In theaters from November 28, you can be frightened by the film "Oddity," another shadowy hit in the horror genre by Irish director Damian McCarthy, who previously amazed audiences with his debut work "Caveat."

In a remote area of an Irish village, a young woman named Dani is murdered. Her husband Ted (Gwilym Lee) is the head doctor of the local psychiatric hospital. The prime suspect in the crime is a patient from this clinic, but after some time, he too is found with his head bashed in. A year later, Dani's twin sister Darcy (Carolyn Bracken plays both girls) arrives in the village. She has been blind since birth but possesses extrasensory abilities.

She brings with her in a trunk a creepy wooden doll (she has a whole collection of "cursed" items displayed in her shop), which she says can help determine the cause of her sister's death. Ted, who has already become infatuated with a new flame (the comedic Caroline Menton), is clearly displeased with Darcy's visit and tries every way to kick her out of the house. Darcy tells him that she has long known the killer's name. Ted is confused and frightened, and frightening things begin to happen in the house.

To begin with, the title "Oddity" in the film's header is in no way connected to James Wan's pentalogy about the misadventures of an unfortunate family man. It's simply more convenient for distributors to attract attention to a film whose original title is indeed unremarkable. In the original, it sounds like Oddity, and considering some plot twists and the main character (a sinister wooden effigy), it could be translated as "Scarecrow" or "Effigy." This is the second feature film by Irish director Damian McCarthy, who previously made the minimalist and claustrophobic horror "Caveat".

McCarthy's debut was so well-received by both critics and audiences that he immediately set to work on a new project, which he released only four years later. Given the straightforward (like the titles) plots of his films, full of spectacular jump scares, the author might well aim for a trilogy. Especially since there are connecting elements in the scripts of both films. Just like the aforementioned James Wan, with whose style (but not the title) the author definitely shares similarities.

While art or elevated horror, where authors focus on slowly building atmosphere and communicating with the audience through metaphors of social ills, basks in audience attention on screens, McCarthy, with the fervor of a passionate artist, does not reinvent the wheel but continues to revive old-fashioned horror. He prefers physical effects, chilling violins that send cold sweat down your spine, and is not shy about breathing new life into the ever-jumping-out-from-behind-the-corner macabre.

Sometimes this obsession with form greatly affects the plot, which McCarthy for the second time in a row mixes with a straightforward detective story about a banal murder for revenge or, as in the case of "Oddity," with a simple adultery. But for the blood-curdling and accelerated pulse when McCarthy abruptly rips off the bandage, immediately gets under the skin, and tries to reach the most subconscious, almost forgotten primal fears, much can be forgiven. Including the exploitation of simultaneously eerily comical and terrifying ghosts that seem to have migrated from "Tales from the Crypt" or "Creepshow" along with haunted houses where the wind always howls.

"Oddity" is a bundle of tension, dark humor, fright, and a simple detective intrigue. One way or another, even those who no longer remember why they didn't stick their foot out from under the blanket as a child and fell asleep with the light on will be scared a couple of times here. Because McCarthy's main goal is the viewer's mind, whose sleep, as is known, itself gives birth to monsters. The director just needs to point the way correctly.