‘Oddity’ Review: Damian Mc Carthy’s Mannequin Horror is Anything But Wooden | Chicago Critics Film Festival

Films that rely on jump scares are a controversial topic amongst horror fans. Some prefer them over the kinds of mood-based, slow paced “elevated” horror films, while others crave to be spooked by a loud noise or surprise reveal. Galaxy-brained horror buffs recognize that there is pleasure to be found in both, and when a film can mix them together, there’s nothing better. Oddity, the new Irish horror film from writer-director Damian Mc Carthy (2020’s Caveat), does just that. It has all the trappings of a modern, prestige psychological horror with enough yelp-in-your-seat moments to satisfy thrill-seekers. 

Set mostly in an absurdly spooky-looking house that appears to be converted from a medieval fortress, Oddity features an ensemble cast of characters, all of whom are equally victimized by the terrors found on the property. The home’s owners are Dani (Carolyn Bracken) and her husband, Dr. Ted Timmis (The Great’s Gwilym Lee). One night, while Dani is alone making renovations on the old house, a mysterious stranger (Tadhg Murphy) knocks on the door. He begs Dani to leave, telling her that he saw someone sneak into her home. The next day, Dani is found dead. A year later, Dani’s twin sister Darcy (also played by Bracken), a blind medium, reaches out to Ted in hopes of reuniting at the now-finished home in honor of Dani. She arrives, to the consternation of Ted’s new girlfriend Yana (Caroline Menton), with a strange trunk in tow. It holds a terrifying-looking wooden mannequin, modeled to look like a man with his mouth wide open in a scream (or perhaps a snarl). Yana finds herself alone with Darcy, and ghostly events start occurring which indicate that Dani’s soul may not be at peace after all.

The most obvious success of the film is just how scary it is. At just over 90 minutes, Oddity manages to cram frights of all kinds into its compact runtime. There are the aforementioned jump scares, which are thankfully rooted in the context of the scenes themselves. They don’t rely on cheap tricks like, say, a bird flying into a window, to invoke an instinctual fear reaction from the audience. This critic is an avid horror fan who can watch the scariest offering right before a peaceful night’s sleep, and there were several moments that not only had me leaping in my seat, but also (embarrassingly) yelping in shock. But it’s not all loud noises and quick cuts. The film takes its time with some sequences, stretching out the distance between scary moments in order to ramp up the tension. The screenplay’s ensemble-based structure allows for different characters to take the reins of the narrative at different points, meaning the film’s POV switches between people with varying abilities and power dynamics. This has the curious effect of democratizing the horror – everyone onscreen is capable of being the victim of terror, meaning the audience is never relieved from the fear of potentially experiencing a scare themselves. Even someone as clearly capable as Darcy gets her fair share of frights. The film also wisely uses her character’s blindness as a justification for having so much of the film cloaked in darkness. Although, blessedly, it’s never impossible to conceive exactly what’s happening on screen regardless of the light levels, unlike some modern horror films that rely on darkness to create mood at the expense of clarity.

The house is perfectly designed for maximum spookiness – it’s a strangely labyrinthine space, made up of sharp corners, balconies, and staircases galore. In other words, the perfect space for some true terror. And Mc Carthy’s camera makes excellent use of the set, switching up angles and perspectives to either obscure or reveal objects or people in the scariest way possible. And the mannequin that resides at the center of so much of the film’s horror is a truly terrifying thing to behold. Not since Annabelle’s big debut has an inanimate object been so instantly, iconically horrifying. 

Unfortunately, the specifics of the screenplay often take a backseat to the film’s focus on scares. Some moments, especially involving some big reveals later in the movie, are noticeably lacking in sense or reason, leading to some instances of seemingly-inadvertent humor. Particularly, some of the dialogue related to significant revelations in the film’s third act comes across as just plain silly, and it’s not completely clear if that’s the filmmaker’s intention. In addition, the film never delves into why exactly Ted wants to move into such a strange behemoth of a house, especially given that renovating it is a huge expense, as he himself admits. While instances like this (and others that can’t be revealed without major spoilers) are oddly undercooked, they don’t entirely distract from the effectiveness of the horror.

Bracken is given the absolute dream of any actor – the chance to play two entirely different people in the same project. Her characterizations of Dani and Darcy are utterly distinct and believable (thanks to a deceptive wig, I didn’t even notice they were played by the same actress right away, further underlining how clearly defined her dual portrayals are). She obviously spends less time as Dani, but still, she makes her a spunky and winning presence, further adding to the tragedy of her early death. And her Darcy is appropriately mysterious, almost to a comic degree. From her first appearance at the antique shop she owns (she offhandedly and hilariously mentions “Every item in here is cursed. Curses are lifted at the time of purchase.”) to her climactic scenes at the center of a supernatural reckoning, Bracken infuses Darcy with an energy that’s both intimidating and completely magnetic.

Oddity is exactly as the title indicates: the rare horror film with the trappings of the art house, but not above the frights of the multiplex. And just as all of the characters are at the mercy of the movie’s scares, no audience member is safe from the possibility of a startled outburst.

Grade: B+

This review is from the 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival.