was watching this movie, I felt as though there was an earlier film I was supposed to have watched for this movie to make more sense.

Part of the reason for this is there just seemed to be a backstory missing when it came to the cannibal clan. Yes, the film filled us in on some details by showing newspaper clippings from the earlier killings and having a brief discussion about how they were descendants from a former lighthouse attendant. But, the cannibals seemed to have their own language and even their own caveman-like culture/religion. How did they reach that point and why were they hunting humans?

Another thing I wasn't a fan of was the ineptness of the police department. The cannibals were dropping them like flies and they just seemed to be going through the motions and pretending to make an effort to catch the family. Heck, there was even a scene when a young kid (Nelson) had to fight off a cannibal child in a tree while the cops just stood around watching. Were they afraid of heights or something?

The scene inside the cave with Amy (Hargreaves) and Claire (Ahna) being tortured by the cannibal clan was somewhat intense, especially when Claire's estranged and abusive husband (Erick Kastel) was also captured and, in a sadistic twist, helped the cannibals torture his wife. But, even that got to be somewhat predictable toward the end.

There were, admittedly, some intense moments in this film but, unfortunately, they just didn't do enough to save a movie that honestly just seemed to be missing something. It's an OK film if you are just watching for the blood, gore and occasional nudity. But, if you like a horror movie that also has a plot that makes sense, this is one that you probably should avoid.

My Grade: C