The ‘best horror movie of the year’ with 100% Rotten Tomatoes score that's giving Longlegs a run for its money
If you're a fan of the fearsome side of cinema, you will have heard all about Longlegs over the last week or so.
The horror flick has been met by rave reviews since it was released on 12 July - but in this genre, positive reviews equate to people saying it's 'one of the most terrifying movies of the decade' that 'will make viewers sick to their stomachs'.
But for those who like that sort of thing, the movie starring Nicolas Cage is an instant classic.
The film follows an FBI agent, played by Maika Monroe, who is investigating a set of murders linked to a serial killer known as Longlegs - and as she looks closer into the mystery, everything points in a satanic direction.
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Fans of devilishly wicked storylines such as this ought to check out another film before they hand Longlegs the crown of horror's hottest flick though, according to movie buffs.
It might be a bit less flashy than Osgood Perkins' new release which was working with a production budget of just under $10million, but Irish writer-director Damian Mc Carthy still did an incredible job with Oddity.
Just take a look at it's 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes if you don't believe me.
Or, watching the trailer here will also do the trick:
Since premiering in March this year, the paranormal horror has been receiving positive reviews from critics who reckon it's a 'ferociously entertaining, beautifully orchestrated thrill ride' which really 'lives up to it's name'.
Oddity tells the story of a blind medium and curio shopkeeper, Darcy, who is still mourning the death of her twin sister, Dani, who was brutally murdered at the remote country house she was renovating with her husband a year prior.
She just isn't satisfied with the 'explanation' that a patient from a local mental health institution was responsible and embarks on a mission to uncover the truth - while armed with an array of haunted objects which Dani had collected.
I'm sure you can imagine where this is going, but expect the unexpected, as there's plenty of twists and turns too.
Starring the likes of Bohemian Rhapsody actor Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton and Steve Wall, it's certainly one to watch.
Oddity filmmaker Mc Carthy explained how he managed to work elements of slasher, supernatural, psychological, and folk horror together to create the perfect recipe for a strong plot line.
The Caveat director, from Cork, told RogerEbert.com: "I was just trying to find a way to mix together all these things that I love. Not to sound too pessimistic, but I do feel that, every time you make a film, it might be the last one you get to make. "With Oddity, I liked all of these scenes and liked all of these characters, and I liked that there was a bit of a slasher element to it, but I knew I didn't want to make it only as a slasher film.
"There's a big haunted-house side to supernatural horror, but I felt like I’d done that, so the challenge of the script was making all of these sub-genres somehow fit within one mystery, to create a type of whodunit.
"Luckily, it worked, or at least I have not heard anybody saying it’s too jarring. I did put the work in, while writing and designing Oddity to make all of these things go together."
Mc Carthy really did go the extra mile for the project and acquired a ton of the eerie props used in Oddity himself while trawling through antique shops - while the life-size wooden mannequin in the movie was specially built under his guide.
He said: "I’m a big fan of those old ‘doll comes to life’ films – Chucky in Child’s Play, Creepshow – but they’re always small. I thought it would be cool to have one that’s your size, that would be a force to reckon with if it did come alive."
Oddity premiered at South by Southwest back in March and managed to scoop the Audience Award in the Midnighter section of the festival, as well as the Audience Award for Feature Film at the Overlook Film Festival the next month.
It will be released in the US tomorrow (19 July), while it will premiere in the UK at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 16 August - although we don't know when it will be hitting cinemas yet.
So why don't you keep your eyes peeled instead of heading back to the pictures to watch Longlegs again, lads.
Topics: TV and Film, Ireland, Film, News, Rotten Tomatoes
Olivia Burke