Oddity Review: Is the New Horror Movie Really That Scary?

Damon Mc Carthy’s Oddity, which released in the USA on 19th July, 2024, is the director’s second major horror offering after 2020’s Caveat. The movie centers on the characters of Darcy and Ted, played by the likes of Carolyn Bracken and Gwilym Lee.

The former is found grieving after the murder of his wife, Dani, with one of his patients, Olin Boole, previously warning him that their house had been infiltrated. Olin is later convicted of the murder, but is himself found dead at his psychiatric ward, leading an intense paranormal adventure. Oddity has the following official synopsis:

“A psychic medium attempts to uncover the truth behind her sister's murder at the site of the crime.”

Ted eventually finds help in the form of Darcy, Dani’s twin sister who is a blind psychic medium, as the two attempt to get to the bottom of the murders.

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Oddity is Damon Mc Carthy’s second huge horror movie

The movie centers around Ted and Darcy, who purchase an old country house in a remote area. Ted himself is a psychiatrist at a mental asylum, and finds his wife brutally murdered after returning from a late shift. The narrative then shifts to a year later, as he continues to grieve his wife.

He is eventually helped by Dani, Darcy’s twin sister who has the ability to see the events surrounding personal objects by merely touching them, and runs a curiosities shop. She decides to use a range of paranormal objects in a bid to understand what happened to her sister.

The two discover a range of paranormal spirits in the country house, and determine that the spirit of a vengeful ghost took over Dani herself.

It belongs to a former bellhop who worked at the country house, which was once a hotel. This discovery eventually leads to a range of murders in the asylum as well, as the spirit is eventually revealed to be connected to a concierge bell that Darcy had eventually found in their home.

Regardless, Oddity throws plenty of jumpscares for the audience to be consistently terrified, and ends by setting up a sequel. The movie ends with Ted defiantly ringing the bell in question, after which he sits back, unaware that the ghost in question is standing directly behind him.

Oddity not only delivers a stunning plot with plenty of jumpscares, but it also includes a talented cast that does justice to the movie’s eerie setting. Furthermore, Carolyn Bracken stands out as the obvious star of the movie, as she delivers compelling performances as the two twin sisters.

The asylum and its plethora of characters add a bit of comic relief to the otherwise concerning watch, as the movie initially develops slowly, before delving into its wealth of horror. Furthermore, viewers might also be concerned that the wooden mannequin that Dani reveals is cursed as well, with the stone country house being the site where much of the movie takes place.

Oddity has an obvious paranormal tension to it right from the start, and it kicks off with a confused widower who is still struggling to come to terms with the sheer brutality of the murder of his wife. Delving into loss, tragedy, and then straight up concerning paranormal horror, Oddity is a genuine old-school horror that deserves its place as one of the most impressive horror flicks that have come out in recent years.

Mc Carthy, who previously showcased his paranormal talent and the ability to create a bonafide creepy narrative via Caveat, delivers an even better narrative which is combined with a stellar plot, and some superlative acting performances.

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Oddity is currently playing in theaters across the USA.