HOKUM (2026)

 

Feel like being scared out of your wits? In the mood to go running out of the theater screaming at the top of your lungs? Have a hankering to be so psychologically damaged by a motion picture that you never leave your house again?

Well, keep looking for another movie, because Damian McCarthy's HOKUM isn't going to deliver any of those desired outcomes for you. Still, I have a feeling most horror fans are going to like this one. I saw it yesterday at my local monsterplex after reading a very favorable review, and I'm happy to give it an enthusiastic recommendation. HOKUM is an extremely clever, very original combination of ghost story, folklore horror and also a nice series of jump scares, all packaged in relentless darkness. The creepy factor hits the top of the scale. It was filmed on location in County Cork, Ireland by cinematographer Colm Hogan. There are scenes where the design and use of lighting remind me of David Lynch.

Adam Scott plays Ohm Bauman, an American writer of fiction, who comes to a remote hotel in the middle of the Irish woods for two reasons. First, he wants to distribute the ashes of his parents who had stayed at the hotel on their honeymoon. Second, he wants to finish a book and needs peace and quiet. The ashes aren't a problem. Peace and quiet? Forget it. He finds himself in an oppressive atmosphere, surrounded by weird people, and, oh yeah, there may be an ancient witch trapped in the bridal suite.

What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty. Mystery ensues. As does terror.

We soon learn that Adam is a rather acerbic, unlikeable gentleman who has a terrible secret in his past that eventually connects with the weirdness happening in the hotel. There are so many cool surprises and plot twists in the film and I'm not going to spoil any of them for you. This is one you need to check out for yourself. The movie lasts 107 minutes, not one of them wasted. There is also very little violence other than what's necessary for the story. It's not a slasher and there is no exploitation going on.

The director also made two other horror films: CAVEAT (2020) and ODDITY (2024), neither of which I've seen. But after seeing HOKUM, I want to check out this man's earlier work. I definitely plan to pick up this current film if it comes to home video.