Opening in theaters on May 1 is the new supernatural horror film ‘Hokum’, written and directed by director Damian McCarthy, and starring Adam Scott, David Wilmot, Peter Coonan, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O’Connell, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio.
4gOGuypNHFd7KANfudHSwInitial Thoughts
Between the two horror films out this month that both happen to be directed by Irish filmmakers, we know which one we prefer. ‘Hokum,’ the third feature from Damian McCarthy after ‘Oddity’ (2024) and ‘Caveat’ (2020), is the best horror movie we’ve seen so far this year, a slow-burn combination of folklore, mystery, and ghost story that oozes atmosphere and gives you goosebumps at every possible opportunity.
Set in a haunted hotel in a remote region of Ireland, peppered with truly shocking moments, suffocating darkness and eerie silences, ‘Hokum’ confirms that McCarthy is low-key becoming a modern master of the genre, while Adam Scott continues to establish his dramatic bona fides with a textured performance of a difficult lead character.
Story and Direction
‘Hokum’ begins, surprisingly, in a desert, as a bedraggled conquistador and a young boy search hopelessly for a treasure, the map to its location sealed in a bottle that there is only one way to open. We quickly learn, however, that this is the final scene in a new novel being written by Ohm Bauman (Scott), a successful author who nevertheless seems deeply haunted; he sits alone at his laptop in his empty, darkened house, and right from the first moment it’s made clear that apparitions from the past have found their way into his life.
Still unsure of his ending, Bauman heads to a remote part of Ireland with his parents’ ashes, intent on scattering them around a tree in the woods near the Bilberry Hotel, where they stayed for their honeymoon. The hotel itself is peppered with odd characters, from the bellhop who aspires to be a novelist himself to the owner who terrifies children with tales of a local witch to Jerry, a vagrant who lives in the woods and drinks a special concoction of goat’s milk and mushrooms because it opens his mind to whatever exists beyond our veil of reality.
While Ohm himself has trouble believing that, he soon learns that the hotel’s honeymoon suite has been closed for decades because, according to the employees, there is a witch trapped up there. And after two significant, tragic incidents – one involving Ohm himself, and the other the disappearance of someone in the hotel – events conspire to put Ohm on a path that will lead him into that suite and whatever secrets it holds.
‘Hokum’ is many things: a character study of a man deeply, almost irretrievably, burdened with guilt and loss; a murder mystery; and a folk horror tale steeped in the legends and history of the Irish countryside. There are points throughout the film where McCarthy seems to have a spot of trouble meshing those three narrative strands together into a cohesive whole, but he nevertheless forges right through those moments with his brilliant control of the film’s tone and atmosphere – from the bits of humor sprinkled throughout to the undeniably frightening mix of well-placed jump scares and quieter horror.
Working with production designer Til Frohlich and cinematographer Colm Hogan, McCarthy creates a palpable aura of decay and dread, particularly once the action moves into that terrible honeymoon suite. From the dim lighting to the little statues scattered around that seem to stare right through you, the room belongs right up there with Hill House, Bly, and the Overlook as one of the most viscerally unsettling locales ever shown on film.
But the filmmakers’ expertise extends beyond that room as well, making nearly every corner of the Bilberry terrifying in its own way and cranking up that terror as the story descends into the hotel’s long-unused basement. The imagery that McCarthy conjures up is genuinely skin-freezing, and he also doesn’t bother to explain much of it, letting the nightmare logic of the story do the heavy lifting as it should.
By the time ‘Hokum’ reaches its climax and then comes full circle with a poignant coda, you may well feel like you’ve watched something of a genre masterpiece, which never once loses sight of its humanity even as its characters face the inhuman and the inexplicable.
Cast and Performances
The cast is uniformly excellent in ‘Hokum,’ with each of the characters getting something to do even if some are not as well drawn as others (special mention to David Wilmot as the spaced-out but empathetic Jerry). But this is primarily Adam Scott’s show, and the ‘Severance’ star – who’s been moving gradually into more serious roles – grabs it head-on.
Ohm is not a likable person at first – he’s rude, dismissive, and insulting, and in one scene even intentionally burns the bellhop’s hand to make a point – but Scott does a lot with facial expressions, physical movements, and his line delivery, eventually allowing the audience into the character’s tortured psyche just as the character begins to find his humanity again. It’s a subtle but well-played arc, seasoned with Ohm’s genuine terror and desperation as his ordeal becomes graver.
Final Thoughts
If our only real criticism of ‘Hokum’ is that the movie tries to do a little too much, that’s still a compliment in a way. This is the kind of horror film we like best, with the right combination of genuine scares and jolts and proper attention paid to character development and mood.
If the year’s other horror offerings have been largely disappointing so far, ‘Hokum’ is here to save the day – and hopefully provide you with a few sleepless nights long after seeing it.
‘Hokum’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.
QiBBZihEWhat is the plot of ‘Hokum’?
When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance force him to confront dark corners of his past.
Who is in the cast of ‘Hokum’?
- Adam Scott as Ohm Bauman
- Peter Coonan as Mal
- David Wilmot as Jerry
- Florence Ordesh as Fiona
- Will O’Connell as Alby
- Michael Patric as Fergal
- Brendan Conroy as Cob
- Mallory Adams as Ohm’s Mother
- Ezra Carlisle as the Boy
- Austin Amelio as the Conquistador
Movies and TV Shows by Park Chan-wook
