Oddity
Written and Directed by Damian Mc Carthy
Starring Carolyn Bracken, Gwilym Lee, Caroline Menton, and Steve Wall
Run time 1 hour and 38 minutes
MPAA Rating R for language, some bloody images and gore
Opens in select theaters July 19

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport and Editor in Chief

“There’s nothing that can’t be explained…”

Do you believe in ghosts? I surely hope you do. If not, maybe filmmaker Damian Mc Carthy can convince you otherwise.

After the mysterious passing of her twin sister Dani (Carolyn Bracken), Darcy (also Carolyn Bracken) decides to do a bit investigating and confirms (as she expected) that death may only be the beginning. The opening scene of Oddity immediately lured me into this mystifying tale. Dani is rattling around in an isolated manor on a moonlit evening in Ireland. In seeing the tent that is pitched in the middle of the living room, it is surmised that the home is still in process. As she prepares to wind down for the night, she hears a threatening rap on the door. A mysterious figure on the other side notifies her that someone is in the house with her. What I loved about this predicament is that, within the first few minutes of the flick, the director is immediately placing the viewer in the shoes of its character. I could not help myself but ponder: Would I have opened the door? Unfortunately, Dani’s choice ends with her demise.

Flash forward to a year later, Dani’s husband Ted (Gwilym Lee) has moved on. The home is now complete, furnished with household items and even a new partner, Yana (Caroline Menton). Meanwhile, Darcy believes that there are still pieces of the puzzle missing in terms of her sister’s death. After an encounter with Ted at her antiquities and curiosity shop, he casually offers Darcy to drop by the house, given that it has been a year since the loss of Dani. Darcy is quite an intriguing personality. Her loss of eyesight seems to have gifted her with a clairvoyant sixth sense of sorts as she claims to be able to read things about objects just by grasping them. When we meet her, she is holding a bell of a former bellhop and regales Ted in a haunted tale (I loved this). The shop itself seems like a dream, brimming with fascinating items, including a disheveled, moth-eaten, horrific rabbit with drums - a call back to the director’s feature debut, Caveat. I was quite fond of Darcy’s style and demeanor. I found her shoplifting policy to be quite charming: if you choose to steal, it should be known that every item is cursed.

Darcy decides to take Ted up on the invitation to his abode. Prior to getting there, she has a hulking, peculiar trunk sent ahead. When she arrives, Ted and Yana are far from pleased. Sure, he invited her over but—not really and—it was never discussed further. In this film there are supernatural horrors and then there are the mundane everyday terrors such as an unexpected guest. It is learned that within the trunk is a handmade wooden mannequin that was gifted to the twins’ parents by a witchy friend for their wedding anniversary. This mannequin is not only a talking piece for the home, but is damn exquisite. Some may find the gaping mouth hole to be a distraction from its beauty, whereas I just see this as part of what makes the mannequin unique and special. Darcy felt it was only proper that she now gift it to Ted who, in my opinion, is extremely ungrateful.

Throughout the motion picture, I saw Ted as a somewhat lame Dana Scully - the special agent from from the hit television program, X-Files, who investigates the strange and unusual with her partner Fox Mulder. Much like Dana, Ted is all about the science and logic of things, refusing to be convinced that his wife could quite possibly be haunting the halls of his home. Unlike Dana, he is not cool and walks around with a stick up his butt, thinking he is better than everyone else. Sigh, I digress.

Of course, a good director such as Mc Carthy does not introduce a captivating, finely detailed wooden mannequin and not turn it into a spectacle. Mc Carthy’s sophmore picture, Oddity proves that he is skilled behind the camera and knows the fear that can be instilled through the art of showing and not telling. Oddity relies on more than jump scares to unsettle the viewer which, in my opinion, is the more frightening route. I also appreciate the swift pacing and runtime; no time is squandered and there are several moments that manage to leave an impact, including a harrowing death scene. I kinda wish that I would have watched this one in the theater instead of from home… don’t make the same mistake I did. Without a doubt, Oddity is meant to be seen in a darkened theater with as little distraction as possible. And I am not one for spoiling but I have to say… the ending, is such a treat.

Double Wooden Mannequin Feature Recommendation: If you want to continue the wooden mannequin watch party I recommend checking out The Fear on Tubi.