Hokum – Movie Review (4/5)

HOKUM is a folk horror movie by filmmaker Damian McCarthy. It stars Adam Scott in the lead role, but you’ll see several other familiar faces, as well. I really enjoyed this horror movie, not least thanks to its truly terrifying moments. Read our full Hokum movie review here!

HOKUM is now out on digital, and this horror movie has so much of what I enjoy: A character-driven plot, folklore, supernatural, and psychological horror. When done right, you get movies from Hereditary to The Mummy.

Or even Oddity, which comes from the same writer-director as this 2026 movie. What scares you may be very different from what makes me jump. However, this movie is absolutely amazing in its timing and vibe. For me, this is exactly the kind of movie that makes me want to turn on all the lights after watching.

Continue reading our Hokum movie review below. Find it on VOD from June 2, 2026.

More horror set in Ireland

I am a sucker for horror movies set in Ireland, and I love it when folklore is at the heart of the story. That’s something Hokum definitely delivers on. We meet Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott), who has just finished his latest novel and feels called to go to Ireland.

He visits an Irish Inn where his parents spent happy days, and now he wants to experience it for himself.

Also, he wants to scatter his parents’ ashes there, which he does right away. Witnessing this is a local man who seems to live in the woods next to the Inn. His name is Jerry (David Wilmot), and he tried to teach Ohm a little about the lore of the area.

Ohm Bauman doesn’t believe in superstition or anything supernatural, so he doesn’t care much. Not until he hears a story at the Inn about how the property is haunted by a witch. Actually, he still doesn’t care at that point… but he will!

Adam Scott in genre productions

The star of Hokum is Adam Scott, whom we follow from start to finish. He has starred in quite a few genre productions in recent years. I am very pleased with what he brings to the table. Often, a sort of satirical approach that evolves into something brutal and terrifying.

From Little Evil (2017) and The Monkey (2025) to The Twilight Zone and the Severance series, to the upcoming – currently playing at film festivals – genre hybrid The Saviors, which you should really look forward to!

In Hokum, he plays Ohm Bauman, an arrogant and unpleasant man. To pretty much everyone, so it’s nothing personal.

I love how the character of Fiona (Florence Ordesh) reacted to his behavior when they first met. She asks if he needs help; he responds with bitter sarcasm, and she leaves him to figure it out on his own. Well, until he remembers his manners. Her approach of not rewarding bad behavior is exactly what is needed.

Watch Hokum on VOD now

Damian McCarthy is the writer and director of Hokum, and I have enjoyed all his movies so far. They are set in Ireland and deal with some element of folklore (or Folk Horror), and I loved that. His previous movie was Oddity (2024), and it received so much praise. We also included it in our “Best of 2024” list!

Before that, he made Caveat (2020), which I also enjoyed, but it was admittedly less straightforward in its storytelling. Hokum is closer to Oddity, which is probably why it has such a wide appeal. Also, casting Adam Scott in the lead is a great way to attract attention from a huge audience.

In essence, Hokum could be described as a take on Charles Dickens’ iconic “A Christmas Carol”, where the lead character needs to learn a lesson to improve his ways. Will Ohm Bauman learn his lesson? You’ll have to watch Hokum to find out. And you absolutely should.

Hokum is out on VOD from June 2, 2026.

Details

Director: Damian McCarthy
Writer: Damian McCarthy
Cast: Adam Scott, Florence Ordesh, David Wilmot, Peter Coonan, Michael Patric, Mallory Adams, Will O’Connell, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio, Ezra Carlisle, Sioux Carroll