Hokum (2026) Review

Plot: Jaded writer Olm Bauman (Adam Scott) visits a rural hotel in Ireland with a secret – the ghost of a witch locked in the honeymoon suite.

Review: The great thing about horror movies is that you have your pick of types – you have body horror, which is uncomfortable; gory slasher horror movies that often lead to over-the-top hilarity. Horror comedy, which often flips the genre on its ear. Then you have the creepy, suspenseful horror movies, which often end up being darlings of critics and mainstream audiences.

Hokum is in the latter category. Helmed by Damian McCarthy, who previously made the lauded films Caveat and Oddity (so he likes one-word titles), Hokum is a quiet, suspenseful movie set in a very quiet, idyllic setting. It’s definitely not for gore fans, so if you’re one of those people who needs to see a litre of blood to enjoy a movie, this won’t satisfy your jonesing. This movie is quiet, slow-burning, and leans deeply into atmosphere.

With such a movie, you often end up in boring territory, and at 107 minutes, it will definitely lose some people if they want more violence in their horror. I was not one of those, however – in the first five minutes, I got what type of movie this would be, and I bought into it. This is a ghost story with lots of sound cues and dark foreboding shots into darkness, so again, if that’s not your thing, be forewarned.

Why I liked it is that the buildup was really interesting. The main character is deeply complex, and while on the surface he seems like a jerk that you shouldn’t waste your time with, you have to keep going with it. There’s a reason why he is the way he is, and it’s no joke. The supporting characters are all well thought out and add layers to the story. I couldn’t wait to see how the movie would turn out, and I often found myself with my eyes glued to the screen. The suspense builds excellently throughout the flick, and the ending is satisfying. This is not the type of movie that veers from the rules it sets up, and everything makes sense in the end, no matter how weird things get.

If I did have one criticism of the film, it would be the same criticism that I have for most modern movies – the score. I don’t know what happened with movie scores. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, it was a given that there were memorable movie scores. Scores where you could close your eyes and know what the movie is without opening them. Scores that perfectly set the film’s mood and tone. Hokum does not have a memorable score. It’s a small drawback, but it gives me room to bemoan the death of the movie score, with only a handful of composers still committed to giving movie audiences a tune that is both memorable and suited to the images on screen.

For the acting, everyone is on point. I really enjoyed Adam Scott’s performance in season one of Severance, and this film shows his depth – he is miles from his Mark S. role in that show. While he is unlikeable at the beginning, his character believably changes throughout the movie, and the fact that he carries much of the film in scenes where he’s the lone actor speaks volumes about his abilities. The rest of the cast is competent and professional, and they play their roles well.

The film is competently shot and does all the right things in terms of filming and editing. I especially liked the scene where the silhouette of the ghost in the rabbit suit was spotted in the television’s reflection – a nice trick. The film also showed the lush greenery of Ireland, which definitely looks like a place to visit.

This is a movie to check out if you’re a fan of creepy, atmospheric stories. It’s well-told, tightly shot. The actors are on their game, and the storyline is interesting, well told, and played out with talented storytelling. I don’t really have any major gripes with this film and highly recommend seeing it. I will be checking out the director’s other two efforts because of this film.