The dark and isolated backdrop of Oddity makes for a claustrophobic environment that just keeps closing in. Damian Mc Carthy throws viewers right in the deep end and then refuses to offer a life raft to hold on to at any point.
★★★★☆
Irish director Damian Mc Carthy has put together a number of intriguing short horrors, and received a lot of praise upon releasing his debut feature film, Caveat, in 2020. With his latest release, Oddity, he takes everything up a notch.
Dani (Carolyn Bracken) is murdered by a patient of her husband’s, and whilst he moves on fairly quickly, her blind and occasionally psychic twin sister Darcy (also portrayed by Bracken) doesn’t buy the story. Secrets are uncovered along Darcy’s journey of discovery, during which she is more than willing to upset Ted (Gwilym Lee) and his new partner Yana (Caroline Menton).
The camera work in Oddity, used to maximise the horror aspects, deserves to be waxed lyrical about. Under-the-bed shots showing a door slowly creaking open are always terrifying, and the use of a video camera in the film provides another vessel for Mc Carthy’s jumpscares too.
With the camera work in mind, the blocking and angling varies from character to character which is simply genius. Ted is always presented to the audience front on, completely contrasting how we see both Darcy and the wooden statue/figure that she brings along for the ride, regularly from behind. This is indicative of the suspense that the latter duo bring to the table and the calm and composed aura of Ted.
The setting plays a major role in Oddity. Ted lives in a castle-like house in the middle of nowhere, which he shared with Dani and where, following her passing, Yana joins him—perhaps against her better judgement. Whether it be the lack of phone signal or the old-timey gas lamps, isolation is presented two-fold in a literal and a figurative sense, with the rural land effectively playing another character in this film and the latter applying particularly to Darcy in the absence of her sister.
Talking of Yana’s judgement, and whilst some horror movies are full of ludicrous decisions, the intelligence that characters carry serves a major purpose here. Female characters in particular are too often intentionally ditsy, and the logical decision-making from Yana and co is a breath of fresh air. Yana is on the ball, Ted is very calculated and manipulative, and Darcy cuts a haunting figure throughout. It’s fascinating to watch these characters play intricate games with those around them, each with their own clear motivations and approaches. Films are best enjoyed with all of the senses, and it isn’t just the eyes that are on red alert during Oddity. Chilling music that possesses a prickly edge regularly foreshadows what is to come, but doesn’t make the eventual scares any easier to handle.
Mike Flanagan, director of Hush (2016), labelled Oddity as a tale of “supernatural revenge” and wrote that “this one gets under your skin” in his Letterboxd review, a description that hits the nail on the head. From the early scene of Dani opening the door to Declan (Jonathan Barrett) the movie begins to creep inside of you, and by the end it’s lodged deep in your core, leaving you looking over your shoulder in the dark once it’s over. It is a difficult one to shake, that’s for sure.
The Verdict
Horror films are churned out left, right and centre, and so Oddity’s simple yet effective approach is hugely commendable. Mc Carthy’s work does more than enough to make the blood run cold, and you won’t want to be home alone again for a good while.
Words by Jamie Rooke
Oddity is streaming now on Shudder.
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