Damian Mc Carthy earned his “scaremaster” credentials with Oddity, but his latest horror film, Hokum, seals that title. In the Irish filmmaker’s follow-up, a troubled author (played by Adam Scott) finds more than inspiration for his next book while staying at a remote hotel. There in the deepest and most hidden recesses of this old getaway lies a bounty of secrets that Mc Carthy delivers with both skill and energy. It’s more of the same “slow burn” effect that made Oddity so powerful, but Hokum dials up the nightmare quality, as well as the emotional element, to a point of no return.
Mc Carthy’s third film is bracing, in spite of its tired setup. Adam Scott as a grouchy author with a major case of writer’s block doesn’t inspire confidence in someone who has never watched the director’s work before; however, Hokum proves an idea is only as good as its executor. Helping tremendously in setting this film apart from other similar ones is the tenacity Mc Carthy has as a comedian. Not stand-up, of course, but his way with mixing comedy and horror without jarring tonal shifts should not go overlooked. It’s harder than it sounds. From Scott’s character’s dry sense of humor to all the funny interactions, the levity here is as crucial to Hokum’s overall efficacy as frights. And rest assured, there is plenty of the latter.
On top of the Halloween setting, plus the woodsy surroundings, Hokum’s command of space and interiority is persuaive. Oddity showed what the director could do with less room to play around in, but this film has a bigger sandbox for which the characters exist. Keep in mind, the story is still largely contained to the hotel where Scott’s character’s parents honeymooned, and he now visits to spread their ashes; yet Mc Carthy creates a new world within that run-of-the-mill locale. Something as simple as a supposedly haunted honeymoon suite becomes much more than it is on paper.
Mc Carthy gives his audiences what they really, really want: to be in suspense. That he does with flying colors (again). The nail-biting sequences in Hokum are profuse but never tedious. Keeping you on edge with little more than still-darkness and near-silence is what the director does best (apart from a bit of flippancy to break the tension). Bated breath is always on the menu with a Mc Carthy film.
As challenging as it is to get on the side of the main character at times, Scott taps into the pathos of this cantankerous man and makes him someone worth rooting for, even when he himself gives up. There is also a catharsis in Hokum that doesn’t come as a shocker after Oddity, but it’s more conspicuous here. On that front, the emotion in this film never feels forced or unwanted. It’s very earned and well done.
Comparable horror films would go through the motions of a haunted hotel and its affected occupants. Hokum, on the other hand, does it all with sincerity. And that there is why it is heads above the rest.
Hokum premiered at South by Southwest 2026.
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