I have an awkward relationship with horror. Give me slasher flicks, films with vampires, and the occasional paranormal haunting, but I don’t like nihilistic horror.
I don’t do well with demon sounds. I don’t deal with serious horror. I need a break. I need some dark humour to balance the fear.
In recent years, horror has been getting darker and darker and taking itself far too seriously. However, it is possible to make something genuinely terrifying and make us laugh at the same time.
Bantry filmmaker Damian McCarthy excels at this. His new film, Oddity, is his second feature, following his impressive 2021 debut, Caveat.
Filmed in Cork, Oddity sees Dani (Carolyn Bracken) settling into her new rural home. Her husband, Ted (Gwilym Lee), is a doctor at a local psychiatric hospital, leaving Dani to do most of the work on their new home.
One evening, as Ted is at work, Dani hears a knock on the door. It’s late and dark, and she hesitates to open it.
The visitor, Olin (Tadhg Murphy), is persistent. Despite her reluctance, she refuses to let him in, but he claims to have seen someone enter the house and pleads with her to come outside or allow him to go in and investigate.
Dani doesn’t believe Olin at first. Despite his warning, she wonders if it’s just her nerves when she hears the wooden stairs creak. But as Olin starts begging her to listen, she makes a decision. It’s the last thing she ever does. She is brutally murdered, and Olin gets the blame. Despite the accusations, Olin insists that someone else is responsible for the murder.
A year later, Ted seems to have overcome his grief and has brought his new girlfriend, Yana (Caroline Menton), into the house. Yana isn’t happy with the set-up. It’s not just that she’s living in Ted’s late wife’s house; she’s residing in the remote, rural house where Ted’s wife was murdered.
When Dani’s twin sister Darcy, also portrayed by Bracken, shows up at the house unannounced, Ted and Yana are caught off guard. He needs to go to work, and Yana has plans for an overnight trip to the city. They are hesitant to host a guest, especially one who is a constant reminder of Dani.
Turning Darcy away isn’t a viable option; she is visually impaired and uses it to her advantage.
Even though she is blind, she navigates her surroundings with confidence - not that she lets Ted and Yana see that.
She is a psychic who owns a curiosity shop. She firmly believes in the power of objects to convey a message and is determined to find out what happened to her sister because she doesn’t believe for one second that Olin killed her.
Darcy brings a life-sized wooden man, a family heirloom with an enigmatic purpose. This wooden man, with its eerie presence, seems to unsettle Ted and irritate Yana. But is its intention purely to disturb, or is there a more malevolent motive behind it?
As Ted becomes increasingly uncomfortable and slinks to work, leaving Yana to deal with Darcy, the story takes a spooky turn. I can’t reveal too much, it would spoil the horror element, but be prepared for a rollercoaster of twists and turns.
The wooden man figure plays a part, but it’s not the only creepy creature. Steve Wall plays someone who works with Ted, he adds another layer of unease. Are there supernatural forces at work, or are humans responsible for the things that go bump in the night?
Richly layered with nods to other horror genres, Oddity is one of the best horrors to come from Ireland in years, which is saying something because our wee island has become a hotbed of successful scary flicks.
Bracken does an excellent job playing two characters, particularly giving Darcy authority and autonomy despite her inability to see. McCarthy deserves praise for not using Darcy’s blindness as a vulnerability, but as a tool that leads her to the truth.
Oddity is a film that manages to be both spine-tingling and deeply unsettling, making it a must-see for true horror fans.
However, its unique blend of horror and humour also makes it accessible for those who may be new to the genre. Despite the many times I jumped and the genuine fear I experienced, I found myself smiling in the final moments.
After all the darkness, McCarthy leaves us with a super-creepy but funny visual. If you saw his debut, look out for his nod to that. If McCarthy keeps this pace up, we might have a new king of horror.
