There was a time when the great bard, Julie Andrews, sang, “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things.” The lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II were vocal comfort food. The same might be said for Oddities, a new horror film where the writer-director, Tyler Savage, appears to follow the same instincts as the iconic song—this movie contains a few of his favorite things.
Oddities functions as a genre chameleon, hard shifting from a crime thriller into a backwoods survival horror and finishing off as a cosmic creature feature. What kind of movie does this want to be? Does it keep you on your toes, or lose you in the narrative’s chicane?
Rose is in a tough spot. She and her brother lost their mom in the past year and Rose’s self-destructive behaviour has sent her into a spiral. She is finding it hard to appreciate anything right now, even on her birthday. Her roommate, McKenna, thinks that what Rose needs is a night out on the town, blowing off some steam, blowing some candy up their noses, the usual. They need to restock so they go to a party where their dealer Justin and his flunkies, Eddie, Cyndi and Gunner live.
Justin gets too hands on with McKenna and she accidentally kills him in the following struggle. The two girls flee the scene in Justin’s car, unknown to them that he’s put his associates' entire drug stash in the trunk of his car. Trying to shake a cop car off their tail, the girls pull onto the property of an antique store run by Betty and her son, Francis. After the cop leaves the girls discover that beneath Betty’s folksy charm lies a devotion to a power bigger than them all and it could get the girls killed. Or worse, married.
Specifically, there are two standouts to talk about in this movie.
First is Lilimar—a Cuban-American actress and voice artist born in Venezuela (someone will have to explain to me how THAT works, being one thing when you are born somewhere else). Known by fans for their work as a model, then actress and voice actor with producers like Nickelodeon and Disney, they look to be trying to break away from the pre-teen and teen fare. This goes so far as even taking the look of self-destruction into wardrobe choices, grey sweatpants and a darker grey pullover, with blown out hair. This is them, looking as plain as can be, not what their fans may be used to, while their friend McKenna, played by Lovie Simone, looks a banger.
Then there is Adrienne Barbeau, who delivers one of her best performances in recent years. Based on his 2023 short film, horror legend Adrienne Barbeau was the only main cast member from the original short who returned to star in the 2026 feature-length expansion and was given something substantial to work with from Savage. She is not just a marquee name to add to your film package to drum up pre-sales at a market. It’s a cynical take on the employment of horror icons in today’s horror sphere, and there are so many details to factor into the addition of a horror icon to any film’s cast. Believe me, we talked amongst our peers about this before ‘putting pen to paper’ on this review. If you are as apprehensive as we are about the inclusion of Barbeau’s name in this project, you do not have to fear. This is easily one of the biggest and best roles the icon has had in recent years.
We also have to give a shout-out to Xander Berkeley, who shows up for a small role in the back half of the movie. He has been a great character actor over the years, and seeing him pop up here adds some extra welcome flavor to the cast.
The gore effects in the second act will satisfy gore hounds. On the other hand, the digital effects in the third act show their budget restraints. Anchored by that standout, wicked performance from Adrienne Barbeau, the film offers a turbulent and bloody ride despite a repetitive midsection (Barbara comments on Rose’s “fire” and spirit an awful lot here. We get it, Barbara, we get it.) and a divisive finale that rings of probably the greatest meta-horror of all time. A few of Savage’s favorite things, remember?
Oddities isn't trying to be all things to all people, but by smashing these different genres together, it picks a hyper-specific lane for each act and forces the audience to adjust. While those hard left turns into survival horror, then cosmic weirdness might alienate casual viewers, it remains a specialized mix for anyone looking for a niche ride.
If you are a fan of Adrienne Barbeau and want to see her act in a substantial horror role instead of just being used as a flashy cameo name to boost marketing sales, Oddities is worth checking out. Savage gives her some real material to chew on, and she turns in one of her best, most wicked performances in years. It gives the icon exactly what she deserves, making the ride worthwhile for her presence alone.