Hokum is the latest horror flick from the up-and-coming Irish director Damian McCarthy, best known for tales such as Oddity and Caveat. It’s about Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott), a famous author who finds himself haunted by an evil and sinister entity upon returning to a lonely inn. He is in town to scatter his parents’ ashes, only to uncover many hidden and disturbing truths about himself.
Horror fans have eagerly been awaiting this one, with multiple promos and trailers being released to build up strong buzz, but does it deliver everything it promised? Or does it simply rely on a multitude of useless jumpscares and gimmicky VFX to scare the audience?
Most jumpscares are well-timed and work perfectly, partially due to the performances but mostly due to the rich writing that creates an ominous atmosphere that chokes you and binds you to your seat. The primary strength of the film lies in the sly psychological games it plays with the protagonist and the audience rather than relying on campy horror tropes with endless noise that disengages the viewer.
The performances elevate the plot significantly, with the lead, Adam Scott, carrying the emotional weight of the story in a way that feels raw and believable. The lonely chills of a cold and unwelcoming hotel in Ireland’s harshwinter works perfectly for a story written by director Damian McCarthy himself, making every creak, shadow, and silence feel threatening. McCarthy once again proves he understands that horror is often at its most effective when it is built on anticipation and slow buildup rather than immediate payoff and unrealistic situations.
What makes Hokum stand out from other conventional horror tales is its commitment to atmosphere and storytelling. The screenplay gradually peels back its layers to reveal deeper emotional themes surrounding guilt, grief and unresolved trauma. It is this emotional core that gives the horror more weight, making the scares feel meaningful rather than disposable.
However, Hokum is not without flaws. The pacing is slow for some viewers who typically expect constant tension from horror films, and some narrative beats are predictable once the mystery begins to unravel. Some plot points and characters are also left undeveloped, causing the narrative to have a stop-start flow which hinders the viewer from fully immersing themselves into the plot. But the claustrophia of an old haunted hotel is spooky enough to feel the chills throughout even when not much is moving forward in terms of story progression.
Overall, Hokum is a hauntingly effective folk horror tale that proves Damian McCarthy’s effectiveness as one of the emerging voices in modern horror. It is unsettling, intelligent, and deeply atmospheric that transports the viewer to Ireland’s most myseteriously haunted hotel.
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