After chilling horror fans with his 2020 supernatural feature debut Caveat, Damian Mc Carthy returned in 2024 with his eagerly anticipated sophomore release Oddity. The Irish film scene has been firing on all cylinders for some time, with releases such as Fréwaka, An Taibhse, and All You Need Is Death solidifying the unique and haunting stylings the Emerald Isle has to offer. Oddity is now available to own on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Shudder.
The film begins with Dani Odello-Timmis (Carolyn Bracken), the wife of psychiatrist Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee), deciding to stay the night in the remote farmhouse the couple are renovating. There, she is visited by Ted’s patient Olin Boole (Tadhg Murphy), who begs Dani to open the door to him and claims there is someone in the house with her. She does not heed his warning, and is later found savagely murdered. Olin is arrested for the crime, and he too is later found killed in the halfway house he is living in.
One year later, Ted visits Dani’s twin sister, blind clairvoyant Darcy Odello (also Bracken), in her cabinet of curiosities shop. They exchange pleasantries, and Ted idly suggests Darcy come and visit the now-completed farmhouse. She takes up his offer and arrives several days later, just as Ted is called to work. Ted asks his new girlfriend, Yana (Caroline Menton), to stay with Darcy, as well as the trunk that arrived days prior to her arrival carrying a sinister carved wooden mannequin. On the surface, it appears Darcy is visiting for an old catch-up, but she, of course, has ulterior motives. Darcy does not believe Olin killed Dani, and plans to channel her paranormal abilities to find out who did.
Mc Carthy embodies what Irish horror does better than no other – injecting a natural dark humour into a chilling narrative with terrifying results that throw the viewer off balance. The characters are naturally quick-witted and the comedic beats of Oddity are as satisfying as the scream-inducing scares. Coupled with the violently twisty plot and bizarre concept, this creates an edge-of-your-seat spectacle from start to finish. It’s rare we’re aligned with the supernatural in haunted house films, but Oddity subverts that, positioning viewers with Darcy and the spirits she communes with to seek answers. Despite this, the film’s unseen entities – and, of course, its horrific wooden antagonist – maintain their unpredictable and terrifying edge, with each jump scare well-earned and nightmare-inducing. With an almost unbearable sense of dread, Oddity is a triumphant comeback for Mc Carthy, who has cemented his status as a filmmaker destined to make great and ghoulish things.
Oddity is now available to own on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Shudder.
