I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — we are living in a golden age of horror movies. The 2024 movie schedule has been nothing short of spectacular, with films like First Omen, Late Night With The Devil, Longlegs, and The Substance leading the charge in a year packed with terrifying gems. But if you ask Mike Flanagan, the horror mastermind behind hits like The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall Of The House of Usher–all available to stream with a Netflix subscription–there’s one film that stands above the rest as one of the scariest of the year. That movie is Oddity, a chilling supernatural thriller with a 95% critical score, though you probably haven’t seen it. However, fret not because it just dropped on Shudder.
Oddity has already started making waves for its suspenseful storytelling and deeply unsettling atmosphere. Damian McCarthy’s follow-up to his 2021 breakout hit Caveat, this latest film is quickly being hailed as one of the scariest of the year — and Flanagan obviously agrees. In a recent post on his Letterboxd account, the Hush filmmaker didn’t hold back on his praise for the flick, writing:
Absolutely excellent. Damian Mc Carthy’s engrossing, terrifying follow-up to his atmospheric and chilling CAVEAT is a masterclass in dread, atmosphere, and tension. An arresting opening sequence involving a woman answering the door to an unsettling stranger blossoms into a tale of supernatural revenge, mournful spirits, and buried secrets.
That’s high praise coming from the Occulus director. The Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy may not yet be a household name in the horror genre, but his growing reputation is undeniable. His first feature film, Caveat, was widely praised for its eerie setting, earning McCarthy a dedicated following among genre fans. Oddity builds on the director’s strengths, continuing his signature blend of atmospheric dread and psychological suspense.
Oddity tells a dark and twisted story about a young woman, Dani, who is brutally murdered at the remote country house she and her husband, Ted, were renovating. At first, all fingers point to a patient from the local mental health facility where Ted works as a doctor. But just when it seems like the case is closed, the suspect turns up dead. Fast forward a year, and Dani’s blind twin sister, Darcy — a self-proclaimed psychic and avid collector of cursed objects — shows up unannounced on Ted’s doorstep, where he’s now living with his new girlfriend, Yana. Darcy is convinced her sister’s death wasn’t what it seemed, and she’s brought along the most dangerous items from her haunted collection to help settle the score. Things are about to get seriously creepy.
Flanagan’s admiration for the film only underscores McCarthy’s rising status as a director to watch. The Doctor Sleep director has a knack for discovering and promoting emerging horror talents, and his praise for Oddity could help elevate McCarthy’s work to a broader audience.
If you’re looking for a movie that will keep you up at night, Oddity might just be the perfect pick. With Mike Flanagan calling it one of the scariest films of the year, it’s safe to say this is one horror flick you don’t want to miss, and with a Shudder subscription, you don’t have to.
However, if it doesn’t sound like quite your style, don’t worry—plenty more spine-chilling movies are on the horizon. Be sure to check out our list of upcoming horror movies to see what’s creeping into a theater near you or the list of upcoming horror TV shows you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home!
As for Mike Flanagan, his next film is the upcoming Stephen King adaptation (though not a horror movie) The Life Of Chuck, which just found a distributor and will be released in theaters sometime in the 2025 movie release schedule.
