“Hokum” is a Mixed, at Times Horrific, Affair (Movie Review)

The horror genre is wonderfully elastic.

Over the course of more than a century, filmmakers across generations have delivered highly idiosyncratic visions of terror to audiences, driven by their own fears, paranoia, and obsessions. At a time when original films have regularly struggled to resonate with audiences, horror has served as a kind of guiding light over the past decade-plus. It offers a pulpy genre sandbox in which filmmakers can truly let their freak flag fly, and audiences consistently show up to engage with it.

The past few years have been especially strong for original horror, with films like Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Zach Cregger’s Weapons even dominating substantial parts of the Academy Awards conversation. It is within this vibrant horror ecosystem that Damian McCarthy re-enters with his new film, Hokum. The follow-up to his greatly acclaimed prior work, 2024’s Oddity, Hokum is hell-bent on taking audiences on a ride, and it succeeds in many ways. However, while the ride is often a joyously unnerving one, it also experiences some unexpected issues along the way.

TOP FIVE OF “HOKUM”

5. A Clunky First Act

To say I was thoroughly thrown off by the first act of Hokum would be an understatement. While things get off to a strong enough start with a fantastical prologue that is visually striking and audacious, they quickly become bizarrely convoluted and muddled. I’ll try to avoid spoilers here, but Adam Scott plays a very Stephen King-coded novelist putting the finishing touches on his latest book. Because of this, he decides to visit the remote hotel in Ireland where his deceased parents spent their honeymoon and where he plans to scatter their ashes. However, upon arriving there, strange things begin to happen as he is introduced to a motley assortment of characters.

I am sympathetic to McCarthy’s plight here; he has to juggle a whole lot of different elements in this first act to get things moving. However, I can’t help but feel that the end result is a massive hindrance to the film as a whole: a stuttering, clunky first act that fails to truly get audiences invested in any of the numerous things happening. In fact, ironically enough, it’s the kind of opening act that would probably work far better in novel form, where a bit more leeway for such tedium and wandering can be afforded. But here, cinematically, it never quite clicks. It wasn’t until the second act of the film that I felt things finally starting to coalesce, but thankfully, when McCarthy hits his stride, he really fucking hits it.

4. Adam Scott’s Admirable Performance

Adam Scott is a phenomenal actor, something that has been readily apparent to audiences since at least his scene-stealing role in Adam McKay’s Step Brothers in 2008. In recent years, thanks to projects like Ben Stiller’s Severance, Scott has experienced a renaissance and critical re-evaluation of sorts, so it is frankly great to see him doing something as off-kilter as leading a NEON-backed horror movie here.

What is also great is his actual performance. McCarthy’s script fully commits to making Scott’s protagonist a completely unlikable son of a bitch from the start, and Scott, to his immense credit, leans all the way into it. He is an asshole through and through, with the film giving him ample opportunities to reveal those traits again and again. As the film progresses, Scott also does an incredible job in the often thankless role of audience surrogate, reacting to massive scares. Not only does he pull this off and then some, but he also makes each reaction feel varied and motivated, showcasing how the character’s foundations are being rattled in ways both big and small. Genuinely impressive stuff. I would love to see more of him in this genre.

3. McCarthy’s Direction

Speaking of which, McCarthy’s direction is routinely great throughout the film. The visual language he and cinematographer Colm Hogan craft is filled with ominous, unnerving energy. Furthermore, the production design by Til Frohlich is especially strong, especially in the film’s central location (more on that in a bit). This craftsmanship pairs well with Brian Philip Davis’ occasionally striking editing, helping accentuate many of the film’s strongest moments.

McCarthy also demonstrates a real knack for building and sustaining nerve-wracking suspense throughout the film. There are a handful of genuinely effective scares that make strong use of misdirection, anticipation, negative space, and more, allowing them to land in surprising ways.

2. A Twist Too Far

Amid all the things I really enjoyed about Hokum, there was a moment toward the end of the film that deeply depressed me. As I said, I’m not looking to spoil this moment, but suffice it to say that it recontextualizes the events of the film in an unflattering light. In truth, the twist comes off as some backward-minded justification for several of the film’s greatest moments, which, to my mind at least, did not require any such justification.

It is an extremely weak note to nearly close the film on, and it undermines much of the thematic resonance the third act delivers beforehand.

1. The Honeymoon Suite

I’ve kind of been talking around this throughout my praise in the review, but I cannot stress enough how great the entire Honeymoon Suite-set sequence of this film is. It essentially makes up most of the second act and part of the third as well, and it is absolutely where McCarthy and company find their footing. It feels almost labyrinthine in nature, both in its multi-tiered set design and in how new levels of horror are gradually revealed throughout.

In all honesty, the first act of this film was cruising toward a solid C- rating from me, and if I were grading this Honeymoon Suite section in isolation, it would probably land around an A-. It was such a stark improvement over everything that came before it that I was genuinely floored by how affecting it was, rabbit-eared characters and all.

RGM RATING

(B-)

Thus, Hokum’s real rating comes distinctly in the middle of those two would-be ratings. It was a fascinating film whose best parts were incredibly impressive, but whose faults were also detrimental to the film as a whole in fundamental ways. Overall, I liked it though, and I definitely recommend seeing it, if only for the strength of that middle Honeymoon Suite-set chunk alone.