Being a massive fan of horror films, I always look forward to scanning the “Nightshift” section of the MIFF guide each year, hoping to find a new horror gem within. Irish director Damian McCarthy made an impressive little horror film called “Caveat” back in 2020 (featuring the creepiest mechanical rabbit known in existence), so I was excited to see that his follow-up film, “Oddity” was playing at this year's MIFF, and immediately booked a ticket for it. As all horror fans know, there is a lot of product out there, and unfortunately not much of it is very good, so we end up seeing a lot of dreck in the hope of finding that one hidden gem. For mine, “Oddity” is one of those hidden gems.
“Oddity”, as it name implies, has quite a weird premise, particularly when the wooden mannequin is introduced, but what this film has in spades is atmosphere and unrelenting tension. The film begins with an impressive opening sequence as Dani is confronted by one of her husband's patients at her locked front door asking to be let in. She rightfully refuses, but he pleads to her saying that someone has slipped into her house without her knowing and he wants to protect her. Dani again refuses but doubt starts to enter her mind. Is there really someone in the house with her? Or is the danger outside like she suspects? Should she open the door or leave it closed? It is a very intense scene, and her fear is palpable throughout. Just as she makes her decision on what to do, the film cuts to the title of the film (with surprisingly upbeat carnivalesque music to it). When the film begins again, a year has past since the night of the previous scene and we soon learn that Dani did in fact perish that night at the hands of her husband's former patient. We are then introduced to Dani's twin sister, Darcy, who happens to be blind, runs a bizarre antique shop and has the ability to see a person's past through personal objects of that person. When we meet Darcy, she is being visited by Ted, who strangely has the glass eye of the ex-patient who killed his wife, who himself was just brutally murdered by another inmate. Darcy wants to see what the man was feeling when he killed his sister, but upon looking back notices something very wrong, and understands more trouble is coming so rushes to Ted's (and his new girlfriend's place) with the wooden mannequin as a gift. What is the purpose of the mannequin, is it meant for protection or has Darcy gone completely insane??
It is a very odd film, but so incredibly creepy. As good as “Caveat” was, “Oddity” is so much better in every aspect, particularly in the way McCarthy is able to create atmosphere and build towards his scares. McCarthy always has you on edge, so you never completely know when or if something is going to happen, but he makes you anticipate it and then leaves you hanging that little bit longer until it almost becomes unbearable. During the film's best scare (in my opinion), the woman sitting behind me screamed so loud, that it scared the shit out of me too! McCarthy makes excellent use of silence particularly while creating suspense and scares. He draws all the sound out of his film so all you hear is the panicked breathes of our protagonists which is a really effective technique. He doesn't blast loud music to jolt you, rather he removes the sound so the anticipation before the scare is so much worse.
Visually, I thought “Oddity” looked amazing, and McCarthy's camerawork was classically stylised and impressive. It is a very dark film, with most of the scenes taking place during the night, but there is a warmth to the lighting due to all the wood used in the couple's home which feels rather old and cosy, the complete opposite of modern homes which are cold and shiny. I am sure that the wood of the house is used to complement the large wooden mannequin who sits terrifyingly motionless at the kitchen table. He is essentially a variation on the golem, which was a creature in Jewish mythology, made of clay that could be then manipulated by its creator to do its bidding. What is so impressive here though, is just how much dread this mannequin creates whilst doing absolutely nothing. His design, with his always gaping mouth (as if screaming), is the source of the fear, as this is one messed up looking creature.
As terrifying as “Oddity” is, there is no way that the film would work without the performances from Carolyn Bracken who plays both of the twin sisters, Dani and Darcy, and makes them two completely different people. I actually wasn't sure that it was the same actress playing them both initially, being they were so different. Bracken plays Dani as a normal, down to earth girl. Smart, intelligent, in love with her husband, and just an everyday girl. She plays Darcy completely different; she's kooky, a little creepy, trusts no-one, and has a sadness inside of her too. Besides being blind, she may also be a little mentally unstable too, as she believes in the unknown, spirits and all types of magical things. She is a lot darker than her sister and not at all inviting around other people. Director Damian McCarthy smartly has styled the sisters completely differently too, with Dani having the longer darker hair, and Darcy short white hair. The way Bracken speaks as Darcy is completely different too. On the other hand, I thought that Gwilym Lee, who plays Ted, was very disappointing in his role and was something of a wet blanket. He came across as an unsympathetic selfish sook.
The only other issue I had with “Oddity” was that I worked out exactly what was going on much earlier than it was explained, so in a way I was waiting for the film to catch up with me. That said, this only affects your initial watch of the film, and with as competently as “Oddity” has been put together, I am sure that I will revisit it multiple times because the journey is a good one here. While I say that I worked out the film's secrets early, I will say that it did surprise me in terms of one of the character's fates which I did not see coming at all.
Overall, “Oddity” was an excellent horror film that sees director Damian McCarthy improve on his craft after the very good “Caveat” (oh, and for fans of that film, there is a nice moment in “Oddity” when a certain mechanical rabbit shows up at Darcy's antique store). I cannot stress just how creepy and tense this film is, and how McCarthy is able to hold this tension for the entirety of the film. It isn't a particularly bloody or violent film, but it is definitely terrifying. Having the weirdness of the wooden mannequin involved just adds to this already great, but very odd film. I look forward to re-watching it with my horror-loving daughter soon, to see if she will get as much out of it as I did.
4 Stars.
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