Oddity (2024) Movie Review - 2024's Best Horror So Far
Welcome to Knockout Horror. In a year that has been marked by some fantastic horror movies and some titles that have received a tremendous amount of hype. There is one that is flying under the radar. Everyone is talking about MaXXXine, In a Violent Nature and Longlegs. But the one that everyone should be talking about is the movie we are looking at today. Damian Mc Carthy’s (Caveat) Oddity.
Following the story of Darcy (Carolyn Bracken), a blind medium who runs an antique curios shop. Oddity sees Darcy attempt to uncover the truth about the brutal murder of her sister using her psychic abilities. Even if that truth may just be too much to bear. This movie plays out as a fairly slow burn paranormal horror movie with a sizable helping of wit and some genuine scares.
Under The Radar
Falling under the IFC Films banner and launching on Shudder in September. Oddity is a somewhat underappreciated release. An extremely limited cinema run has kept this one fairly low profile. I, honestly, think, however, that we should be counting down the days until that is a thing of the past. Once this movie hits the mainstream, people are going to realise how great it is.
Of all the movies that Reddit, and similar communities, love to hype up. Be it Lovely, Dark and Deep, Talk to Me or Stopmotion. Oddity has all of the qualities that these movies lack and delivers on everything that they don’t deliver on. And that’s not to say that these movies are bad. It’s just that Oddity is a more complete horror movie.
Simple but Compelling
The story at the heart of Oddity is a fairly self contained one. Dr Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee) and his wife purchase an old house in need of renovation. Dani stays there at night to get on with it while her husband works lates. After an intruder enters the house, Dani is murdered.
A year or so later, Ted is still living in the house, now with his new girlfriend who is also experiencing bizarre goings on. Dani’s sister, Darci, decides to pay the pair an unexpected visit so that she can spend a night in the place where her sister died. Eventually hoping to use her abilities to learn more about what happened.
It’s pretty simple stuff and the bulk of the story takes place over one night. There is something of a non-linear element to the timeline and flashbacks are used to fill in the blanks. But, as I said, it is simple stuff and nothing particularly new.
It is obvious that Damian Mc Carthy wants to focus on getting the story right and not trying to do too much. Something which makes Oddity work incredibly well. There aren’t a million different threads to the plot. There aren’t a bunch of continuity issues and there aren’t a ton of plot holes. It is simple, self contained and very effective.
Atmospheric and Creepy
Oddity immerses you in atmosphere, almost like a camp fire ghost story. It’s eerie and legitimately unsettling. You are almost bathed in a sense of voyeurism. As if we are in the house with the characters and being watched by something hiding in every dark corner. When Darcy’s large wooden man, clearly based on the Jewish tale of Golems, makes an appearance, things get even stranger. With the scares coming in muted but incredibly effective ways.
Elements of traditional paranormal horror movies combine with some subtle jumps to keep you on edge. The story builds and we learn more about the sinister nature of what has taken place. Further begging your investment and making you even more pliable to the many clever ways in which Mc Carthy scares the pants off of you.
The strange thing is, there is nothing new here. It is, dare I say it, fairly tropey, almost throughout. You are seeing things you have seen millions of times before, in horror, but it is so well put together that you don’t even mind. Tropes aren’t a bad thing when they are executed this perfectly.
The atmosphere never lets up, throughout, and the story pushes forward in such a satisfactory manner that you stay completely engaged. Throw in a liberal dose of wit and a few laughs and you have a surprisingly refreshing horror movie. I should point out that the laughs never really get in the way of the story or the scares. Darcy is one of life’s wonderfully odd people and it is hard not to adore her. Humour just comes along with that oddness.
Technically Fantastic
Oddity is a gorgeous movie to look at. Mc Carthy knows how to get absolutely every drop of atmosphere out of a location and he does it here with remarkable consistency. Clever use of lighting keeps the shadows and dark corners as one of the most prominent features of the house. The bare stone walls feel cold to look at and provoke thoughts of just what secrets the house is hiding.
Throw in some fantastically creative camera angles and some wickedly smart setups for scares and you have a brilliantly directed movie. Pacing is perfect, there is virtually no downtime at all and the story elements are fed in at a well balanced clip.
Acting is excellent. Special mention has to go to Carolyn Bracken who plays both Darcy and her sister Dani. You may remember Bracken from You Are Not My Mother. She was fantastic in that and is even better here. She is entirely believable as someone who is just that little bit different. While also nailing every comical line with perfect timing and delivery. She forces you to buy into Darcy’s resolve and character. It’s a brilliant performance. Gwilym Lee does a decent job as Ted but I felt as though Caroline Menton struggled a bit as Yana. She still had some great chemistry with Bracken, however.
Worth Mentioning
Despite all the praise I can lavish on Oddity, there are still going to be plenty of people who are unsatisfied. It’s not particularly gory, it’s not action packed, it’s not full of scares and it is fairly slow paced. Oddity wants to bathe you in atmosphere, not scare the pants off of you with loud noises and scary looking monsters. It is likely that some of the humour may not land, for some people. Some may find that it gets in the way a little.
I should point out that the story here is entirely predictable. You will see the end coming from a mile off. You may even clock it within the first 10 minutes or so. I don’t think that is a huge problem because it is so well done but it does deserve pointing out. There are only so many stories to tell, in horror, and, when they are done right, I don’t mind hearing them again and again. Oddity definitely does its take on this very familiar story right so it is okay with me.
Should You Watch Oddity?
You should definitely watch Oddity at the first available opportunity. This is, for me, the best horror of 2024 and, actually, one of the better horror movies in years. Creepy, compelling, unrelentingly atmospheric, and just a little bit cheeky. Oddity is everything that a great horror movie should be. It’s a familiar story and quite predictable but it is done so well that it’s impossible to care. Acting is fantastic, particularly Carolyn Bracken, and the film is simply beautiful. On top of all that, it is tense and genuinely scary. A brilliant movie that deserves all the praise it is going to get.
