Monday Movie Night at Hot Wax: Oddity (2024) and Caveat (2020)
Schedule
Mon, 16 Mar, 2026 at 08:00 pm to Tue, 17 Mar, 2026 at 01:00 am
UTC-04:00Location
Hot Wax Coffee Shop And Tap House | Tampa, FL
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Searching for a way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Then look no further than this week’s edition of Sacrilegious Cinema: Menagerie of Madness- where we delve into Irish horror films in honor of the holiday, familiarizing audiences with the rich folklore entrenched in the nation’s long history and enduring Mythos. This Monday, March 16th, pregame for St. Patrick’s Day with something other than the legendary Leprechaun franchise and immerse yourselves in authenticity straight from the source. This ghoulish pair not only shares a heritage, but also both writer and director Damian McCarthy, who is quickly making a name for himself in the genre with his first two efforts— and anticipation for his third entry ‘Hokum’ releasing this May. The aforementioned dyad reinvigorates the tried and true ghost tale whilst simultaneously standing solitary, offering an exercise in dread, exhibiting a slow burn approach to the scares. These films detail grief, vengeance, trauma, and restless spirits beneath abusive familial ties, lending a psychological slant rooted within the narrative. If McCarthy is not already on your radar, now is the time to change that. 🇮🇪 ☘️💚At 8PM, we take an excursion to Cork, Ireland where we follow blind psychic medium, Darcy, in her mission to uncover the truth surrounding her deceased twin Dani’s death. Having doubts the man suspected of her sister’s murder is the responsible party, Darcy ventures to the countryside to investigate further, utilizing her clairvoyance to determine the identity of the perpetrator. Accompanied by a collection of haunted objects- including an heirloom in the shape of a wooden golem, Darcy employs the preceding items as an instrument to avenge Dani’s demise. ODDITY (2024) permits a ghostly murder mystery, clouding the barriers between reality and the supernatural, intertwined in a plethora of twists and turns to unfold a gothic fairytale, teeming with tension and hemorrhaging atmosphere at the seams. Carolyn Bracken shines in a double role, portraying both twin sisters, while managing to infuse a sense of genuine separation and individuality in her depiction of the siblings without coming off cartoonish or relying on stereotypes seated on either side of the spectrum to guide her performance. Nevertheless, this film draws on Jungian notions of archetypes as well as duality and the idea of anima and animus, as expressed through the twins. Moreover, the collective unconscious aids Darcy’s second sight (with her blindness emerging as delightful dramatic irony), playing into Jung’s fascination with mysticism. Oddity deals in the uncanny, manifested through the varying cursed assortment of occult artifacts curated by Darcy herself. The running motif of eyes unveils the unseen, the golem behaving as a conduit for retribution while Darcy acts as a vessel for veracity to wield and weaponize judgement to the condemned. In many ways, this beautifully shot slice of Irish lore subverts the usual tropes associated with the genre, synchronously retaining elements crucial in stopping the material from feeling foreign from its origin. 🔮🛎️👁️🏯
Then, at 10PM, we stumble upon amnesiac transient Isaac in his prospect for a job opportunity babysitting his landlord’s troubled niece, Olga, on a secluded island for a few days. But there’s a catch— he must remain restrained inside a leather harness equipped with a chain for the duration of his stay, preventing him from gaining access to Olga’s room in order to assuage her intense paranoia of being attacked. Throughout Isaac’s visit, he begins putting pieces together with the restoration of his memory, as dark family secrets rise to the surface of the decrepit manor, muddying the waters on who to trust, ultimately placing him in a paralyzing predicament.
Damian McCarthy’s directorial debut CAVEAT (2020) practices simmering suspense throughout, evoking a foreboding ambience of claustrophobia amidst decaying walls holding hidden knowledge awaiting excavation. Steeped in symbolism, Caveat shows, doesn’t tell, to engulf viewers into Isaac’s anxiety, allowing the iconography to speak for itself. This eerie imagery remains especially relevant in the form of the rickety toy rabbit, working as an emblem of tainted innocence, as well as a magical totem in Irish mythology. Furthermore, circles appear at the forefront of Caveat, cluing audience members into the cyclical loop our characters are doomed to repeat, often denoting eternity in Irish esotericism. In this manner, Caveat explores isolation, entrapment, exploitation and payback, discovering not all ghosts are quite dead, metaphorically and literally. This account of woe creeps into the crevices of the psyche, efficiently producing a sinister whodunnit brimming with fright staining the recesses of the mind long after the picture comes to an end— all accomplished with a humble budget, proving it is more than possible to make the most of the minimalism for optimal anguish. 🐰⭕️⛓️💥🦊🏚️🛶
Come out to Hot Wax to bring in the festivities- whether you’re Irish or just pretend to be every March 17th- this is your chance to pay your respects and prepare on the eve of St. Patrick.😉 🐍🍀⛰️
No cover charge and FREE POPCORN with purchase. (In addition to psychological insight accompanied by behind the scenes information and observations by your horror hostess). 🍿🎞️🎥
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Where is it happening?
Hot Wax Coffee Shop And Tap House, 1522 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605-3704, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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