HOKUM
Starring: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Michael Patric, Will O’Connell, Florence Ordesh, Brendan Conroy, Mallory Adams, and Austin Amelio
Director: Damian McCarthy
NICK
The one thing that really sticks out in director Damian McCarthy’s films is his ability to create a genuinely eerie atmosphere. Hokum is no different. Although McCarthy relies a little heavily on traditional jump scares here, he blends Irish folklore into his haunted house tale in a way that enhances the story. It also helps that Adam Scott's brand of “unlikable yet accessible to root for” is just what this story calls for. Hokum doesn’t reach the heights of McCarthy’s previous work, but it's a solid film that makes for the perfect rainy night ghost story.
ROBERT
What if Stephen King were trapped in one of his own novellas, and the only way out was an introspective look at his past and damaged psyche? That is the vibe Hokum set for me, which was reminiscent of Secret Window in a way, another Stephen King inspiration. The smallness and intimacy of the settings and the story don’t lend themselves to heart-attack-inducing moments, but they do ratchet up the unease and make you question everything you are seeing. This harkens back to a timelessness of suspense, where it could belong to any era, and it oozes creepiness and vulnerability… anything but hokum.
KATIE
Hokum is a deeply creepy, supernatural folk horror film driven by a compelling story. It’s full of effective jump scares that aren't cheap, but well-crafted and reliant on steadily and meticulously building tension and suspense. It makes excellent use of the secluded setting and confines of the hotel, and the cinematography grips your attention to solidify our point of view with the protagonist, leaving the audience as nerve-wracked as he is. Plus, Adam Scott is wonderfully unlikeable and convincing in the central role as the cynical alcoholic writer, Ohm, but also conveys the trauma that is barely concealed under the surface.
ADRIANO
Hokum is so off-putting, and not in the way it strives for. Writer/director Damian McCarthy clearly wants to make a film akin to the modern definition of “elevated horror”, but despite introducing folklore and themes of grief, it becomes a basic horror movie. All the tension results in a jump scare fest, and everything that happens all culminates in an ending that seems to intentionally pants itself. Now, am I saying Hokum’s bad? No. It’s well-made, there is some good tension building, and the story is interesting. But it does not hit the heights it aims for.
