【AI前沿】Oddity is masterfully tense horror from the director of Hokum

EntertainmentColumnFilmOddity is masterfully tense horror from the director of HokumDamian McCarthy‚Äôs previous film delivers more cursed objects and unsettling isolation in the Irish countryside.Damian McCarthy‚Äôs previous film delivers more cursed objects and unsettling isolation in the Irish countryside.byTerrence O’BrienMay 17, 2026, 2:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.See our ethics statement.Kudos to the designer of that horrifying golem.Image: ShudderPart OfWhat we‚Äôre listening to, watching, and reading right now.see all updatesTerrence O’Brienis the Verge‚Äôs weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.Hokumrecently hit theaters, and it‚Äôs already outperforming box office expectations. If this Kubrick-referencing haunted hotel flick starringAdam Scottwas your introduction to director Damian McCarthy, do yourself a favor and go watch his previous film,Oddity.If you prefer to go in blind ‚Äî the ideal way to watch any movie ‚ÄîOddityis available to stream onHoopla,Kanopy,Hulu, andShudder.Warning: Spoilers ahead.LikeHokum,Odditytakes place in a sprawling Irish countryside location. They both traffic in similar kinds of scares ‚Äî cursed objects, the occult, isolation, dark corners, and sketchy men living outside the norms of society. They also both embrace magic and the supernatural, while making the true evil seemingly respectable men who victimize the women in their lives.Both were also made on extremely small budgets.Hokumcost just $5 million.Oddity‚Äôsbudget has proven harder to confirm, but I‚Äôve seen reports as low as $750,000. The result is a movie that‚Äôs gritty, extremely dark, and deploys its limited production budget smartly.A good chunk of the money was clearly spent on the wooden golem that is the centerpiece of the film. It is‚Ķ upsetting. Where most haunted items, monsters, or ghosts in horror movies lose their impact the more you look at them, the golem in Oddity remains disturbing and terrifying, no matter how long it‚Äôs on screen.Its intricately carved wrinkles, mouth frozen in a permanent scream, and hollow eyes are the stuff of nightmares. And the fact that it sits there, unmoving for almost the entire film, only adds to the discomfort. You‚Äôre forced to stare at it for a significant chunk of the 98-minute runtime, waiting for it to do something, anything. But mostly it just looks straight ahead, daring you to let down your guard for even a single second.McCarthy proves expert at building tension and atmosphere. While there are quite a few jump scares inOddity, they never feel cheap or gratuitous. It manages to lull you into a false sense of security almost every time, teasing that a scare might come, but only delivering it when you least expect it. Even on rewatch, even when I know exactly what is going to happen and when, several still make me flinch.At its core, this is a revenge film. But one with quite a few twists and turns. It follows Darcy Odello, a blind psychic seeking vengeance on those responsible for her twin sister Dani‚Äôs murder. What Darcy has uncovered is that the man accused of the murder is innocent, and that Ted‚Äôs (Dani‚Äôs widower) relationship with his new girlfriend, Yana, might not be so fresh after all.While the wooden horror that Darcy brings to Ted‚Äôs home and sits at his dining room table is the main scare, it‚Äôs not the only one. Along the way, Dani‚Äôs ghost makes repeated appearances, a cannibal feasts on a foot, oh, and it‚Äôs impossible to get any cell reception.It‚Äôs aremarkably efficientfilm that barely gives you a chance to breathe.Follow topics and authorsfrom this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O’BrienColumnEntertainmentFilmMovie ReviewMore in:What we‚Äôre listening to, watching, and reading right now.Ashnymph‚Äôs Childhood EP is exhilarating dance goth rockTerrence O’BrienMay 10Oh, hey, it‚Äôs Bandcamp Friday again.Terrence O’BrienMay 1XOXO has launched a full archive of the festival.Jay PetersApr 30Most PopularMost PopularMicrosoft starts canceling Claude Code licensesChatbots at the drive-thru are just the beginningMicrosoft is retiring Teams‚Äô Together ModeUniversity of Arizona students boo Eric Schmidt‚Äôs AI cheerleading during commencementHere are 40 of our favorite deals from REI‚Äôs massive Anniversary SaleThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to ourTermsandPrivacy Notice.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad