FRIGHTFUL
Movie Review – Oddity
Review by Ray Schillaci
From the moment I saw Mike Flanagan’s Absentia, I pegged him as a new talent to the horror genre. He proved my point with numerous hits: Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Hush, Before I Wake, The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass and several adapted Stephen King properties. Now I’m ready to predict another whole new and remarkable talent that combines elements of Hitchcock with a unique vision of terrifying treats, the Irish writer/director/editor of Oddity, Damian McCarthy. His first film, Caveat, proved to be a very different type of terror, and he’s masterly inserted a little bit of that film into his second excursion of fright.
Caveat was a bit of a slow burn, but so well worth it. On the other hand, Oddity is downright terrifying from beginning to its sardonic end. McCarthy has an uncanny sense of weaving murder and the supernatural, taking us on a very unsettling journey through the unknown. His newest film made me jump several times. This was not with cheap scares. His story intrigues us and then has us witness other-worldly dread with shocking imagery.
Not to reveal any spoilers, but this can’t be helped: Oddity begins with murder. The wife of a psychiatrist at a mental institution, Ted Timmis, is restoring their just-purchased country home which appears to be far from any neighbors. Just the build up to her demise is a nail biter.
Fast forward a year later, Ted has tried to move on and kept the country home that is now finished. He also has a new girlfriend, Yana, a pharmaceutical rep. Ted pays a visit to his wife’s twin sister, Darcy, who runs a “Cabinet of Curiosities.” Darcy is blind and claims to be clairvoyant with psychometric powers. She can touch objects and hear the stories behind them. She also claims that each item in her shop is cursed. Ted has always been skeptical and just finds her eccentric and is riddled with guilt for what happened to her sister, his wife.
Before Ted leaves he suggests to Darcy that she come pay a visit to his place. Darcy takes this literally and shows up at his doorstep a few days later. Needless to say, Ted and Yana are ill-prepared. Ted was on his way to work a nightshift at the asylum and Yana did not feel comfortable being alone in the house and had plans to visit friends in the city. They recommend she catch a ride back and arrange for another time. But, Darcy insists she stay and insures them that she is quite alright to be alone.
Yana is unsettled just being around her and does not care for the fact that Darcy had a large trunk delivered to them ahead of her arrival. Once her and Ted see what Darcy has given them as a housewarming gift they are even more weirded out. Some may consider it art, but its too damn bizarre and creepy for most. It is best described as an ominous life-sized wooden mannequin that appears to be in pain. Darcy explains that it’s been in the family for years and she strongly feels that her sister would have liked it placed in the home she was suppose to live in.
By now, the creep factor has risen several notches. Ted leaves for work and Yana gets ready to leave until she discovers her car keys missing. She looks everywhere for them and while on the second floor she eyes Darcy resting and the mannequin now sitting at the front table. She cannot fathom Darcy having moved the mannequin, but it’s the only explanation until she witnesses a slight movement from the thing. She drops her phone in shock, breaking it on the hard wooden floor. Was it her imagination?
This is where writer/director/editor Damian McCarthy exceeds with playing cat and mouse with our fears and emotions. How he designs his story is like carefully reconstructing a puzzle only to have the damn thing come to life and attack you. His film is a rollercoaster ride of thrills and chills, taking us places we hesitate to venture. The film is even more frightening if you’ve seen his previous effort, Caveat, since there is a clever tie-in. One could not ask for a better double bill Halloween treat. Oddity has also been labeled by some as “One of the scariest movies of the year…”
Oddity is available for streaming, has recently premiered on Shudder, and IFC Films is set to release the film later in the year.
Visit Ray’s blog at themonsterinmyhead.com
Directed by: Damian McCarthy
Release Date: July 19, 2024
Run Time: 98 Minutes
Rated: R
Country: Ireland
Distributor: IFC Films
