Movie Review ~ Oddity

Is there anything more devious than turning an innocuous childhood toy into an object of pure terror?  That’s how we’ve wound up with dolls like Chucky (Child’s Play), Annabelle (born from The Conjuring universe into its own franchise), Fats (1978’s Magic), and a nameless Zuni fetish doll from 1975’s Trilogy of Terror haunting our nightmares.  When slashers, demons, and slimy creatures have been played out, a continued fascination with inanimate playthings coming to life will always fill the tank of most horror fans.
 
Now, creeping into this eerie trope is writer/director Damian Mc Carthy’s Oddity, a diabolically scary tale that breathes fresh life into the psychological horror genre.  Featuring blind psychics peering into the unknown and perhaps a supernatural element or two, I first encountered this chilling gem as a midnight screening at the Chicago Critics Film Festival in May after it snagged the Midnighter Audience award at SXSW in March.  Set to be one of the standout films in an already banner year for horror, this spine-tingler will have you clutching your armrests when you’re not covering your eyes.

Darcy (Carolyn Bracken, You Are Not My Mother) is a blind medium who runs a curiosity shop filled with items that supposedly have an ominous history. Her unique talent is being able to “see” the history of an object simply by touching it. When Dani, her twin (also played by Bracken), is murdered at the remote country estate she was renovating with her husband Ted (Gwilym Lee, Bohemian Rhapsody), Darcy’s devastation turns to her determination to find the killer.

A year after the killing, the case is closed when the only suspect (a patient at the nearby psychiatric hospital, where Ted is a doctor) turns up dead.  Ah, but that’s when the fun begins, and the mystery of what happened to Dani starts to unravel.  Armed with a large wooden mannequin she retrieved from her stash of cursed artifacts, Darcy arrives at the home Ted shares with his new girlfriend Yana (Caroline Menton), the same isolated manor home where Dani was violently killed.  Will the anniversary stir the shadows of the past, bringing secrets to the light?  Or is there an even bigger deception involving exacting revenge from beyond the grave?

Working with a small cast, Mc Carthy coaxes strong performances out of Lee, who brings a steady yet compelling complexity to Ted.  Is his relationship with Yana indicative of something sinister, or is it simply that the young widower is trying to move on while reserving his feelings on the loss for a more convenient time?  Menton’s superficial Yana is Mc Carthy’s comedic offering to the audience. It is a way to release some of the tension that builds up steadily as the movie winds and wends through an increasingly tricky narrative that requires your full attention.  In more minor but still critical roles that I can’t divulge too much about, Tadhg Murphy (Wrath of Man) and Steve Wall (Dune: Part Two) use their brief screen time for maximum effect.

Oddity belongs to Bracken, though, and to say she steals the show is putting it lightly.  Handling dual roles, Bracken takes a distinct approach to each character, separating their personalities so much that it’s easy to forget at first that it’s one actress inhabiting both roles.  Each twin responds to fear and being challenged differently, and the effect is mesmerizing, as is Bracken’s relentless motivation for the truth when playing the blind sibling.  Additionally, mediums onscreen can often be seen as kooky or ultra-serious, yet Bracken sidesteps cliché, opting to link Darcy’s supernatural gifts with her emotions.  The result is an unsettling journey into dread led by a smashing performance.

It’s proving to be an exceptional year for horror enthusiasts, and fans of Mc Carthy’s previous work, Caveat, will spot connective tissue linking Oddity to his earlier film.  His knack for building sustained suspense in small spaces and skilled manipulation of audience expectations are on display, elevated to new heights.  Occasionally, Mc Carthy moves into such a groove that he gets ahead of himself; sometimes, it requires more time to untangle the narrative’s logistical pieces.  Atmospheric tension and clever storytelling win out in the end, with taut scares (both times I’ve seen the film, I’ve levitated briefly out of my seat) and razor-sharp performances creating a deeper, richer experience.

Richard G. Mitchell’s plinky score perfectly complements the unnerving atmosphere and continually ramps up the suspense.  Meanwhile, production designer Lauren Kelly’s efficient use of mostly one location amplifies the claustrophobic tension, making every creak and shadow in the old house feel like a threat.  There appears to be a secret hidden in every nook, and eventually, the house turns into a character itself, providing another layer of deceit the characters have to work around.  Of course, the most memorable element of Oddity is the frightening wooden mannequin Darcy uses in her hunt for answers.  As it becomes a source of constant fear, the image of its lifeless eyes and open maw is sure to find you just as you are about to drift off to sleep, jolting you back awake.

With audiences packing houses last weekend for the premiere of Longlegs, I’m hoping the same crowd will turn up for Oddity.  It’s far less salacious and in your face, but it contains a more meaningful rollercoaster ride of scares that may leave you questioning what’s real and imagined.  As well as this will play at home, it demands to be seen in a theater full of genre fans and casual moviegoers alike, where their collective gasps and nervous laughter will create an electric atmosphere.  Don’t miss it – but please leave your wooden dolls at home.