On the run from their murky past, two gal pals take refuge in a remote antiques store. When their self-destructive streak gets the better of Mack (Lovie Simone), the pair are thrown from the frying pan into the fire. Said fire is lit by the shop’s owner, played by Adrienne Barbeau, in what proves to be a gratifyingly meaty role for the genre legend. It’s up to the (relatively) level-headed but rebellious Rose (Lilimar) to navigate their way out of a situation which is darker and, yes, more odd, than either of them could have imagined.
Based on director Tyler Savage’s 2023 short, this horror thriller plays fast and loose with genre. It’s Hitchcock on cocaine – never letting up once the party gets started. Simone and Lilimar are well-paired as the best friends and roomies, constantly bringing out the worst in each other and bickering in a way that feels entirely natural no matter how weird the circumstances might get. To say much more than that would be to spoil the fun, and ruin a story that’s packed with surprises.
It’s no spoiler to say that Barbeau is great in it, in a way that ageing horror actresses are rarely allowed to be. She owns the film for every moment of her considerable screen time, turning the dial up on her brand of Southern hospitality until it goes well past the point of discomfort. Oddities works best when it’s letting these performances breathe – less so during the final act, which jettisons subtlety in favour of awkward exposition dumps and jarring shots of whichever of Chekov’s guns (or penknives) are most relevant at the time.
A playful, turbulent genre curio, Oddities is well worth the investment.
ODDITIES premiered at Tubi FrightFest on August 31, 2026.
