I Was Genuinely Creeped Out Watching This Unnerving Paranormal Horror Film

The paranormal and the horror mix together in

Oddity

, creating an authentically hair-raising experience that is as unsettling as it is terrifying. Not only does the horror film infuse its story with mystifying elements, but it injects it with domestic complications that make for an intriguing storyline. Written and directed by Damian Mc Carthy, Oddity had me at the edge of my seat, even in its most predictable moments.

Oddity sets up the story with Dani (Carolyn Bracken), who is busy setting up the new home she shares with psychiatrist husband Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee). It’s a rustic house outside an Irish town, but quickly turns eerie when Dani, alone one night, finds escaped psychiatric patient Olin Boole (Tadhg Murphy) at her door telling her to leave the house because someone’s inside. What happens next is a mystery, but a year later Dani is alleged to have been murdered by Olin, and Ted passes along his eye to Dani’s blind, clairvoyant twin sister, Darcy (Bracken in a double role).

Oddity Perfectly Blends The Paranormal & Horror

The film attempts to upend stereotypes about violent psychiatric patients and, for the most part, does just that. While Oddity toys with the idea that Olin killed Dani in cold blood, there’s more to the story that’s revealed over time, as Darcy pieces together what happened by touching items that once had skin contact with the deceased. Even when the mystery unveils the truth, there’s still more. Mc Carthy isn’t content with keeping things too straightforward, and it’s to the story’s benefit that things aren’t resolved even after the killer’s identity is revealed.

The blend of horror and paranormal is excellent, with Darcy’s clairvoyance — and the eerie clay-like creature she brings to the house — playing a big role in creeping us out. We never see the figure turn his head or move at first, but when Ted’s new girlfriend, Yana (Caroline Menton), looks down at him, I’m just as startled to see him staring up at her, his hollow eyes all the more noticeable in the stillness of the dark. Mc Carthy’s use of Dani’s camera is also spectacular and chilling, as characters look through it to see what their eyes may not.

The fact that the film is largely set inside the house is disturbing enough, honestly, especially as the terror escalates, and we don’t know where it’ll come from next. Dani’s ghost is occasionally seen, and the tension, more than anything, is dialed to 11. I feared for Darcy’s life the entire time, though she was more than capable of handling herself. Even when I correctly predicted what came next, Oddity still found ways to surprise. The horror film is so good at making us feel like we’re holding our breath the entire time, only releasing it when the credits roll.

Oddity Is Even Better With Carolyn Bracken

While the horror itself is gripping and disconcerting for most of the movie, the film’s strength lies in Bracken’s dual portrayals. As Dani, the actress is lively and ready for the next phase in her life. As Darcy, Bracken is wary and determined, slowly plotting as she learns the reality of what happened. Darcy has some bite to her interactions and the other characters are rightfully scared of her. Steve Wall’s Ivan, an orderly who works with Ted, is superbly creepy and his performance made my skin crawl. He doesn’t even say much, but his whole demeanor is unnerving.

Gwilym Lee’s Ted is aloof and hard to read, purposefully so, and Caroline Menton’s Yana is always one step away from a full-on eye roll, all while balancing her sense of fright of being in the house. Menton has the least to work with, but she’s properly annoyed and weirded out in every interaction. She has a very “I’m over it” attitude and it works. The actors’ performances work in tandem, amplifying the mystery and unease that permeates the film from start to finish.

The film’s violence is never too bloody or over-the-top. Mc Carthy reins in the horrors of the deaths, often by not showing the moment it happened. As an example, when Dani is killed by her assailant, the perspective shifts to just outside the tent. We’re bystanders to her murder, watching from the outside as it moves quickly to the aftermath. Oddity never even shows us her dead body, which is honestly a relief and somehow more terrifying because we’re left to our imaginations.

And although Oddity has its predictable beats, the paranormal horror is very much about the journey of the characters, and how someone’s horrific murder can come back to haunt every single person in some way or another — literally or otherwise. It’s compelling and held my attention from start to finish. The amount of times I genuinely gasped is enough to recommend it. It’s the perfect summer horror and one that will keep you on your toes.

Oddity is now playing in theaters. The film is 98 minutes long and rated R for some bloody images/gore and language.

Grieving her twin sister’s brutal murder, blind medium Darcy uses a wooden mannequin from her curio shop to uncover the truth. As she navigates the eerie world of the supernatural, Darcy must confront dark secrets and malevolent forces tied to her sister’s untimely death.

Pros

• The horror film is genuinely creepy and unsettling
• The cast amplifies the stakes of the story
• The film perfectly blends horror with the paranormal