Notable Cast: Carolyn Bracken, Gwilym Lee, Tadhg Murphy,
Caroline Menton, Jonathan French, Steve Wall, Joe Rooney
Oddity is a film chock full of elements that could
easily go wrong. Despite a solid trailer and the backing of both Shudder and
IFC Films to validate its content, it’s just a film filled to the brim with
off-kilter aspects that, in the wrong hands, could immediately take the film
deep into the uncanny valley.
There are twins, a giant wooden monster doll, a psychic that
collects haunted objects, and one of the main characters is the doctor at a
mental illness facility. On paper, those could quickly go awry. I’ve seen a
handful of movies with just one of those things that careen a film off the
cliff and straight into unintentional comedy. I suppose that’s to be expected
with a title like Oddity.
Yet, through and through, writer and director Damian Mc
Carthy manages to breeze through the uncanny valley and straight into a film
showcasing what it means to ‘thread the needle.’ Oddity is slathered in
wild jump scares and terrifying tension. Its limited budget is a benefit in
crafting what might translate to a theatrical stage very efficiently as a
chamber horror, and the film creeps so cleverly into one’s psyche that it
lingers well after the credits roll. Not unlike Mc Carthy’s previous film, Caveat.