It’s about time to dig into the bizarre and bone-chilling world of Oddity. Directed by Damian Mc Carthy, you can Forget about traditional horror tropes; Oddity doesn’t just color outside the lines—it sets the damn page on fire. So grab your overpriced artisanal popcorn, turn off the lights, and let’s get this spooky show on the road.

So, we start with Dani (played by Carolyn Bracken, The Lodgers, You Are Not My Mother), who is minding her own business in a creaky old stone house in the middle of nowhere—classic horror setup, right? Wrong. Because within the first five minutes, a glass-eyed rando (Tadhg Murphy) shows up at her door, looking like he just crawled out of the worst acid trip of his life. He’s all frantic, warning Dani that someone snuck into the house. Now, Dani isn’t stupid, but she’s also not exactly savvy to the whole “don’t trust strangers with creepy glass eyes” rule. Spoiler alert: she dies that night, and we’re left wondering who—or what—the hell did it. Did she let the glass-eyed dude in who killed her or was, in fact, he telling the truth about an intruder?

Flash forward a year, and Dani’s widower Ted (Gwilym Lee) has moved on faster than a frat boy at a kegger, already shacked up with a new flame, Yana (Caroline Menton). Enter Dani’s blind twin sister, Darcy (also played by Bracken—double trouble, y’all!), who runs a curio shop full of cursed objects (including the rabbit from Mc Carthy’s last flick Caveat!) and decides she’s going to play detective with a side of mediumship. She shows up at the now-renovated house with a goddamn life-sized wooden man in tow. Yeah, you read that right. A wooden man. And not just any wooden man—a wooden man that looks like it’s seen some shit. This thing’s face is twisted in a scream, and you can bet your ass it’s up to no good.

If you thought Oddity was just about creepy puppets and haunted houses, think again. This film is layered, like an onion made of existential dread. Mc Carthy plays with themes of grief, betrayal, and the downright spookiness of family heirlooms that should’ve been burned instead of passed down. There’s a heavy dose of supernatural mystery mixed with good ol’ fashioned murder, making you question what’s real and what’s just batshit insane.

One recurring motif is the idea of seeing without seeing. Darcy, despite being blind, “sees” more than any of the other characters through her psychic abilities. Meanwhile, Ted, the rational doctor who supposedly sees everything clearly, is clueless about the real dangers lurking in his house. The glass eye, the wooden man, the mirrors—all these objects are about distorted perceptions and hidden truths. It’s like Mc Carthy is trying to tell us that what you see isn’t always what you get, which is some deep stuff for a movie that also has a wooden dude who might be alive.

Let’s get one thing straight—Damian Mc Carthy is goddamn brilliant. This guy doesn’t just understand horror; he respects it. His direction in Oddity is tight, purposeful, and unrelentingly suspenseful. He’s not here for cheap jump scares or lazy expository dialogue. No, McCarthy is all about atmosphere—he’s the king of making you squirm in your seat with just a flickering flashlight and a slightly ajar door. Every scene is crafted to make you feel like you’re one weird creak away from a heart attack.

The writing? Well, it’s a mixed bag. On one hand, the dialogue is sharp and the characters are compelling enough to keep you invested. While I personally have no real complaints, I can appreciate that one might think the plot gets tangled up in its own complexity. There are a number of threads to follow—cursed objects, family drama, ghostly apparitions—and while they all tie up neatly in the end, the journey there could be accused of being a bit convoluted. But hey, when you’re dealing with blind psychics and haunted wooden mannequins, things are bound to get a little messy.

Carolyn Bracken absolutely kills it as both Dani and Darcy. She pulls off the whole twin thing with such finesse that you almost forget it’s the same actress playing two roles. Dani is all about determination and grit, while Darcy is this weird mix of vulnerability and creepiness that makes you question if she’s the hero or just another part of the horror. It’s a fantastic performance that holds the whole film together.

Gwilym Lee as Ted? Let’s just say he’s convincingly slimy. He’s got that “I’m hiding something” vibe down pat, and you spend most of the movie waiting for him to slip up. Caroline Menton as Yana doesn’t get as much screen time, but she nails the “what the actual fuck is going on” reaction, which, let’s be real, is all of us watching this movie.

But the real star of the show? The wooden man. Paul McDonnell deserves all the awards. This thing doesn’t move—at least, for the most part—but it manages to be the scariest damn thing on screen. Every time the camera lingers on it, you just know something awful is about to happen, and when it doesn’t, that’s somehow even worse. It’s like Chekhov’s gun, except it’s a haunted puppet and you’re never sure when it’s going to go off.

If the acting and direction are the heart of Oddity, then the cinematography and sound design are the blood-pumping adrenaline straight into its veins. Colm Hogan’s camera work is lovely. He uses light and shadow to perfection, creating this claustrophobic sense of dread that just doesn’t let up. Whether it’s a narrow hallway bathed in eerie moonlight or a close-up of that goddamn wooden man’s face, every shot is meticulously framed to make you feel like something terrible is lurking just out of view.

And let’s not forget the sound. Aza Hand’s sound design is full of unsettling whispers, creaks, and groans that make the hair on your neck stand up. The music is sparse, which just makes the silences all the more deafening. There’s a moment where a camera shutter clicks in the dark, and I swear to God, I almost jumped out of my skin. Mc Carthy knows how to use sound to mess with your head, and he does it with a master’s touch.

Look, Oddity is the kind of horror movie that stays with you. It’s not just about the scares—though there are plenty of those—it’s about the atmosphere, the tension, and the way it makes you question what’s real. Mc Carthy’s ability to build dread is unparalleled, and he knows how to use every tool in the horror toolbox without relying on the usual cliches. The setting is perfect (though I wish the budget didn’t limit our ability to see more of it), the characters are intriguing, and the plot, while complicated, is satisfying in a twisted, “holy shit, what did I just watch” kind of way.

Plus, the wooden man. Seriously, if that thing doesn’t give you nightmares, you’re made of stronger stuff than I am.

As much as I love Oddity, it’s not without its flaws. There are moments where you’re not sure if you’re watching a horror movie or a ghostly soap opera, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it can be a bit jarring.

Also, the writing, as mentioned, is a tad convoluted. There are a few too many subplots and side characters that don’t really go anywhere, and at times it feels like McCarthy is trying to cram too much into the runtime. The film could have benefited from a bit of streamlining, focusing more on the core story of Dani, Darcy, and the haunted house.

At the end of the day, Oddity is a damn good horror film. It’s creepy, atmospheric, and just the right amount of weird. Mc Carthy proves once again that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what he does next. If you’re a fan of horror that doesn’t play by the rules, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself looking over your shoulder—or avoiding any life-sized wooden puppets you might come across. You know, just in case.