ODDITY (2024)

New in select theaters from Shudder and IFC Films!
Directed/Written by Damian McCarthy.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/tLNDvnv8B3A

When her twin sister Dani is murdered by an escaped mental patient, Darcy (played by YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER and THE LODGERS Carolyn Bracken) visits the home where she was murdered in order to find out more about her death. Though blind, Darcy has a second sight and is able to read histories from inanimate objects. Dani’s widowed husband Ted (played by BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY’s Gwilym Lee) has since found a new girlfriend Yana ( Caroline Menton) and both are shocked when Darcy shows up to their home with a large wooden mannequin.

And that’s pretty much all I will reveal about the plot of ODDITY. While there often is a sophomore slump in filmmakers when they herald their second film after a powerful first film, ODDITY shows a growth and a consistency of quality from writer/director Damian McCarthy’s first and excellent film CAVEAT. The appearance of that creepy ass bunny seems to indicate that the worlds of both ODDITY and CAVEAT are the same, the films also mirror an exceptionally proficient grip of suspense and ability to truly terrify a viewer.

what makes ODDITY so effective is McCarthy’s expert level use of the jump scare. Now, as I said before, the jump scare is not new to movies. Having a cat jump out of the darkness along with a Don Music headbutt to the piano is one of the oldest tricks in the horror game book. But what McCarthy is highly skilled at is how he creates his scares and how he makes the payoff count.

Now, I believe I’ve mentioned a few times that I recently acquired two kittens. One of the things that come with kittens is BIG KITTEN ENERGY. So I’ve found that using the laser pointer before I go to bed or need to get something done, will often tire them out. But after doing a bit of research, I have found that using the laser pointer activates the cat’s urges to hunt and if the laser pointer is going all over the place and then suddenly disappears, this actually damages or more accurately disappoints the cat’s hunter reflexes. So it is best to end the laser pointer session with a treat or something tangible for them to act out those hunter impulses on.

Now, I didn’t just go off on a tangent to talk about cats. In many ways, the jump scare is that laser pointer. If a film teases a scare and ends with some kind of false jump scare like a cat leaping through a window, that feeling one gets after that false scare is often one of frustration and even anger. This is because the film fails to deliver a true scare and instead one that only preys on a body’s reflex to loud noises. This is why there might be many gasps in the theater when the Blumhouse flop hits theaters, but afterwards, you get that unsatisfied feeling. ODDITY doesn’t do that. ODDITY delivers rock solid scares all the way through. Not only does it establish an absolutely dire mood and a rich atmosphere, it also peppers some jump scares that are truly pants-filling. Not only does the shock come out of nowhere, but the scare is genuinely horrifying once you realize what it is you’re looking at. And ODDITY delivers that genuine, terrifying jolt over and over and over again.

Speaking of atmosphere, the bulk of ODDITY takes place inside a truly wonderful setting. The home where most of the action takes place is oddly shaped and full of dark corners, strange doorways that seem like they shouldn’t be there, peculiar staircases, and levels of truly unique floors. The setting is so mysterious that even during the slower, discussion heavy scenes, you’re expecting something horrible to loom out of one of these dark, oddly shaped corridors.

Carolyn Bracken is wonderful in a dual role of Dani and Darcy. As Dani, she is frail and sympathetic. And as Darcy, she is cold and suspicious. It’s a wonderful performance that carries the mystery of ODDITY all the way through. While Gwilym Lee is not the typical looking leading man, he does offer up a more complex role than one would expect as the grieving husband who is trying to move on in a new relationship. And Caroline Menton serves as a wonderful eyes and ears for the audience, saying and doing things that a smart horror audience would say and do.

ODDITY at its core is a simple ghost story. But what sets it apart from most of them is McCarthy’s deft use of the jump scare and establishment of mood. Like many jokes, the success is usually in the delivery. If that is the case, then consider McCarthy a comedian like no other. But ODDITY is no joke, though it does have a wicked sense of gallows humor. That’s pretty much all I want to say about it. It’s probably the most frightened I’ve been while watching a movie in a long time and gave me the biggest jump I’ve felt since that scene, you know that one scene, from EXORCIST III: LEGION. Yep, the scares are that good.

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Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
(I do not own this music)