After the brutal murder of her twin sister, a blind occultist seeks revenge on those responsible by using haunted items as her tools. A film by Damian McCarthy, starring Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Johnny French, and Steve Wall.

Dani (Carolyn Bracken) and her psychiatrist husband, Dr. Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee), have just purchased a secluded, expansive country house. While Ted is busy working at the hospital, Dani has taken on the renovation of the interior all by herself.

She plans to work late and has even set up a small tent near the entrance to sleep in. Following her twin sister Darcy’s suggestion, she’s also set up a camera to take periodic photographs.

The house is so far from town that it doesn’t have any cell reception. However, Dani discovers a spot at the end of the second-floor walkway where she can get a signal. She calls Ted, who is surprised to hear from her, as he thought there was no cell reception at the country house and assumed she was at their home in town.

Dani asks if he could invite her sister Darcy over for dinner tomorrow evening, expressing her concern for her. After hanging up, Dani tries to call Darcy, but her call goes straight to voicemail. She leaves a message that simply says, “Hey, guess what. We are connected.”

Later that night, Dani realizes her phone is missing and starts searching for it around the house with a flashlight, as it seems there’s no electricity. After checking inside and not finding it, she steps outside to look in her car, but it’s nowhere to be found. Suddenly, she hears a strange noise that frightens her, prompting her to rush back inside and lock the door. As she does, she hears the door creak, as if someone is trying to open it. Dani slides open the speakeasy window on the front door to see who’s outside and is startled when a stranger with one glass eye appears, asking her to open the door.

Dani asks the stranger what he wants. He claims he’s been watching her and noticed that when she went outside to get something from her car, someone slipped into her house through the door she left open. Dani grows suspicious, unsure if he’s telling the truth or trying to deceive her. She tells him her husband will be home soon. The man replies that Dr. Timmis works nights. Dani becomes terrified, realizing that the stranger is one of her husband’s patients. Moments later, Dani is brutally killed. The man with the glass eye becomes the prime suspect, named Olin Boole. He is arrested and charged with murder.

Later, Declan (Johnny French), a psychiatric patient, stumbles upon the body of another patient whose head is smashed beyond recognition. He picks up something from the pool of blood and flesh: it’s Olin Boole’s glass eye.

A week prior to Dani’s death anniversary, Ted visits Darcy at her antique shop, Odello Oddities, which she inherited from her mother. Ted notices Darcy holding a bell and asks her about it. She explains that she recently acquired a bell believed to be haunted by a bellboy who was accidentally killed. Darcy claims that the last two people who rang this bell were found dead, presumably victims of the vengeful spirit of the dead bellboy. Ted hands her Olin Boole’s glass eye, which she had personally requested but never found on Boole’s body the night he was killed. He tells her it was discovered among the personal belongings of Declan Barrett, who died last week from a heart attack.

Before Ted leaves, Darcy asks if he could come by again for a bite to eat and a chat, reminding him that next week marks a year since Dani’s tragic death. Ted mentions that he and his new girlfriend, Yana (Caroline Menton), are now living in the country house. Sensing that Darcy is a bit shocked by how quickly he has moved on, he invites her to visit them at the country house instead. Afterward, Darcy returns to her apartment and touches Olin Boole’s glass eye, which reveals the truth about her twin sister’s murder.

Written and directed by Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy, ODDITY is a unique supernatural thriller with a compelling narrative, stellar performances, and unsettling cinematography. It’s fascinating that this film was shot in the same converted barn as McCarthy’s debut film, CAVEAT.

Carolyn Bracken delivers an outstanding performance as twin sisters Dani Timmins and Darcy Odello, who never share the screen. They both have totally different appearances and personalities, yet Bracken portrays them both brilliantly, making me believe that they’re twins who are spiritually connected. The rest of the cast also plays their parts really well, particularly Gwilym Lee.

I love how the story unfolds, even though a few flashback scenes feel a bit unnecessary. McCarthy’s screenplay cleverly plays with our expectations, almost as if he knows exactly what the audience wants. He defies the typical ending with an unexpected final scene that perfectly fits the film’s title. 

ODDITY premiered at SXSW on 8 March 2024. It received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 19 July 2024. The film is also scheduled for theatrical release in the United Kingdom on 30 August.

Father’s shop in Bantry inspired a love of horror films
West Cork filmmaker Damian McCarthy’s father ran a shop in Bantry, John McCarthy Electrical, in the 1980s, which included a video rental business. It was here that the filmmaker’s love for horror was first honed, and he first explored the idea of making his own films.

‘ODDITY’ Director Created a Festival Favorite by Collecting a Treasure Trove of Haunted Items
Horror director Damian McCarthy enjoys the dusty, the lived-in, the tactile. He shot his first film, “Caveat,” and his buzzy new second feature, “Oddity” in a spacious converted barn in his native Ireland, and every nook and cranny bounces light like a real-life, if slightly dingy, manor.

Gwilym Lee & Carolyn Bracken Discuss ODDITY
One of the excellent aspects of Oddity stems from its setting. Bracken’s character owns a shop of “oddities,” which opens the door for anthology-style tales tied together by the shop. Lee also finds himself in a precarious situation late in Oddity, which could result in its own spin-off.