Hokum is directed by Damian McCarthy, and the cast includes Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O'Connell and Michael Patric.
TL;DR: A haunted inn story that turns into something deeper, with strong characters and real tension - definitely worth watching if you like horror with substance.
Story and Setup
I have been following Damien McCarthy since watching Caveat, and in particular I really liked Oddity, so was looking forward to watching Hokum, and it didn't disappoint me, and if you want a horror movie that isn’t just noise and cheap scares, and want a story you can actually latch onto, Hokum is the movie you want.
In the film, we have a writer that travels to Ireland, stays in a inn where there’s a locked room, and yes, there’s talk of a witch haunting the place, and no doubt you’ve heard that setup before, it's all pretty simple and could have easily collapsed into a pile of predictable moments,but this one doesn’t do that, as it actually slows down and builds something.
The main character, Ohm Bauman, is not exactly someone you will warm to right away either, as he’s kind of a jerk - distant, a bit smug, the kind of guy who probably thinks he’s the smartest person in every room, but the movie doesn’t rush to make him likable, as piece by piece, you start to understand why he’s like that.
He’s in Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes, and ends up staying at the inn they once visited, so of course, this being a horror movie, the place comes with baggage - there’s a honeymoon suite that’s permanently locked, and naturally, there are stories attached to it, and that’s where Fiona comes in, who works at the inn and tells him about the supposed witch tied to that room.
Then there’s Jerry, a guy who lives out of his car in the woods, looks like he hasn’t had a normal day in years, and yet he’s probably the most genuine person in the entire film, and his dynamic with Ohm is very natural, as they shouldn’t click, but they do.
Jerry also brings in one of the heavier subplots to the film, as he’s got a past that slowly comes out, including the fact that he killed his wife, which sounds horrible until you hear why.
Usually, when a horror film starts introducing a whole lineup of side characters, I start mentally preparing for half of them to be useless, but not here - the staff, the owner, even the smaller roles, they all feel like they belong, and no one is just standing around waiting to be part of a scare.
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What Worked Well
Hokum is a film that tries to juggle a lot, and mostly pulls it off - you’ve got the main ghost story tied to the writer, then there’s something more physical going on, something that feels less like a spirit and more like an actual threat, and the film also dips into Irish folklore territory, which is lot to pack into one story, especially in such a contained setting, but it never completely loses control, as it always finds its way back to the central thread.
Also, the movie actually has a sense of humor, but not in a way that undercuts the horror, just enough to keep things from getting too heavy, and there’s a running bit early on involving goats that got a genuine laugh - it sounds random, and it kind of is, but it worked in the moment.
The script is also tight without feeling stiff, the dialogue sounds like something people would actually say, and the story doesn’t wander even though it has a lot going on, but what I liked most is that the movie doesn’t hand you any easy answers - there’s this ongoing idea about what’s real and what isn’t, where Ohm doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but other characters do, and the film never fully picks a side, so it just shows you everything and lets you decide where you land.
That ambiguity could have been annoying if handled badly, but here it adds to the experience, as it keeps you thinking about it throughout, which is more than I can say for most horror films that just dump everything out in the final ten minutes and call it a day.
The setting also deserves a mention because this place is certainly not just background decoration, because you feel the quietness gets heavier, and everything starts to feel slightly wrong the lonfer it goes on, so that slow shift is where the film does some of its best work, until you realize you’re paying attention to every little sound and movement.
I also liked the fact the scares are spaced out, timed properly, and usually backed by a solid build-up, so you’re not just being blasted with noise for the sake of it, as there’s an effort to earn those moments, and when it works, it really works.
Final Thoughts
Hokum is a film that respects the audience - it's smart, it's tense, it builds its story, it's gives you characters worth caring about, and doesn’t rely on cheap tricks to keep your attention.
I really liked Hokum a lot.