A single effective jolt scare may be the byproduct of luck, but multiple successful shock tactics are evidence of genuine talent. Such is the case with Oddity, which hits theaters July 19, a thriller that proves so adept at rattling the nerves that its quiet moments are almost unbearably tense. Writer/director Damian Mc Carthy demonstrates an impressive ability to keep viewers on their toes, conjuring a mood of oppressive menace that more than compensates for any minor narrative shortcomings. It’s a feature debut that portends big things for the up-and-coming filmmaker.
In rural County Cork, Ireland, Dani (Carolyn Bracken) is restoring an old castle (with a square courtyard in its center) into a home for herself and her husband Ted (Gwilym Lee), who works as a doctor at a nearby facility for criminally insane convicts. This abode is more or less the last place in which any sane person would want to spend time, and that impression is exacerbated by the fact that, during this renovation period, Dani is sleeping in a lantern-lit tent on the floor of the unfinished main entrance area. Compounding the generally creepy mood, cell service is weak, although Dani does manage to reach Ted, who agrees to her request to invite her sister Darcy to dinner the following evening.
Once off the phone, Dani plans to drive into town for a meal. That trip never materializes because, after leaving Darcy a voicemail (“We are connected”), she goes to her car and hears a strange noise. Retreating inside, Dani becomes convinced that someone is on the other side of her locked door. When she opens the sliding peephole, she’s greeted by a bearded man with two different colored eyes who warns her that, while she was at her vehicle, someone snuck into the house behind her. “They’re in there now!” he pleads.
