Back in 2020 Damian McCarthy gave the indie horror world goosebumps with his debut feature Caveat, a creeping Irish horror that seeped into your bones and sent a chill down your spine. Now, McCarthy is back with Oddity, another haunting classic in the making, tailor-made for fans of Tales From The Crypt, and anyone who loves a good murder mystery. Especially a good murder mystery with g-g-g-ghosts.
Oddity concerns blind psychic + oddities shop owner Darcy, investigating the sudden & violent death if her twin Dani. Both roles, in fact, are played by Carolyn Bracken (You Are Not My Mother) who absolutely knocks it out of the paranormal park. Her co-star (making his screen debut): a terrifying wooden doll! You see, Darcy isn’t quite satisfied with the police’s investigation into her sister’s death, and so, she invites herself into her brother-in-law’s new home/former murder scene to have a look around for herself. And she’s brought along a very unnerving life-sized wooden doll that she says will help her get to the bottom of what really happened to Dani.
“…a haunting classic in the making…”
Set almost entirely in one location, Oddity is a masterclass in scary storytelling, ratcheting up tension with just a single word or a grim glance. The story sucks you in immediately, and boogies like a freight train through this house of understated horrors. It’s a script that makes story and character it’s top priority and never misses an opportunity for a rock-solid scare. The atmosphere that envelops this chamber piece is pure dread from start to finish, and it’s definitely not the kind of movie you want to put on right before bed 😬
I’m sure you’ve been dodging those “Scariest Movie of The Year Bullets” fired straight at you from the marketing team behind Longlegs….but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Oddity is one of the scariest movies I’ve seen in 2024. Some of the year’s spookiest scenes are waiting for you in this quiet ‘n’ creepy slice of nightmare cinema. More impressive than that, its scariest moments are delivered through nothing more than dialog(!) or tiny little terrors that quietly overtake you like a dark cloud swallowing the sun.
Writer/director Damian McCarthy plays your fears like a conductor and with only two features (plus a handful of great shorts) under his belt, he’s poised to become one of the next great horror filmmakers working today. I love a good ghost story, and this is hands down, one of the creepier tales I’ve been told in recent memory. Watching Oddity feels like being afraid of the dark again.
Oddity is classic storytelling distilled down to its creepiest elements. It’s a simple story with a killer hook, really well told. You’ve heard “Keep It Simple, Stupid” before but McCarthy adds a little extra sweetener on top, making it “Keep It Simple, Stupid- And If Ya Can, Make It Hella Scary While You’re At It”.
“Watching Oddity feels like being afraid of the dark again.”
Damian McCarthy’s Oddity hits theatres July 19th! It’s also playing as part of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival, if you happen to be in the Montreal area and you want to see this chilling ghost story with one of the best damn audiences in the world. Click HERE to follow our continued coverage of the festival, and let us know what you thought of Oddity in the official Nightmare on Film Street Discord!
