Hokum

Day to day, Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is a successful novelist, but behind closed doors, he carries a sadness and a darkness, haunted by the trauma of his mother’s murder when he was a child. Upon the passing of his father, he travels to rural Ireland to scatter their ashes at the hotel where they honeymooned many years before, but the picturesque haven Ohm had imagined turns out to be a little more sinister than he thought. Haunting tales of the honeymoon suite in the hotel capture Ohm’s attention, but soon these tales become a terrifying reality for him and the hotel workers.

When you have Adam Scott and a spooky hotel set in the woodlands of Ireland, what more do you need for a horror? Haunted house movies are undeniably a classic and dated trope, but as per with director Damian McCarthy’s previous works, there is an injection of Irish folklore into this screenplay, and this adds a particularly welcome, refreshing and chilling element to the drama.

Scott adds another string to his bow that already includes a mastery of comedy and, more recently, psychological thriller with Severance, taking on the immensely unlikeable lead character and doing a really good job in the process. It is clearly a purposeful choice to make Ohm so unbearable in the first act of the movie, to the extent that you feel detached from him, but this choice makes his redemption arc all the stronger.

The film doesn’t rely on an endless string of jump scares to keep you glued to your chair; instead delivering a stylish and clinical piece of cinema, with no fat and a clear intention in its direction and narrative. Hokum harnesses the core tenets of a horror story but displays it with an arthouse edge, something that will make it popular across a wide range of audiences. Another simple joy and something that the director himself confesses to is that the movie never truly takes itself too seriously. There is even a fine sprinkling of comedy to lighten even the darkest of corners, excellently anchored by Scott and the wider cast.

Aside from being a supernatural hair-raiser, Hokum is a compelling story of human tragedy. For Scott and McCarthy, the movie can be classed as a triumph both on and behind the camera, only doing good to their reputations and credibility. Most importantly, the feature will satisfy lovers of horror and those willing to dip their toe into the genre without fear of being truly terrified.