Oddity review: Dread-inducing atmospheric horror film elicits full body chills

A patient from the asylum where your husband works shows up at your house in the middle of the night to warn you that a man slipped inside during the few moments you stepped out to retrieve something from your car, leaving your front door wide open like an invitation for anyone to use. He asks you to let him in so he can help defend you against the intruder, but you don't see anyone else inside. Do you let this stranger in, or take your chances that he's wrong or trying to trick you, that no one entered the house unbeknownst to you?

That's the dilemma Dani (Carolyn Bracken) faces in the opening scene of Oddity, a movie that repeatedly extracts horror from a simple premise. As a woman, Dani's problem is a particularly haunting one. What would I do if I were in that situation? I really don't know. Unfortunately for Dani, her choice results in her murder, supposedly at the hands of the patient, Olin Boole (Tadhg Murphy), who, in turn, is later found horrifically murdered at the hospital.

Dani's sister Darcy (also played by Bracken in a phenomenal dual performance), a blind psychic who runs an oddities shop, doesn't believe Olin killed her sister and thus comes to visit the house where Dani died to conduct her own investigation into her death, much to the annoyance of Dani's widowed husband Dr. Ted Timmis (Gwilym Lee), who has already moved on from his late wife with his new girlfriend Yana (Caroline Menton). Darcy doesn't come alone, either. No, she brings perhaps the creepiest companion possible—an eerie wooden mannequin with a gaping mouth.

Oddity comes from writer and director Damian Mc Carthy, whose previous film Caveat featured an equally freaky toy bunny. Here, Mc Carthy once again gets to experiment with folkloric horror combined with the tension that comes from the home invasion genre. Oddity is much more successful at what it sets out to do, keeping to a fairly simple idea that's exceuted with terrifying perfection.

Mc Carthy proves his prowess at building suspense here, expertly creating one of the most dread-inducing horror films I've seen this year, one that warrants full-body chills at several different moments and a couple of genuinely shocking jump scares. The only thing I can think to compare this movie to, in terms of its ambiance, is Mike Flanagan's Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, which also excelled at using its set to full effect.

Oddity induces the same kind of breath-stealing intensity that frays your nerves and keeps you riveted. I had a few crescent moon marks embedded in my cheek by the time I finished clutching my face in horror.

Whether you've seen Caveat or not, don't miss out on Oddity. A smaller release from IFC Films and Shudder, this one threatens to fly under the radar and I really hope it doesn't because it's one of the most acclaimed horror movies of the year for good reason.

While the film is currently available to rent or buy on demand, Oddity will start streaming on Shudder next Friday, September 27.