Adam Scott delivers a career-best performance in Hokum, a chilling tale of grief and folklore that will have you hiding behind your fingers.
Writer-Director Damian Mc Carthy knows how to conjure something truly terrifying. After the unsettling Oddity, I had a feeling that Hokum was going to have the same effect on me. I am thrilled to report that he hasn’t just met my high expectations, he has surpassed them. Hokum is an absolutely terrifying exploration of guilt, ghosts, and the things that refuse to stay buried, anchored by a performance from Adam Scott that is nothing short of a revelation.
While many know Adam Scott for his impeccable comedic timing, he has long been a versatile force in the industry. He proved his horror skills years ago in Krampus, but Hokum gives him the space to truly shine. As Ohm Bauman, a novelist retreating to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, Scott is often the only person on screen, and he carries that weight effortlessly.
I am going to be honest here, Ohm is not an easy protagonist to love at the start. In fact, he begins the film as a complete jerk. He’s cynical, abrasive, and dismissive of the local folklore surrounding the witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Usually, when a character is this unlikable, you find yourself rooting for the monster.
However, as the walls of the inn begin to close in, Mc Carthy brilliantly peels back the layers of Ohm’s history. As we learn more about his past and the circumstances that forged his prickly exterior, those walls crumble. By the time the third act hits, I was deeply invested in his survival.
What makes the pacing of Hokum so effective is Mc Carthy’s ability to weave in brief flashes of levity. There are a few genuinely comedic moments scattered throughout that provide a much needed relief from the suffocating tension. These beats never feel forced or like they belong in a different movie. Instead, they emerge naturally from Ohm’s dry, cynical worldview and his interactions with the locals. These small pockets of air allow the audience to catch their breath just long enough for the next scare to hit even harder.
The technical execution of this film is what sets it apart from your run-of-the-mill supernatural thriller. The set design is insane – the Irish hotel, and in particular the honeymoon suite, feels like a living, breathing character. It is so immersive and creepy that you feel the weight of the shadows and the eyes of the unsettling figures staring into your soul. This atmosphere is then heightened by a brilliant sound design and an eerie score that kept me on edge for the entire runtime.
My heart was pounding not just during the jumps, but in the agonizing silences in between. There were moments from the second act onward where I found myself pushed as far back into my seat as possible, literally watching the screen through my fingers.
The supporting cast is equally sharp, particularly David Wilmot as Jerry. He brings a heart to the film that is much needed to counteract the supernatural elements. Florence Ordesh also shines as Fiona. Her chemistry with Adam Scott is great, as she proves that a woman’s intuitions are never wrong.
That said, the true genius of Hokum lies in its duality. Yes, there are literal ghosts – the witch is a horrifying creation that will surely haunt my dreams – but the film is equally interested in the ghosts of our past. It explores the trauma that lingers and refuses to let us go and the darkness we carry with us that is often impossible to shake.
Damian Mc Carthy has a knack for subverting expectations. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, the script threw a curveball that took me by complete surprise. And this happened on more than one occassion. I love a horror movie that leaves me constantly guessing, and Hokum plays with audience perception in a way that will stick with me for a long time.
Hokum is a unique, thrilling, and visceral experience that proves Damian Mc Carthy is one of the most exciting voices in modern horror and Adam Scott can do… well, just about anything.
About Hokum
When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past.
Hokum played at SXSW 2026.
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Adam Scott delivers a career-best performance in Hokum, a chilling tale of grief and folklore that will have you hiding behind your fingers.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.