by Jeffery Rahming, Contributing Writer
Indie horror is possibly one of the most profitable genres of the last decade. It seems that some good actors, decent themes, and spooky lighting are all you need to make an instant classic nowadays. Damien McCarthy’s Hokum is another addition to that trend, this time with a focus on Irish folklore.
Hokum stars Adam Scott as Ohm Bauman, an author who escapes from the countryside to finish his dark conquistador novel about conquistadors. He also wants to spread the ashes of his parents, who honeymooned in that area. Ohm shacks up in a small Irish lodge run by a couple of eccentric townsfolk who swear there’s a witch haunting the hotel. He dismisses this as nonsense, only to of course find out there’s much more to the hotel than he originally thought.
What stands out about Hokum is McCarthy’s use of atmosphere and tone. This movie feels creepy from beginning to the end, and that’s no easy feat. A special shout-out must be given to the incredible set design. Every bit of the hotel seems specifically designed to slightly unsettle you. Even before anything spooky starts, all that you can think is, “get out of there.” It just gets under your skin in such a subtle way. While there is a fair share of jump scares, none of them feel cheap because you’re on edge anyway.
This is definitely a slower-paced film, especially around the middle when Ohm explores more of the hotel. The pacing really allows you to sink into this setting, but there are times when you tap your foot waiting for something to happen. Those few moments aren’t enough to ruin the nail-biting tension that we build to in its final act, though. Ohm undergoes an interesting, subtle change as we learn more about him while he travels through the hotel’s corridors. There are way too many movies about a guy who goes through a traumatic event and deals with it by going to a haunted house, for some reason. But even if we’ve seen it before, the way Ohm’s character arc thematically ties into his career as an author is impressively innovative and culminates in an incredible final scene.
There’s a great but small supporting cast here, as well. We only have a handful of hotel workers and a crazy homeless man joining Ohm on his adventure, but that’s all you really need. Most of the time, Ohm is isolated, but the close-knit employees tie into the story in a major way. This feels like a masterclass in creating compelling characters with limited screen time. A standout for sure is Will O’Connell as Alby, the hotel’s bellhop. He probably only gets 5 minutes total, but his performance is instantly memorable. That compliment could easily extend to the rest of the cast as well.
If there’s one flaw, it’s a lack of focus in the script. Despite being advertised as just a disturbing horror, this actually toes the line between that and a crime thriller. The crime aspect comes in with the mystery of the hotel, which isn’t quite as related to the evil demon witch as you’d think. The creepy folklore in this film is just there to scare you, and weirdly it doesn’t play that big of a role in the overall story. Even though the scares were effective and the mystery was resolved in an epic finale, it still doesn’t fully gel together by the end. The way we ultimately wrap up feels like two different movies hastily spliced together. And both of them are good, but I do wonder if this would be a better story if it leaned more into the lore behind its scares.
Overall, Hokum is a totally worthwhile fright. While it’s not going to have you wanting to run out of the theater, it’s got enough moments of terror to keep you on the edge of your seat. The horrors of the Irish backcountry aren’t really what make this special, though. Between the crime mystery and the folklore horror that never quite meet in the middle is a beautiful story about finally overcoming grief. It’s unfortunate that the writing never manages to blend all these elements perfectly, but you still walk away satisfied. If you’re expecting a scream-fest theater experience, this isn’t for you, but for those who love the “elevated horror” subgenre, this is right up your alley.
Rating: Liked It
Hokum is now playing in theaters
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