In an uncertain time for popular cinema, horror is one of the few reliable genres to reel audiences in. Due to the low budget and high return nature of horror, filmmakers in that space have more breathing room to experiment with various sub-genres. In that way, Oddity, which premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival to rave reviews, intriguingly blurs the lines in new ways of what a horror movie can be. Oddity combines paranormal, mystery, and slasher elements in service of a narrative that rises above its production value, which is otherwise pretty by the books.
Written and directed by Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy (Caveat), Oddity initially follows Dani (Carolyn Bracken), who’s trying to fix up her new home in the countryside while her husband Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee) works as a doctor in a mental institution. One night, Ted has to stay at the institution, leaving Dani alone at home. The stillness of the night sets in, interrupted by a vigorous knock at the door. Escaped institution patient Olin Boole (Tadhg Murphy) stands at the door, panicked, warning Dani that someone, or something, has intruded in her home, and he needs to lure it out. Cut to black. Roll the opening title.
Oddity then flashes forward a year, and Dani is dead. Olin was the suspect, but his mysterious death in the mental institution has prevented the opportunity for justice. Before further summarizing, it must be noted that the first 20 or so minutes of Oddity are a terrific lesson in the economy of horror storytelling. Writer-director Damian McCarthy lets the opening function as its own short story. During her brief screen time, Carolyn Bracken makes Dani an endearing and likable character, while McCarthy creates a sense of unease in the sprawling emptiness of her countryside home. By setting up that Dani’s husband works at a mental institution, McCarthy’s script suggests the idea that one of the inmates could be a threat. And just as that fear comes true, Oddity denies us the conclusion to this dilemma, allowing the mystery of Dani’s death to fester.
That mystery is the bedrock on which Oddity is built. Now, in the present day, widower Ted tries to heal as his new girlfriend, Yana (Caroline Menton), moves into the countryside home. Their burgeoning romance gets interrupted by the arrival of Darcy (Carolyn Bracken, once again), the blind twin sister of Dani, who owns an antique store. Darcy claims that she has the ability to tell the entire history of an object simply by holding it, and she’s brought such an item in the form of a gift. She unveils a heavy box containing a wooden man allegedly created by witches who soon takes his seat at the dinner table. Ted and Yana are unsurprisingly freaked out, a dreadful feeling that also overwhelms the audience.
The film’s bleak atmosphere is all due to actress Carolyn Bracken, who, as Darcy, radiates a generally uncomfortable energy. She’s hard to read; her claims of a supernatural gift feel like a smokescreen for mental illness. If Darcy does have the powers she claims, could they be wielded for malevolent purposes? Ted has to go to work at the mental institution, leaving Yana to look after Darcy and her wooden man. From there, Oddity becomes a two-hander. Damian McCarthy’s attempt at atmospheric horror doesn’t quite take off in the way he might have intended. The image of a wooden man sitting motionless at the dinner table feels played out. There’s not so much suspense as to whether the object will move on its own, more so the groan-worthy acknowledgment that the viewer’s patience will run thin until it eventually does.
The house doesn’t have much of a character of its own. For as great as Damian McCarthy and cinematographer Colm Hogan can frame an eerie image, the layout of the house is unclear. It’s difficult to fear what lies in the shadows when one isn’t even sure where the shadows are. Moreover, the commitment of Carolyn Bracken may be matched by her co-stars, but they’re so woefully underwritten that it doesn’t come across. Caroline Menton, as Yana, is given the task of being annoyed and freaked out by Darcy, and that’s about it. Damian McCarthy’s screenplay re-characterizes Ted so many times that actor Gwilym Lee can’t really get a handle on this guy’s core. Out of the supporting cast, only the elusive accused killer, played by Tadhg Murphy, has the modicum of intrigue needed to keep the audience invested.
Director Damian McCarthy knows that the character of Darcy, the mystery of what happened to Dani, and Carolyn Bracken’s dual performances as the twins are the elements that work. In the back half, Oddity wisely cedes the movie over to Darcy completely. As Darcy begins to reveal why she is really at the house, instead of McCarthy trying to scare the viewer with conventional horror beats, Oddity tips its hand and reveals a carefully woven story. Not only does it begin to expand on the mystery of what happened to Dani, but Darcy’s purpose in the plotline also clarifies. Many “pointless” narrative elements brushed aside suddenly become essential as the puzzle pieces come together. Oddity brings a tale of selfishness, unhealed wounds, and deception to a satisfying conclusion. A great ending that brings the chills of hearing a classic campfire story.
The low budget of Damian McCarthy’s Oddity keeps it from quite achieving what it set out to do. The film never aims for much more than formal competency. The “wooden man” element of the story that’s gotten much publicity never really amounts to much other than an overplayed image and a cheap effect. Simply put, this is not a movie that will scare on an aesthetic level. Nonetheless, due to a story very much worth telling and Carolyn Bracken giving the complex character of Darcy her all, Oddity carves a unique place in modern horror. In a year that has already delivered bold original horror films like I Saw the TV Glow, In a Violent Nature, and more recently, Longlegs, Oddity follows suit by staying true to its ambitions. Even if all doesn’t land, all signs point to director Damian McCarthy improving in his next feature.
Oddity hits theaters on July 19!
Release Date: July 19, 2024.
Directed by Damian McCarthy.
Written by Damian McCarthy.
Produced by Laura Tunstall, Mette-Marie Kongsved, Katie Holly, & Evan Horan.
Executive Producers: Michelle Craig, Yvonne Donohoe, Piero Frescobaldi, Emily Gotto, & David Horwitch.
Main Cast: Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall, Jonathan French, & Joe Rooney.
Cinematographer: Colm Hogan.
Composer: Richard G. Mitchell.
Production Companies: Keeper Pictures, Nowhere, & Shudder.
Distributor: IFC Films.
Runtime: 98 minutes.
Rated R.
