Hokum (2026)

​“Hokum” stars Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O’Connell, Michael Patric, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio.  Released on May 1, 2026, the film follows an author who discovers that the hotel he’s staying in is haunted.

The film was written and directed by Damian McCarthy, who also directed “Caveat” and “Oddity”.  When you’re traveling to a different country, it's important to have the best possible accommodation, whether a hotel or an Airbnb.  That means it has to exclude any shady conditions, provide a tidy environment and excellent customer service, and, most importantly, be ghost-free.  Unfortunately, this hotel from Ireland doesn’t exactly meet those criteria, particularly the latter, which spells bad news for those unaware of its nefarious truths.  Usually, we’d start the summer movie season with a blockbuster, notably the ones involving superheroes and from Disney.  But this year, I decided to commence the season with yet another horror film set to kick off the summer of terror, one that’s helmed by another promising filmmaker in the genre.  Does it provide the most terrifying service that's worth a five-star rating, or should audiences search for another hotel to stay in?  Let’s find out.

The story centers on Ohm Bauman (Scott), a writer struggling to write an epilogue for his novel.  This resulted in him traveling to a remote part of Ireland to clear his mind and spread his deceased parents’ ashes.  During the trip, he rents a room at an Irish inn for a few days.  However, unbeknownst to Ohm, the hotel he’s residing in includes a honeymoon suite that is haunted by a mysterious witch (Sioux Carroll) who preys upon its victims.  Even worse is that one of the hotel’s employees, a bartender named Fiona (Ordesh), has mysteriously gone missing.  While trying to find Fiona, Ohm is placed in a dire situation where he must escape with his life before he succumbs to the witch’s wrath. 

I couldn’t help but be curious about this movie, and it’s not just because it’s another horror film worthy of my attention.  It’s also because of the word of mouth that I’ve been hearing about it.  Yes, it looks like another straightforward haunted house horror movie we’ve seen countless times.  However, it also seems to be one of the examples that does this familiar premise justice, notably due to Damian McCarthy’s atmospheric vision and genre storytelling.  I was tempted to watch his previous film, “Oddity”, two years ago, but I didn’t get the chance because of life.  So, this marks my first exposure to McCarthy’s vision, which has been garnering massive attention following his previous projects.  After watching it for myself, I would agree that he deserves this type of recognition.

It is another slow-burning horror film that may not be for those looking for a fast-paced, scare-a-minute roller coaster.  However, “Hokum” is also another horror film that combines its basic tropes, thematic depth, and haunting folklore to deliver a creepy-as-hell, rewardingly unnerving experience from top to bottom.  On paper, it can be conceived as a basic “haunted house” movie in which a specific hotel room is reserved for a supernatural entity, complete with jump scares and atmospheric dread.  While that may be the case, it’s also a mystery film about the disappearance of a hotel employee and a drama exploring Ohm's traumatic past.  It’s basically three different movies in one gift basket to accommodate the audience’s stay at the creepy hotel.  While the mystery angle may not be as effective, it’s still engaging enough to accompany the other stronger aspects, even if the pacing can be a bit slow at times, notably for its first act.

Regarding the direction itself, Damian McCarthy is another filmmaker who understands the basics of the horror genre and gets them right.  It’s not just the entities themselves that are frightening.  I mean, just look at the design of the donkey-man-like individual and tell me that it'll make for a wonderful host in a children's program.  It’s also the surroundings and even the character moments that elevate the film’s nightmarish aura.  The atmospheric dread was sublime in highlighting the remoteness and discomfort of an abandoned suite, almost as if I were in the room myself, largely thanks to Colm Hogan’s nifty cinematography.  The way it was shot was pretty satisfying, with a blend of eeriness and beauty.  But more importantly, McCarthy is one of the few directors who can make a jump scare actually terrifying.  Instead of using jump scares frequently, McCarthy strategically placed them in moments that truly deserve their impact, particularly in scenes featuring the witch.  While these jump scares may be familiar from other horror films, they are executed in a way that feels natural rather than forced or annoying.  As a result, they evoke the same feeling you might experience when listening to a ghost story around a campfire.  You have the build-up filled with anticipation, and then BAM!  It gets you good despite knowing what’s coming.  Good luck falling asleep at night after hearing it.

In short, I was impressed by how McCarthy created a sense of creepiness in its Irish folklore while drawing on familiar elements of elevated horror movies.  But that’s not the only element I was impressed with, as he also makes for a solid storyteller in the horror genre.  His screenplay doesn’t offer much in its seemingly conventional narrative, showcasing the usual genre tropes we’ve come to expect.  However, it more than makes up for it by focusing more on its character depth rather than the frights themselves.  Amid its “haunted house” routine, “Hokum” is more of a therapeutic journey that explores the grief and guilt Ohm has suppressed after a traumatic childhood event.  You’ll despise Ohm’s ill-mannered, strict personality at first, but after seeing what he’s going through, you’ll eventually hope that he gets the closure he needs.  Ohm is another example of a character whose personality would make you want to throw a book at them, but is well-rounded enough to help you understand their unmannered behavior towards others.

For a character like Ohm, they needed a talented actor to effectively convey their engaging journey, and that’s Adam Scott.  Scott is best known for his comedy roles, but he has also been gaining recognition for performances across different genres, including horror.  “Hokum” is the latest movie that has Scott go from making audiences laugh to confronting a supernatural being and even depression.  The result is one of the better performances I’ve seen from him outside of comedy.  Ohm can be a butthead sometimes, but Adam Scott’s attention-grabbing performance helps make him into a tolerable butthead with trauma issues.  Peter Coonan was also decent as Mal, the desk clerk whom Ohm confronts during his stay.  I also enjoyed David Wilmot's performance as Jerry, which elevated the character’s role in Adam’s investigation.

Overall, “Hokum” is a pleasantly creepy, bleak, and surprisingly thoughtful “haunted house” experience that’s worth a stay at the eerie hotel.  Damian McCarthy effectively blends the film's fundamental genre tropes with his dreary, atmospheric vision and Irish folklore to deliver a supernatural horror film that’s unnerving and, more importantly, scary.  Of course, it isn’t without its compelling reflections on grief and trauma, which serve as an example of the genre’s blend of terror and thematic depth.  Its slow-burn approach leading up to its frights can be another test of patience for fans of fast-paced horror.  But once they get past that uneventful first night, they’ll likely find that their stay will be worth it, not just for the effective jump scares but also for the story itself.  Adam Scott delivered a rewarding performance as a struggling author haunted by his trauma, while Damian McCarthy impressed me with his eerily engaging vision and suitably written screenplay.  It’s more than enough for me to check out the director’s previous movie, “Oddity”, at some point.  Until then, consider me impressed with his craft for the horror genre.

B