- Director: Damian McCarthy
- Screenplay: Damian McCarthy
- Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh
- Cinematography: Colm Hogan
- Editing: Brian Philip Davis
- Score: Joseph Bishara
- Genre: Gothic supernatural horror
- Runtime: 107 minutes
So many modern horror films are a disappointment. I’m pleased to report back that this one defied my low expectations.
An American author, Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott), checks into the hotel in Ireland where his (now deceased) parents honeymooned years ago. Familiar with his work, the staff fawn over him. The sole member of staff who pays him any genuine attention is Fiona. She’s not fazed by his fame and regards the proposed ending of his current novel as bleak. Ohm tells her that movie studios change his novels’ conclusions into ones with more optimistic slants. However, following a Halloween party, Fiona vanishes.
The hotel closes for the season and with the personnel less than willing to help, Ohm stays to search for her. There’s one room that’s out of bounds – the honeymoon suite, said to be haunted by a witch. Writer/director Damian McCarthy crafts an atmosphere thick with fear. An eerie nuptial suite long since abandoned. A foul marital bed, empty of newlyweds. Chairs not sat on in decades, a bath brimming with putrid water. No love to be felt there, only mounting dread as the hag draws closer.
‘Hokum‘ is absolutely not as its name suggests. It’s an unpublicised, underrated horror treat. I felt echoes of Stephen King; a troubled writer grappling with the ghosts of his past, a spooky hotel. That said, I found the finale too comfortable. Perhaps that was to illustrate Ohm’s earlier point – a happy ending tacked on to light up the gloom. Though it’s open to interpretation, allowing for a post-viewing conversation to occur.
My rating: 7 / 10
SilverScreen 