The name Damian McCarthy might not be widely familiar, but the Irish director has been carving a reputation for himself in the horror world over the last few years. His 2020 debut Caveat was a chiller, and 2024’s Oddity was lauded as one of the year’s best, and rightfully so. But with Hokum McCarthy has outsold and proven himself to be one of the genre’s most exciting contemporary voices. Taking on the recurrent themes of modern “elevated” horror – particularly its penchant for trauma manifesting as physical nightmares – and subtly twisting expectations by marrying these ideas with the more classic haunted hotel story, Hokum is a deceptively simple film that hides numerous layers of satire, commentary and intelligent meaning.
The film follows Ohm Bauman (the always-welcome Adam Scott), a part-time asshole and full-time writer who goes to the mysterious Bilberry Woods Hotel in Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes. Bauman is depressed, alcoholic and an unrepentant dick, which is something rarely seen in films and deployed to great effect here. As the film peels back the layers of his character, it manages to ramp up the audience’s sympathy and marry the story in perfectly with the film’s wider themes. At the hotel, Bauman meets the suspicious staff, including the owner Cob (Brendan Conroy), his son-in-law Mal (Peter Coonan), groundskeeper Fergal (Michael Patric), naive bellhop Alby (Will O’Connell) and kindly bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh). Bauman also overhears a story about a witch who lives in the woods and supposedly kidnaps children before taking them down to hell – cheery stuff, and definitely not foreshadowing anything to come. There is also a strange drifter, Jerry (David Wilmot) living in the woods and habitually taking magic mushrooms, which are sometimes stolen by the goats that live around the hotel.
My face when I realise I can’t just spend all my time watching horror films.
Soon after his arrival Bauman scatters the ashes and strikes up a bond with Fiona. That night she gets a strange feeling and decides to check in on his room – only to find him attempting suicide, and saves his life. Several weeks later, Bauman returns to the hotel to collect his belongings and finds, to his distress, that Fiona went missing shortly after saving him. He suspects it may have something to do with the mysteriously locked honeymoon suite, which is allegedly where the witch lives. Enlisting Jerry’s help, Bauman sneaks back into the hotel and accesses the suite, only to find – gasp! – a horrifying secret inside. This is where the film’s larger themes start to come into play, and a truth is revealed: the supernatural story and the main story of Hokum are not one and the same, but rather complementary stories intertwining. Throughout the events of the film Bauman also hallucinates his late mother, as well as Jack the Jackass, a horrifying children’s TV presenter that looks more like a Salad Fingers character than anything that should be shown on CBeebies. Bauman is facing a deep trauma from his past that has shaped him into the person he is today, and this trauma is determined to keep hold of him no matter what. Beyond this there is more commentary on male violence against women, gun control, paternal relationships, and so much more.
In fairness, I would say this guy is about as equivalently scary as Mr. Blobby.
My only real criticism is that it does get quite jumpscare-heavy, which I often find somewhat exhausting, but the film builds plenty of atmosphere on its own to justify utilising the scares. They are also generally well-done – I can’t abide cheap, derivative jumpscares in modern horror (call that Blumhouse trauma) but McCarthy has constructed some real screamers. Just be warned that this is a LOUD film, and it doesn’t hold back. The film is visually striking and utilised perfectly, and there are some real WTF moments that will haunt dreams and nightmares for weeks to come.
Ultimately, Hokum just proves that McCarthy’s career is on the up, and I suspect he will soon be a household name in the world of horror. It’s extremely cool to see a director from Ireland, which I would say is underrepresented in the film industry, and I really hope this film is a success. And frankly, if you put Adam Scott in anything I will be there – I have been in love with that man since Parks & Rec, and I do not see that changing anytime soon. Chuck some great horror, thoughtful social commentary and wacky visuals on top of that, and you have a surefire way into my heart. It isn’t hokum – this is the real deal.
Director: Damian McCarthy
Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, Will O’Connell, Florence Ordesh
Runtime: 107m
Certificate: 15
Country: Ireland
Images: Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Team Thrives, Spooky Pictures, Tailored Films, Cweature Features, Black Bear Pictures