Hokum (dir. Damian McCarthy)

by Jack Martin | Apr 29, 2026

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 107 mins

UK Distributor: Black Bear UK

UK Release Date: 1 May 2026

WHO’S IN HOKUM?

Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O’Connell, Michael Patric, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio, Ezra Carlisle, Mallory Adams

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Damian McCarthy (director, writer), Derek Dauchy, Mairtín de Barra, Julianne Forde, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider and Ruth Treacy (producers), Joseph Bishara (composer), Colm Hogan (cinematographer), Brian Philip Davis (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

An American writer (Scott) encounters a terrifying evil at a remote hotel in Ireland…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON HOKUM?

There’s a number of reasons to explain why ghost stories are among the most popular in horror cinema. It could be that tingling fear of an unseen entity lurking about in the dark, or even in plain sight. Or perhaps it’s the unsettling thought of a malevolent spirit seeking vengeance from beyond the grave. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s the abundance of messed-up visuals that few other horror subgenres can pull off.

With his latest feature Hokum, writer-director Damian McCarthy combines all these things and just a bit more into a ghost story of his own that emphasises why supernatural horror is, and will be for quite some time, one of the more effective types of scary movies. It may not necessarily do anything that rewrites the rulebook, and in some parts features its own brand of hokum, but it is an efficiently executed tale of spiritual scares that may just get under your skin.

The movie begins with reclusive American author Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) travelling to a remote hotel in Ireland, where he intends to take his mind off from finishing the increasingly bleak final chapters of his best-selling book series centred on a conquistador (played by Austin Amelio in a fantasy sequence that bookends the film), as well as to scatter the ashes of his late parents, who once visited that very location. There, he begins hearing stories of an ancient witch said to be trapped inside the hotel’s now-abandoned honeymoon suite, which particularly piques his interest after a staff member suddenly goes missing… although that may be less to do with the supposed witch and more with some of the shadier figures also occupying this establishment. Either way, there’s something unnerving lurking about, and Ohm might just bear witness to some horrifying evils by the end of his stay.

It has a lot of the ingredients you’d often find in a typical haunted house movie, from demonic beings suddenly appearing from nowhere to darkly lit rooms or hallways where the only source of light is a flickering lamp held by the protagonist. There are also jump-scares galore, most if not all of them accompanied by loud music stingers or sometimes (and arguably to much creepier effect) just left to silently linger in the background, and it even finds room to work in the classic fake-out dream sequence that often has little to do with the actual plot of the movie. But McCarthy is a strong enough filmmaker to use these familiar attributes with great care and respect, not just for the audience but also for the supernatural subgenre as a whole.

With those attributes, alongside Colm Hogan’s carefully constructed cinematography and Brian Philip Davis’s neatly paced editing, McCarthy builds an intense atmosphere where any and all scares feel earned from the sheer power of the surrounding darkness, all while refraining from a level of silliness that treats viewers with mindless contempt. The filmmaker also creates a genuine sense of intrigue within his narrative, introducing a neat little mystery surrounding this hotel with supporting characters who you initially enjoy spending some time with before things take a drastic turn, giving the audience an extra element to drive the story rather than just scare after scare. It’s enough for the viewer to want to see where exactly it’s all leading, and even when some areas are a bit underwhelming, they’re still executed with such ferocity that it still captures your full attention.

However, there are some aspects which cause Hokum to stumble upon re-entry. For instance, there’s the notion that Adam Scott’s Ohm is, at least when we first meet him, not a particularly pleasant protagonist, and that can make it difficult to get on board with his own emotional journey. Ohm is quite bitter throughout most of the movie, not to mention rude to those who are just having a simple conversation with him – even going so far as to physically assault the otherwise harmless individual – and, in that very typical Adam Scott way, treats everything with a sardonic undertone that makes him the kind of guy you’d wish would die early on in a slasher movie. The actor is very good in the movie, and sometimes even gets a good laugh from some of his restrained reactions, but being around his rather prickly (emphasis on “prick”) character is initially its own kind of horror film, enough to where certain developments that reveal his much more sensitive side seem rather inconsistent with who he’s been established as.

Also, while many of the scares are very well done and legitimately frightening, there’s one or two that cause one to question their logic within this universe. Without giving too much away (because the full design is too freaky to spoil in a review like this), there’s a humanoid rabbit that looks like if the Babadook fused with the bunny-suited Frank in Donnie Darko which pops up a few times for some of the film’s most memorable shots. But the fact that it’s originally established as some kind of children’s entertainer before it becomes a supernatural conduit immediately makes you start wondering what TV executive would okay this design to be put in front of a young audience, and you’ll be thinking more about that than actually being scared (which, in fairness, you still will be, since it is such a nightmarish image).

Luckily, there’s enough going for Hokum for it to work pretty well as a ghost story that benefits from solid filmmaking and intense atmosphere, even if it occasionally delivers a bit too much on its title.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Hokum is a very well-executed ghost story that sees filmmaker Damian McCarthy create a genuinely spooky atmosphere and a reasonably engaging central mystery, though the occasional leap in logic and a rather prickly protagonist make it difficult to fully lose oneself in the terror.