Intro: Niamh came over for dinner a few weeks ago and we decided to give this movie a go after we missed it at the cinema. The renaissance of the horror genre continues!
Film 2481: "Hokum" (2026), Damian McCarthy
Watched: On the projector
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: It's not the most innovative horror film ever made and I agree with Niamh when she pointed out that they should have shown more of the witch, but overall I enjoyed "Hokum" more than I expected. To the point that a couple of jump scares actually worked on me.
I obviously resonated with the Irish setting of the story, having lived in Dublin for the past six years. I think there is definitely a spooky element that comes from the gloominess of the environment, both natural and manmade. The hotel, in particular, is such a strange combination of 'comfortable unfriendliness': there's everything you could think of for a comfortable stay, yet it doesn't feel natural or genuine. Instead, it ends up feeling more like a mix of clashing styles that doesn't really make sense and doesn't feel too welcoming. In addition to the environment, the characters are pretty shady themselves and that adds to the overall strange vibe of The Bilberry Woods Hotel.
"Hokum" also reminded me a lot of the hotel episode of "Widow's Bay": there's a supernatural force and we're stuck indoors, in the dark, trying to understand if the scary legends are real or not and whether the place is haunted. Additionally, the witch was giving me "Winchester" vibes and the Irish folklore elements of the story made me think of "The Watchers".
So, as I said, there are definitely many aspects of this film that don't feel new or innovative, but "Hokum" does a good job of delivering a solid horror film, perfectly carried by Adam Scott's cranky performance as the protagonist, Ohm. I also appreciated that the supporting characters actually had something to do with the overall plot and were not just casualties put there to be slaughtered by the 'evil force'. For a horror movie, the screenplay definitely takes its time to flesh the characters out and make sure they're an integral part of the story.
One thing I really didn't enjoy, though, was the beginning/ending part: it's disjointed from the rest of the story and doesn't add anything to it, and for me it really didn't work. The movie starts and ends in such a different tone from the rest of what you're shown that it's hard to wrap your head around it. I think it worked better on paper than it actually does on screen.
Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio.
Box Office: $24.1 million
Worth a watch?: It's not gonna blow your mind, but it's an honest horror film and it does its job. There are slightly more storylines than there needed to be, but the scary moments and Adam Scott's performance are good reasons enough to give Damian McCarthy's movie a go.
Awards: /
Key word: Dumbwaiter.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
Watched: On the projector
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: It's not the most innovative horror film ever made and I agree with Niamh when she pointed out that they should have shown more of the witch, but overall I enjoyed "Hokum" more than I expected. To the point that a couple of jump scares actually worked on me.
I obviously resonated with the Irish setting of the story, having lived in Dublin for the past six years. I think there is definitely a spooky element that comes from the gloominess of the environment, both natural and manmade. The hotel, in particular, is such a strange combination of 'comfortable unfriendliness': there's everything you could think of for a comfortable stay, yet it doesn't feel natural or genuine. Instead, it ends up feeling more like a mix of clashing styles that doesn't really make sense and doesn't feel too welcoming. In addition to the environment, the characters are pretty shady themselves and that adds to the overall strange vibe of The Bilberry Woods Hotel.
"Hokum" also reminded me a lot of the hotel episode of "Widow's Bay": there's a supernatural force and we're stuck indoors, in the dark, trying to understand if the scary legends are real or not and whether the place is haunted. Additionally, the witch was giving me "Winchester" vibes and the Irish folklore elements of the story made me think of "The Watchers".
So, as I said, there are definitely many aspects of this film that don't feel new or innovative, but "Hokum" does a good job of delivering a solid horror film, perfectly carried by Adam Scott's cranky performance as the protagonist, Ohm. I also appreciated that the supporting characters actually had something to do with the overall plot and were not just casualties put there to be slaughtered by the 'evil force'. For a horror movie, the screenplay definitely takes its time to flesh the characters out and make sure they're an integral part of the story.
One thing I really didn't enjoy, though, was the beginning/ending part: it's disjointed from the rest of the story and doesn't add anything to it, and for me it really didn't work. The movie starts and ends in such a different tone from the rest of what you're shown that it's hard to wrap your head around it. I think it worked better on paper than it actually does on screen.
Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio.
Box Office: $24.1 million
Worth a watch?: It's not gonna blow your mind, but it's an honest horror film and it does its job. There are slightly more storylines than there needed to be, but the scary moments and Adam Scott's performance are good reasons enough to give Damian McCarthy's movie a go.
Awards: /
Key word: Dumbwaiter.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
