Notable Cast: Carolyn Bracken, Gwilym Lee, Tadhg Murphy,
Caroline Menton, Jonathan French, Steve Wall, Joe Rooney
Oddity is a film chock full of elements that could
easily go wrong. Despite a solid trailer and the backing of both Shudder and
IFC Films to validate its content, it’s just a film filled to the brim with
off-kilter aspects that, in the wrong hands, could immediately take the film
deep into the uncanny valley.
There are twins, a giant wooden monster doll, a psychic that
collects haunted objects, and one of the main characters is the doctor at a
mental illness facility. On paper, those could quickly go awry. I’ve seen a
handful of movies with just one of those things that careen a film off the
cliff and straight into unintentional comedy. I suppose that’s to be expected
with a title like Oddity.
Yet, through and through, writer and director Damian Mc
Carthy manages to breeze through the uncanny valley and straight into a film
showcasing what it means to ‘thread the needle.’ Oddity is slathered in
wild jump scares and terrifying tension. Its limited budget is a benefit in
crafting what might translate to a theatrical stage very efficiently as a
chamber horror, and the film creeps so cleverly into one’s psyche that it
lingers well after the credits roll. Not unlike Mc Carthy’s previous film, Caveat.
Oddity regularly feels like an extended segment from
Creepshow or other horror anthology series, but it's not to its detriment. It's
a smidge over 90 minutes, and you never feel it. It smoothly sprints through
its run time and never feels like it overstays its welcome. It's quirky enough
to pop some dark humor into its characters or script, and its thick atmosphere
and visuals are fun and memorable. Tell me that doesn’t sound like it belongs
in a Creepshow episode or as part of a Tales from the Crypt series.
It helps that Oddity never overcomplicates its story.
The plot is simple enough. An overnight doctor at the local mental health
institution loses his wife tragically when she is brutally murdered while
renovating their new remote house. Her murderer, an ex-patient from the doctor’s
facility, has already been caught after the big hook of its cold open, and the
doctor has moved on with a new girlfriend. However, this doesn’t stop the twin
sister of the deceased wife from further investigating the circumstances of her
sister’s death, which leads her back to the house, a giant wooden golem in tow.
You know, cause she’s empowered with the family skill sets.
Although some fantastic performances at the center of the
film carry it a great distance, cornerstoned by a brilliant duel performance
from Carolyn Bracken as the twin sisters Dani and Darcy, Oddity uses its
characters and other elements to provide tension more than anything. As the
various twists and turns of its plot are revealed, some more apparent than
others, it’s the atmosphere around them that highlights what Oddity has
to offer. Just the presence of the clairvoyant sister (who can see the history
of “haunted objects,” even those she’s blind) adds an off-kilter tone to the
proceedings. Mc Carthy demonstrated his ability to craft atmosphere with Caveat,
but he damn near perfected it with Oddity. The way that the film shoots
the giant wooden golem, which sits at the table, creates such a sense of dread
and menace that it is no wonder it was used so heavily in marketing the
film. It’s the kind of production design that will stay with viewers and propel Oddity to modern classic status.
While I thoroughly loved Caveat, Oddity is
another step towards putting Damian Mc Carthy onto the pedestal of one of the
best horror auteurs working. The scares in the film are effective, the tension
is palpable, and its narrative has this off-beat fluidity to it that manages to bounce tones in a way that feels expertly executed. 2024 has been a fantastic year for horror, but don’t sleep on Oddity. It’s more than just its title; it’s a must-see.
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