Oddity ending explained: Who really killed Dani?

Oddity, the latest horror movie written and directed by Damian Mc Carthy, was released in the United States on July 19, 2024. The official synopsis of the film reads:

“After Dani is brutally murdered, her blind occultist twin sister Darcy goes after those responsible using inherited haunted items as her tools of revenge.”

Just short of 100 minutes in runtime, Oddity is full of twists and turns, and its dark tone and mysterious atmosphere complement the horror element of the story. The ending of the movie answers some questions but also introduces several others, and this has given rise to speculations and theories among the audience.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers about the movie.

Darcy (Carolyn Bracken) is a blind occultist who comes to visit Ted (Gwilym Lee) and his new girlfriend Yana (Caroline Menton). One year ago, Darcy’s twin sister and former wife of Ted’s, Dani, died under mysterious circumstances. Though it was deemed an accident, Darcy has always thought there was more to it than met the eye. As the story progresses, several new facts come to light.

Towards the end of Oddity, it is revealed that Ted himself had planned the murder of his late wife, Dani. Also, though the final scene of the film ends ambiguously, it is implied that Ted meets his end at the hands of the bellboy.

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Oddity ending explained

A still from the film (Image via YouTube/IFC Films)

Darcy, blind in both her eyes and an occultist, runs the shop called Odello’s Oddities, where haunted objects are kept. She comes to visit Ted and Yana and brings a strange gift for them: an ugly wooden mannequin with supernatural powers.

Using this mannequin and her own psychic abilities, Darcy is able to solve the central puzzle of Oddity. She figures out that it was Ted who had planned the murder of his then-wife. He confesses the same when she confronts him.

Ted did it in order to remove Dani from his life since he wanted to start a new life with Yana. He did not opt for the simpler option of divorce for two reasons. Firstly, he thought Dani would not be able to move on from the separation since she loved him a lot. Secondly, he feared she would take his house with her.

Ted, the antagonist of Oddity, is a psychiatrist. It is gradually revealed that he hired a hospital orderly called Ivan to murder his wife. When it was done, the blame was put on Olin, a patient of the hospital who had just run away. In an interview given to The Direct on July 20, 2024, Director Mc Carthy explained:

“When you watch it on second view, Ted is clearly a very detached person. There's something very, very wrong with him. Yeah, just narratively, it felt it was always going to be him as I was writing the script.”

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Does Ted die in the end?

The wooden mannequin in Oddity (Image via IFC Films)

Ted visits Odello’s Oddities towards the beginning of the film where he learns the story of the bellboy. There is a mysterious bell that is supposed to contain the soul of a bellboy whose spirit shows up when the bell is rung. Upon appearing, the bellboy kills whoever rang the bell.

As Oddity is about to end, Ted receives a package that contains the bell. Ever skeptical of supernatural phenomena, he rings the bell. The viewer sees a mysterious figure in the frame as the final shot of the movie gives way to the credits.

Hence, it is safe to assume that Ted was killed by the bellboy at the end. Mc Carthy himself makes it clear in the interview as he stated:

"I like to think he's definitely dead. If the film were another 40 seconds long, maybe we'd see the bellboy tear him apart."

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The fate of Darcy

Since Darcy cannot see, Ted sets up a trapdoor for her. Seething with rage after figuring out what Ted did to Dani, and forgetting caution, she falls down from the trapdoor. Additionally, Ted sends Ivan to her so that the latter can finish the job.

Oddity makes sure that culprits do not escape without punishment. When Ivan comes to Darcy, the mysterious wooden mannequin comes to life and mounts a vicious attack on him. Though Ivan escapes the assault, he is left fearing for his life after this supernatural encounter.

As the mannequin is attacking Ivan, the face of Dani can be seen up above, as if her sister is calling down to her from heaven, asking Darcy to join her. At this moment, Darcy’s life comes to an end, and the wooden mannequin releases its grip on Ivan.

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Oddity was released in the US on July 19, 2024. It will be available for streaming on Shudder later on.