Oddity (2024) - Movie Review
What if I told you that one of the best murder mysteries I’ve seen in recent history was an Irish Ghost Story?
Intriguing right?
Let’s discuss.
Oddity is a 2024 Supernatural Thriller brought to us by the brilliant writer/director Damian Mc Carthy. If you haven’t heard his name before, you will. It’s only a matter of time before he’s a household name. His 2020 effort Caveat was a sleeper hit for Shudder, and this second Shudder/AMC+ exclusive film is even better.
The film focuses on Dani Timmins, a woman struggling with the loss of her twin sister, Darcy, following her brutal murder at the hands of a released mental patient. Unable to accept the explanation provided by the authorities, Dani decides to walk a darker path. Dani is blind, but she has other ways to find the truth. She is a touch-sensitive clairvoyant trained in dark magics. But Dani knows that all magic requires a sacrifice and walking this path may very well lead to darker ends. Will she be willing to follow her plans to the end to get the answers she seeks, or will the darkness consume her completely? Find out in tonight’s feature, Oddity.
It is really hard to sum this one up, but it’s really flippin’ good.
This movie carries over the eerie, unsettling atmosphere of Mc Carthy’s previous film, 2020’s Caveat. Which, if you haven’t seen it, you should. I just realized I hadn’t reviewed it on the sight as I saw it while in my long surgical recovery. It’s one of the best micro-budget films ever made.
Why?
For the same reasons this more polished follow-up does, a strong script and fantastic acting. The movie oozes atmosphere and world-building. It has subtle and not-so-subtle ties to the previous film, but it isn’t a direct sequel. However, keen-eyed viewers may spot a cameo from the Drumming Bunny in a few scenes. Atmosphere seems to be impossible for Hollywood to get right anymore, so thank the fates for independent and international filmmakers like Damian Mc Carthy, Coralie Fargeat, and Justin Benson + Aaron Moorhead.
This is a masterclass in tension.
The script is barebones, as the film often shows you what it wants you to see. Which sneakily increases your empathy for our heroine as her sight is limited to her clairvoyance. The minimalist exposition increases the tension and the sharp dialogue maintains the ongoing intrigue. You never get the whole truth, not until the end, and by then you’ll probably be as emotionally exhausted as we were—Just like the filmmaker intended.
None of this works without the stellar actors involved, most of which I’d never witnessed before. Which is saying something as I watch more UK television than what my home country produces, but outside of the actors who appeared in Caveat.
Carolyn Bracken is amazing. I know I’m prone to hyperbole, but hear me out. She’s stunningly gorgeous in both roles she plays, but the way she deftly differentiates the sisters is incredible. The subtle mannerisms she carries over, and the stark differences that she makes apparent. It’s almost hard to recognize she is the same actress in both roles.
Gwilym Lee is also a standout as the emotionally detached brother-in-law. To a tee, he plays the role of a psychiatrist, showing the walls doctors raise to maintain their sanity in stressful workplaces like asylums. This, when juxtaposed with his odd relationships with his creepy coworker Ivan, played by the always skin-crawling Steve Wall, provides just enough doubt to make the premise of the film work.
All this said, a tip of the hat also needs to go to the sound design by Aza Hand and team. Sound is the most important part of a horror movie. Even a bad horror movie can be salvaged with a killer score, while good films get even better.
This is a truly inspiring work of cinema, in the same vein as 2022’s genre-shifting feat, Talk to Me.
This film deserves to be seen. They made a tightly wound, (nearly) one-location thriller that blends the twins’ story into one cohesive mystery thriller.
Check this one out as soon as you can, especially if you’re having a stormy night.
You won’t be disappointed.
Oddity is currently streaming on Shudder and AMC+.
