Hokum If You Got ’Em: Adam Scott Goes Full Horror
- Lana Stewart Harrington
- May 7
- 4 min read
Lately, I’ve sensed that something is missing in my life. Am I choosing the wrong books or shows? Do I need to embark on a spiritual journey? I couldn’t quite identify what it was.
One gloomy day, I decided to go to the theater to see Damian McCarthy’s newest film, Hokum, and suddenly realized I needed a classic ghost story to truly satisfy my craving, as Stephen King says, to "feed the alligators.” And the gators were absolutely fed, my friends!
If you are a fan of McCarthy, you will know he likes to use one-word titles for his movies that relate to the story. “Hokum” is defined as “false or irrelevant material introduced into a speech, essay, etc., in order to arouse interest, excitement, or amusement.” You will see how this word is used by the main character, Ohm Bauman, played by Adam Scott, to describe such a ghost story told by the hotel staff at an Irish inn he stays at in the film.
The movie follows Ohm, a successful writer working on the final book of a trilogy, as he travels to the Irish countryside, where his deceased parents stayed during their honeymoon. He brings their ashes to be scattered and drinks to excess while talking with the staff and learning more about the hotel’s history. One staff member in particular is Fiona (Florence Ordesh), whom Ohm comes to know a little despite his harsh, unpleasant demeanor.
She goes missing, and Jerry, the local homeless man living in the woods, suspects she might have headed to the locked, abandoned honeymoon suite. Legend says the hotel owner has “trapped” a ghostly witch there, and it is off-limits.
And I’ll let you use your imagination and figure out what comes next.
That only skims the surface of McCarthy’s original tale. What I love about his films, including Caveat and Oddity, is that the narrative is like a layered onion: you peel back layer after layer, each building within the story, and it all comes together at the end. Brilliant storytelling, if you ask me! It’s a dose of mystery added to the horror that makes his films rich with fully fleshed-out characters you care about.
Not to mention, the atmosphere is absolutely pristine. Hokum is like The Shining and 1408 had a baby, with a sprinkling of The Twilight Zone. This is set around Halloween, so there are several pumpkins and squashes carved and lit with candles around the inn. The interior of the inn is dim, not on the level of the Overlook Hotel, but the same kind of old interior with flickering lights and old rugs. The decor of the inn rooms seems like it could come alive like the pieces in 1408. I thought the alarm clock would start to play “We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters.
And if you’ve seen the promotional material for Hokum, you’ve most likely seen the rabbit-looking man with big eyes. That’s where The Twilight Zone vibes come in.
The casting was perfection. I would have loved this film even if Adam Scott wasn’t the lead, but the fact that he was is the cherry on top. I am a massive Severance head, so I was over the moon to learn Scott was going to be in a horror movie. I’ve seen comments on Letterboxd about Mark’s outie having a bad vacation, and that brings me so much joy.
Scott is wonderful as Ohm, and is reminiscent of his outie character on Severance: depressed, cynical, with a dark outlook on life. His performance was stellar beginning to end, and I hope he graces us with more horror films down the line.
I won’t go into every character because I loved every performance, but my other favorite was Jerry, the homeless man, played by David Wilmot. In horror, you expect the unsavory-looking person to be scary or have bad intent (think Crazy Ralph from Friday the 13th or Mordecai from Cabin in the Woods). But Jerry is the happy-go-lucky homeless man who likes to drink magical mushrooms mixed with milk (ew!). He plays a lovable character who appears throughout the film, adding a touch of uplifting energy that carries the story. A horror movie without that tone is just bleak, and those are my least favorite kind.
If practical effects aren’t used throughout this movie, then consider me fooled! Any CGI is very minimal. Everything from the ghosts to the witch, and everything in between, was just the right amount of spooky. Some reviews say this wasn’t scary, but if you saw me in the theater, you would have seen me with my knees pulled up to my face! There is just enough tension to keep you on edge, and when the scares happen, I was jumping out of my seat. I think the young man behind me got a kick out of my discomfort.
Additionally, the score was profoundly moving at times and disturbing at others. Joseph Bishara, renowned for the Insidious soundtrack in my view, crafted the music, enhancing the sinister and ominous mood of an already eerie atmosphere. Perfect execution.
Overall, I rate Hokum five stars out of five. This is a rare honor for me. Perhaps I was in the ideal mood for a ghost story that day, but I can’t find anything I disliked about this film. McCarthy stands out as one of the top minds in horror today, and I’m proud to be part of this era with him. He's achieved a perfect record with his movies so far.
I cannot overstate how important it is and how fortunate we are to receive original horror content. It’s something I love and admire from directors such as Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger. So, I can’t wait to see what McCarthy does next.
Until then, I can't wait to immerse myself further in Hokum when it’s available to stream and to discover even more ghost stories to savor. Hopefully, none of them are haunted by an old witch, of course.
You can see Hokum now, only in theaters.
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