HOKUM
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Directed by Damian McCarthy and starring Adam Scott, is an atmospheric Irish folk-horror film that blends unsettling suspense with a meticulously crafted mystery. Critical responses have emphasized the film’s claustrophobic tension, exceptional sound design, and Scott’s performance as a deliberately unsympathetic protagonist. Nevertheless, some viewers have characterized the conclusion as disjointed and the narrative as unnecessarily convoluted.
Hokum is full of atmospheric dread and effectively earned jump scares. The film balances the tension of a haunted house with a "who-done-it" mystery.
On the flip side, the film's tone shifts between genres. The film shifts from a character study to a haunted hotel, then to a missing-person case, and finally to a locked-room thriller. The film can sometimes feel disjointed or overstuffed by the time it reaches the final act.
Adam Scott strays from his usual "nice guy" persona to play Ohm Bauman, a bitter, grieving novelist. He plays the character so well as a deeply broken, sarcastic character who wants to succeed in life. Hokum is set in a remote, rural Irish inn in October. The movie relies heavily on rich shadow, claustrophobic surroundings, and Irish folklore to build tension.
Hokum is a wonderfully creepy, suspenseful film. In some parts, the movie’s pacing may seem convoluted; sometimes it can be a "slow burn". The ending may appear to leave a few too many questions unanswered.
Hokum is full of atmospheric dread and effectively earned jump scares. The film balances the tension of a haunted house with a "who-done-it" mystery.
On the flip side, the film's tone shifts between genres. The film shifts from a character study to a haunted hotel, then to a missing-person case, and finally to a locked-room thriller. The film can sometimes feel disjointed or overstuffed by the time it reaches the final act.
Adam Scott strays from his usual "nice guy" persona to play Ohm Bauman, a bitter, grieving novelist. He plays the character so well as a deeply broken, sarcastic character who wants to succeed in life. Hokum is set in a remote, rural Irish inn in October. The movie relies heavily on rich shadow, claustrophobic surroundings, and Irish folklore to build tension.
Hokum is a wonderfully creepy, suspenseful film. In some parts, the movie’s pacing may seem convoluted; sometimes it can be a "slow burn". The ending may appear to leave a few too many questions unanswered.
Trivia
- To capture detailed close-up shots of the clock's miniature heads, the production created oversized versions of the props.
- The film's "rabbit people" continue a recurring motif in Damian McCarthy's work, inspired in part by his childhood fear of Watership Down (1978).
- The hotel bell seen at the beginning of the film is the same prop used in Damian McCarthy's Oddity (2024).
- "Hokum" is defined as "a device used (as by showmen) to evoke a desired audience response", or "pretentious nonsense."
* Trivia provided by IMDB.com.