Hokum

by Mike McGranaghan

Damian McCarthy’s 2024 chiller Oddity was a bizarre tale about a widower being terrorized by his sister’s wooden mannequin. That quirky concept worked because the film successfully established an unsettling tone that was hard to shake off. McCarthy’s follow-up, Hokum, does the same, only to an even more impressive degree. Far from being the bloodiest or goriest horror picture out there, it manages to freak you out through suggestion, although a couple A+ jump scares help, too.

Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is a bitter, depressed author. He visits the ancient Irish hotel where his late parents had their honeymoon with the intent of spreading their ashes at a nearby tree his mother posed in front of for a photo. He learns that the honeymoon suite has been locked for a long time because the owner ostensibly has a witch trapped in there. Ohm doesn’t believe that, but when a female hotel employee he became friendly with mysteriously disappears, he begins to wonder if she’s inside the suite.

Hokum follows Ohm’s attempts to investigate the disappearance. He receives help from Jerry (David Wilmot), a local drunkard who has long been suspicious of the hotel. After setting up the premise, the movie plays like a detective story for a while, with Ohm following clues and attempting to put the pieces together. He believes there is a logical explanation for the woman’s disappearance; Jerry insists there’s a supernatural component.

It goes without saying that Ohm eventually makes his way into the honeymoon suite. Once he does, the film kicks into paranormal overdrive. The things in the room are creepy, none more so than the rickety dumbwaiter that descends to a hidden basement. And what’s down there is the scariest part of Hokum. Some of it is shown, some of it not. Regardless, the inference of it all is seriously chilling.

McCarthy utilizes low light photography through much of the movie, helping to give the hotel an ominous vibe. Sound plays an important role, too, especially in the basement sequences. There was a lot of hoopla about the sound design in another recent horror film, Undertone, but the sound design here is far more impressive to my ears, as it serves a story that’s better developed. Ambiance plays a major role in the experience. The mood sets viewers on edge immediately, allowing the eventual jump scares and terrifying revelations to achieve full shock potential.

Adam Scott has largely been known for comedic roles in his career and may therefore seem an odd choice to star in a horror flick. It makes sense, though. The actor infuses Ohm with a jerky quality early on that’s funny in a twisted sort of way. He also brings an appropriate cynical quality, as Ohm is forced to gradually confront the fact that the ghostly stuff he was skeptical about is actually real. Scott even brings in a heavy dose of emotion during one crucial scene toward the end.

Hokum starts off a little slow, as it takes time to put pieces in place. Once those pieces begin clicking, the movie takes you on a nightmarish ride that will shake you to the core.