Running Time: 98 Minutes
Starring: Carolyn Bracken, Gwilym Lee, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall
Following his feature debut with 2020's chilling Caveat, writer/director Damian McCarthy returns with an unsettling follow-up that makes for one of the year's most terrifying works. Oddity opens within a massive house, the new place of residence for Dani (Carolyn Bracken) and her husband, Ted (Gwilym Lee). While Ted works nights at the nearby mental-health institution, Dani is settling into the spacious location to make it feel like a home. The evening takes a turn when a strange figure knocks at the door, warning of a danger lurking inside the house. Will she believe the warnings from the unfamiliar figure and open the door, or leave it shut and take her chances? The soundscape adds to the tense scenario, leaving viewers questioning where the danger truly lies.
The film cuts to one-year later, with the approaching anniversary of Dani's tragic murder. Her blind sister, Darcy (also played by Bracken), is a medium who runs an antique shop, collecting cursed objects, and utilizing her occult abilities to perform readings. Through a chance encounter, Darcy begins deciphering terrible secrets about her sister's murder, and sets about committing supernatural retribution with the otherworldly help of a nightmarish wooden mannequin.
After an exceptional portrayal in 2022's tremendous You Are Not My Mother, Bracken returns to the horror genre with another exemplary display of her talents. She exceptionally captures the dual roles, playing the determined occultist hell bent on vengeance, and the happily married wife that becomes a tragic victim. Acting opposite her is Lee, bringing alive the man of science who disbelieves his sister-in-law's supernatural beliefs in constant search for a logical explanation. There is a sense that, no matter what paranormal occurrence could appear before him, he will double-down in a continued effort to not admit what he knows.
What McCarthy has delivered is a film that drip feeds information, leaving the story to take fascinating avenues which make a considerable impact and reframe what was previously seen. Regardless of what direction the story takes, it is rooted in real emotion that is effortlessly expressed by the cast. Amidst all of this is an exceptionally crafted atmosphere, as shades of home invasion and occult subgenres merge in unnerving ways that viewers will not forget easily. I would say that the most terrifying scene involves a tent, but that is a sentence that I would still need to narrow down.
Across the 98-minute runtime, there is an array of imaginative ideas and fascinating tones which are exceptionally handled throughout. For example, a dinner table-set scene could have been utterly ordinary, as two characters in conversation try feeling each other out, yet it is far more fascinating by the juxtaposition of the massive wooden mannequin also seated. Speaking of which, the ghoulish looking mannequin generates intrigue in ways that become utterly worth every minute of build-up.
Yet, in a film full of supernatural terrors, there is a pervasive everyday nastiness which is chillingly real in its mundanity. This all makes for one of 2024's most exemplary inclusions into the horror genre. In a year with numerous horrifying experiences, Oddity cements Damian McCarthy as an exceptional talent in modern filmmaking.
Oddity made its Quebec Premiere at Fantasia Festival 2024, and will be available on Shudder at a later date.
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