‘Oddity’ Is the Underrated 2024 Horror Movie That’s Perfect for Halloween

by

If you’re a horror fan looking for a genuinely creepy movie this Halloween, check out Oddity, an Irish film by Damian McCarthy (known for Caveat). While it came out in 2024, this independent movie didn’t get much promotion, but it’s quickly gained a reputation as one of the best horror films in recent years. It’s genuinely terrifying – in fact, the Science of Scare project even listed it among the scariest movies ever made!

At first glance, Oddity seems like a classic haunted-house story about a creepy, animated totem. But it’s really a story about a woman struggling with the loss of her twin sister. Filled with genuinely scary moments and chills, Oddity promises to frighten even seasoned horror fans this Halloween.

What Is ‘Oddity’ About?

As a horror fan, I recently checked out Oddity, a new Irish film from August 2024 written and directed by Damian McCarthy, and it really grabbed me right away. It’s a Shudder original, and it doesn’t mess around – the movie opens with a pretty brutal murder in a remote house. We see a young woman, Dani (played by Carolyn Bracken), killed in a really shocking scene. Her husband, Ted (Gwillym Lee), happens to be a psychiatrist, and one of his patients, Olin (Tadhg Murphy), quickly becomes a suspect. But things take another turn when Olin himself ends up dead not long after!

A year after the initial events, the story follows Dani’s twin sister, Darcy (also played by Bracken). Darcy is a blind psychic who runs an antique shop full of interesting objects. When Ted delivers Dani’s glass eye to Darcy, she senses something is wrong and travels to the rural house where her sister was killed. There, she encounters Ted’s new girlfriend, Yana (Caroline Menton), who starts to notice strange things happening with a wooden statue and finds herself disturbed by Dani’s ghost.

For those new to the story, it’s best to experience the surprises as they come. What really stands out about Oddity, aside from its genuinely unsettling and unpredictable final act, is how emotionally invested you become in Darcy’s journey. The golem, revealed through Darcy’s psychic powers and clues from Dani’s glass eye, proves to be both a misleading distraction and a genuine paranormal threat, ultimately hiding the real villain.

Why ‘Oddity’ Is the Perfect Halloween Horror Movie


IFC Films / Shudder

In a market flooded with unoriginal and lackluster horror remakes, Oddity stands out as a genuinely frightening and inventive film. Despite being made with a limited budget and a small team, Oddity excels through clever filmmaking and skillful execution. The film effectively uses darkness and confined settings to build intense, claustrophobic dread, steadily increasing the tension and suspense. Its unique story combined with classic horror techniques creates truly memorable scares, making it a perfect choice for Halloween viewing.

One of the strongest aspects of Oddity is definitely the incredible performance by Bracken, who plays both Dani and Darcy. With a small cast and an unusual story, the acting is key, and she delivers a believable performance throughout. This, along with the film’s classic horror elements, is a big reason why Oddity has received some of the best reviews of any horror movie released this year.

While maintaining its strongest scenes, Oddity has also been praised for its thought-provoking ending, which many feel was perfectly executed by McCarthy, providing a truly satisfying conclusion. At a time when many horror films struggle with their endings, Oddity actually improves as it progresses, leaving audiences both scared and with plenty to contemplate.

If you’re a fan of lesser-known European folk horror films – movies like All You Need is Death, You Are Not My Mother, Relic, Citadel, Without Name, or even the director’s previous work, Caveat – you won’t want to miss Oddity this Halloween. Those who enjoy thought-provoking horror, such as The Babadook, will find Oddity‘s deeper themes of grief, loss, and regret especially rewarding; it offers more than just cheap scares.

Where To Watch ‘Oddity’ This Halloween


IFC Films / Shudder

Horror fans have plenty of ways to watch Oddity this Halloween. You can stream it in HD on Hulu, or in 4K if you subscribe to Hulu with Disney+ or HBO Max. It’s also available in HD directly on AMC+ through either the AMC+ app or via Apple TV and Prime Video.

You can watch Oddity, a Shudder original, in HD directly on the Shudder streaming service. Shudder is also available through Apple TV and Prime Video, and Oddity can also be streamed on Philo.

Okay, so you don’t have a subscription to a streaming service? No problem! I was happy to discover you can actually watch Oddity for free on Hoopla and Kanopy. If you’d rather not sign up for anything at all, you can rent it in gorgeous 4K for just $3.99 on Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Google Play. Plex has it available to rent in 4K as well, but that one’s a little pricier at $5.99.

If you’d like to own Oddity, you have several choices. You can buy the digital version in 4K for $7.99 on Amazon and Fandango at Home. Apple TV offers the 4K digital version for $9.99. For physical copies, Barnes & Noble sells DVDs for $13.79 and Blu-rays for $15.59.

No matter your taste, Oddity is a film that delivers. It proves director Jonathan Batey isn’t a one-hit wonder after Caveat, and it offers genuinely scary moments that will likely disturb even seasoned horror viewers.

Read More

2025-11-01 01:19