Damian McCarthy‘s Oddity wraps predictable plot beats in a creepy and compelling supernatural tale of tragedy and cruelty.
Being predictable needn’t be a major criticism of a horror movie. Part of the genre’s appeal is the rollercoaster-esque anticipation of the expected rush of adrenaline. What matters is the structure surrounding that predictability and director Damian McCarthy follows up his 2020 movie Caveat with a dread-filled slab of often (deliberately) awkward chills.
The story revolves around a murder. A woman named Dani is slain in her remote country home, seemingly by one of her doctor husband’s patients (Tadhg Murphy – The Northman) from a mental health institution. A year later, Dani’s twin sister Darcy (both played by The Quiet Girl’s Carolyn Bracken), a blind supposed psychic, has reservations about who killed her sibling.
She claims to get psychic visions from objects dear to the deceased, which has led to her suspicions about Dani’s death. After an encounter with Dani’s former husband (Gwilym Lee – Bohemian Rhapsody), she decides to visit the scene of the crime and stays at the house to figure things out on the one-year anniversary of Dani’s death.
From quite early on, I could see where Oddity’s story was taking it to some degree, but the devil is in the details. What exactly connects the fates of these characters? Why is someone so sure a murder case isn’t as open and shut as it appeared? Why does a character bring a life-sized wooden man along?
The result is something a touch jarring but also unsettling in the swirling vortex of stories going on in Oddity. It is at once familiar and unorthodox. Take the opening, which shows the night of Dani’s murder plays out to the tune of a spooky campfire favorite. The alleged murderer comes to the door, scaring Dani. He warns that she was followed into her home by a mysterious figure and that she’s in danger. of course, she is skeptical of a mentally ill man begging to come into her home whilst she’s alone and has to juggle the choice of staying, running, or letting the man in.
But we don’t get an indication of what she did or what the result was at that moment. Suddenly, we’re thrown into a reset at an antique store where a strikingly similar woman coldly greets a customer. We learn that the woman is Darcy, but we still feel like a passerby in this story until we learn that she and her customer have a previous connection. It’s only then that we learn of Dani’s horrible fate.
Throughout, a teasing vagueness blurs the edges of the obvious. Darcy gives a masterclass in passive-aggressive behavior when she nestles herself back into her late sister’s home, much to the growing frustration of the widowed husband and his new girlfriend. She deliberately, almost playfully, skirts around the issue bubbling underneath, but her inherent vulnerability as a blind person rubs an unease into her exchanges.
The tension born from that flavors the increasingly malevolent atmosphere, and when it comes to a cruel and bloody end, it leaves me feeling somewhat sullied. Oddity is, on the surface, a movie about vengeance and justice. But despite treading some familiar narrative pathways, it did surprise me with how messy and unsatisfying its climax feels. That wasn’t a bad thing. It fits the general tone of the movie, and it would undoubtedly have been a lesser movie for taking a safer, more comforting option.
Oddity does some interesting things with familiar ideas. Carolyn Bracken’s compelling lead performance keeps a measure of uncertainty in its outcome and brings a frustrated sadness to a tale of vengeance. The often unnerving and uncomfortable atmosphere might stay with you longer than the story itself.
Score: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to ”good”. A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Oddity is in theaters on July 19, 2024.
Oddity screener provided for review.
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