Dread is a great tool for horror. Even if nothing overtly terrifying is happening on screen, if there’s an element of dread on hand, you’re primed for anything. Horror uses it better than any other genre, so a good genre filmmaker can go to town. Oddity is a solid example of this, as a horror movie bathed in dread. It’s nothing like the recently released Longlegs, but then again, what is? Taken on its own, this is an effective little fright flick.
Oddity is the sort of film that works best as a calling card for its director. Beyond that, the atmosphere on display is worthy of praise. The story itself is a bit on the light side, but it winds up coming together in a pretty interesting way. If you like smaller horror films, then this is one to check out, as it delivers far more than it doesn’t.
One year after Dani (Carolyn Bracken) has been brutally murdered at the home in southwestern Ireland she shared with physician Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee), the latter is still living there. He claims it’s because it’s close to his job at a nearby psychiatric hospital, though others think there’s more to it than that. Ted’s former patient Olin Boole (Tadhg Murphy) has been pegged with the slaying, though again, not everyone thinks that was the case, especially when Olin was savagely killed shortly thereafter. When Dani’s blind twin sister Darcy (also Bracken) shows up on the one year anniversary of the murder, she startles Ted and his girlfriend Yana (Caroline Menton). Darcy is a medium and has a gift for him, one that he’ll wish she had not brought with her.
From here, the supernatural begins to rear its head. Darcy has a wooden mannequin for Ted, which belonged to her and Dani’s mother. He’s not interested, while Yana is hugely put off by her and the doll, but they want to be polite. The longer Dani is around, and the more trance-like she gets, the more scared Yana gets, eventually with very good reason.
The cast lends an effective seriousness to the proceedings, even if no one here outright blew me away. The main trio of Carolyn Bracken, Gwilym Lee, and Caroline Menton anchor things with a quietness that is almost more befitting a drama. Bracken gets to do some interesting things later in the game, while Menton gets to be effectively frightened, but they’re all in service of their director’s vision. In addition to Tadhg Murphy, the supporting cast includes Jonathan French, Joe Rooney, Steve Wall, and more.
Filmmaker Damian Mc Carthy should have a nice future in horror, given his sense of atmosphere. He utilizes dread and some occasionally gnarly visuals to good effect. His direction is ahead of his writing, as the pacing is a bit slow, but it eventually comes together. Oddity lives up to its name, but it does feel longer than it’s under 100 minute running time. Once Mc Carthy tightens things up a bit, his next work will not just be good again, but almost assuredly great. I’m bullish on his talent, that’s for sure. At a certain point, you’re stressed at the horrific possibilities, which is huge within the genre.
Oddity never ascends to the next level, but as a small fright flick with some strong atmosphere, it works. The sense of dread and potential for terror is there, so when Mc Carthy makes another genre effort, I’ll be there. He’s got the goods.
SCORE: ★★★
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