Dani is the wife of a psychiatrist named Ted Timmis, and she’s alone in their newly acquired country house which they are renovating. Suddenly, Dani realizes that something’s wrong, and a man named Olin Boole appears outside the house. Olin is one of her husband’s former patients, and he claims that there’s someone in the house with her, and demands that she lets him in. Naturally skeptical of this seemingly unhinged person, she refuses. Until she actually starts believing him…and opens the door. Then we fast forward to one year after Dani’s murder which Olin Boole was believed to be responsible for, and Ted’s got a new woman, Yana, in the country home and appears to have moved on pretty well. Dani’s twin sister, Darcy, has not…she’s a blind clairvoyant with psychometric powers, meaning she can touch an object and sense its story. She also runs an antique shop, of course. Ted promised to hand her the glass eye that belonged to Olin, who is also dead, so he makes a hasty visit and hands it to her. Shortly afterwards Darcy makes an unexpected visit to Ted’s residence, much to Yana’s dismay, and she’s brought with her an odd and creepy looking life-sized wooden mannequin as a gift…
Oddity is an Irish horror film from 2024, written and directed by Damian McCarthy. It was shot in County Cork, Ireland, in a converted barn where the director also shot his first film Caveat. He worked on both films simultaneously. The creepy mannequin was created by effects artist Paul McDonnell, and since McCarthy is a guy who frequently browses antique stores, many of the props we see in the film are from his own collection.
This film surely is a slow-burner, where atmosphere and a creeping sense of dread is the foundation of what is essentially a straightforward murder mystery. It does have that classic old-fashioned ghost story vibe to it, and while the mannequin doesn’t necessarily play as much of a role in this movie as I initially expected, it does serve its purpose. The setting where Ted’s country house is almost castle-like in its appearance, and of course located far out in the middle of nowhere, helps setting the mood and a feeling of isolation. Haunted houses, murder mysteries and revenge isn’t an uncommon mix in the horror genre, but it is the excellent atmosphere that lifts Oddity up from what could have been standardized and too familiar. The creepy looking doll is of course also what keeps the anticipation up even higher.
Oddity doesn’t have that much to play around it, but it makes it all work nonetheless. It’s pure atmosphere and anticipation, and while the murder mystery isn’t really all that mysterious, the story still unfolds slowly enough while keeping you guessing a little bit. The ending is almost a bit sardonic, but also quite satisfying.
Writer and director: Damian Mc Carthy
Country & year: Ireland, 2024
Actors: Carolyn Bracken, Johnny French, Steve Wall, Joe Rooney, Gwilym Lee, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Ivan de Wergifosse, Shane Whisker
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26470109/
