Oddity is written and directed by Damian McCarthy. The film centers on a blind medium and curio shopkeeper who is still grieving the death of her twin sister a year prior. A wooden mannequin from her cabinet of curiosities becomes crucial to her quest to uncover the truth about her sister’s murder. Oddity had its premiere at SXSW 2024 where it actually won an award.

The film was one we were anticipating since we missed it at SXSW earlier this year, and we finally had a chance to check it out. Oddity is quite possibly one of the scariest films of the year after our initial watch. Damian McCarthy really knows how to craft some tension with scares that pay off. The aura is spooky, and the pacing is relentless when it comes to the horror. In Oddity you are constantly looking through the frame to see what’s lurking. McCarthy however doesn’t let you off easily and has you guessing as to what’s coming.

The film’s cast do a great job at really bringing you into the story and once it has you in its grasp it never let’s go. Carolyn Bracken stars as twin sisters Dani and Darcy. Carolyn’s performance playing two very different characters was the clear standout of the film. I was amazed that each of these sisters felt so different, but the same actress was playing both. The rest of the ensemble are also strong and are able to carry scenes on their own. In particular, Caroline Menton as Yana is able to evoke a great performance. Carolyn Bracken and Caroline Menton share my favorite scenes from the movie.

Oddity also has a great opening scene that really sets the tone for the rest of the movie. All of this is effortlessly done with minimal dialogue and characters. It truly all roots down primal fear of the unknown and darkness. The opening of course showcases that the scares in the film will be no joke. Oddity doesn’t rely on cheap scares and instead focuses on building tension and giving us some scary imagery. The darkness that surrounds the film also doesn’t let up even into its ending.

Of course, as you can tell, I really loved a lot about Oddity and there wasn’t much that bothered me. I do however believe that the film does ditch its mystery fairly quickly. I felt we then became a whole different movie, and one wasn’t as interesting compared to its first half. There aren’t any emotional connections to the characters so there isn’t much care as to what happens to them. As a whole though it is a great horror story with some great scares. It loses its allure in its third act and doesn’t really do a great job at making us care for characters. Oddity still however is a great horror film with some of the best scares all year.

We Give Oddity a 3.75/5.