Oddity looks at the consequences of barbaric acts perpetuated by diabolical minds who believe themselves above all suspicion. But supernatural forces which can’t wait to unleash their gory assault, step in to punish these monsters who are sadly far too human. Oddity is a genre film which doesn’t just look to make audiences jump, it strives to highlight the contradictions inherent to human beings who are ultimately far more complicated (and frightening) than we think.
The opening scene of Oddity catapults us headlong into a dilemma. A woman (Carolyn Bracken) is at home alone in a country house which she’s renovating, but which currently looks like a deserted castle. Her psychiatrist husband (Gwilym Lee) isn’t there because he’s working a night shift in an unsettling, local psychiatric hospital. After the protagonist has left the house to look for her mobile phone in the car, a strange character who’s missing an eye turns up at her door (Tadhg Murphy).
Only visible through the grate of the door, which looks more like a trap than a subtle spyhole, this mysterious and, let’s just say it, horrifying individual claims he’s not there to frighten her but to warn her of imminent danger. He claims that someone determined to hurt her is hiding right there in her home. So what should she do? Open the door, taking advantage of the help offered by this hypothetical saviour or barricade herself indoors ignoring his warnings?
The film’s screenplay hinges upon this crucial moment, a decisive point in time which can change the course of a life. The audience’s nerves are put through the wringer as they witness a spine-chilling search for the truth. We can’t reveal what happens or why, but what we can say is that Damian McCarthy expertly mixes the decks, cleverly confusing the chronology of events. Thanks to the husband, we learn how his wife Dani’s life comes to a tragic end, but the motivations behind this barbaric murder turn out to be far crueller and more perverse than we could ever possibly have imagined.
The character of Darcy – Dani’s blind twin sister (Bracken plays both roles) who’s an elegant but disconcerting owner of a shop of oddities which she inherited from their mother – is equally stupendous. Darcy is also a medium and it’s through her gift that she uncovers the truth and prepares her revenge. The presence of a strange and decidedly terrifying human-like wooden mannequin which belonged to the sisters’ parents is also worth a mention. This object will turn out to be the nerve centre of a bloody vendetta with supernatural overtones.
Juxtaposing human wickedness and supernatural punishment, the director helps the audience rejoice when the truth is finally revealed. In this cardinal moment, cruelty turns into poetry, showing just how wonderful and powerful the bond between the two sisters really is, a bond which can never be broken. Despite the heavy presence of pure slasher-style horror scenes, Oddity also boasts a healthy dose of humour (of a dark kind, naturally!). But the film isn’t just a story about a haunted house, it’s also a tribute to genre films which turn horror into poetry and revenge into justice.
Oddity is a 2024 paranormal horror film written and directed by Damian Mc Carthy. The film centers on a blind medium and curio shopkeeper who is still grieving the death of her twin sister a year prior. A wooden mannequin from her cabinet of curiosities becomes crucial to her quest to uncover the truth about her sister’s murder.
Oddity (2024)
Directed by: Damian Mc Carthy
Starring: Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Jonathan French, Steve Wall, Joe Rooney Eileen McCarthy, Peter McCarthy, Chris Mudrack, Leticia Lopez Ramos
Screenplay by: Damian Mc Carthy
Production Design by: Lauren Kelly
Cinematography by: Colm Hogan
Film Editing by: Brian Philip Davis
Costume Design by: Suzanne Keogh
Art Direction by: Conor King
Music by: Richard G. Mitchell
MPAA Rating: R for some bloody images/gore and language.
Distributed by: IFC Films
Release Date: March 8, 2024 (South by Southwest), July 19, 2024 (United States
Oddity,
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