Damian McCarthy’s SXSW audience award winnerOddity sees a blind medium (Carolyn Bracken) strike out for revenge after her twin sister is brutally murdered. A twisty midnight movie from Ireland that effectively balances jump scares and tension within its unique premise of otherworldly vengeance and recompense, Oddity dolls out its narrative breadcrumbs at a healthy pace, making for an frighteningly edge-of-your-seat foray into the world of the paranormal. A stoic wooden mannequin that’s just hanging out in most frames amplifies Oddity‘s crafty blend of suspense and WTF energy. McCarthy’s darkly-lit supernatural world flirts with the familiar – creaking hinges, patient shots down shadowy hallways, sudden apparitions – but is complemented by real style and narrative verve. The performances verge on B-movie camp but McCarthy’s sinuous, sinister work makes this dark fiction amply dreary nonetheless, resulting in a midnight fright-fest that’s sure to delight horror aficionados craving a good scare . (B)
[READ MORE: All of our coverage of the Seattle International Film Festival ’24.]
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By: Matt Oakes
Started blogging about film in college when the university paper wouldn’t have him. Dislikes your consensus film Twitter favorites. Devotee of horror movies that make him die a little inside. Catches films at festivals when he can. Proud SFCS and OFCS member and Tomatometer-approved critic. Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen Riot.
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