On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 199 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website’s consensus reads: “A classic haunted house story enriched with atmospheric folklore and perfectly-timed shocks, Hokum further solidifies writer-director Damian McCarthy as a modern master of horror.”
For fuck’s sake.
Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is an American author grinding away at the final chapters of his hit “Conquistador” trilogy. Haunted by a vision of his late mother at home, Ohm decides to travel to The Bilberry Woods Hotel in rural Ireland—the exact spot where his parents honeymooned—to lay their ashes to rest.
The hotel is run by a tight-knit crew: owner Cob (Brendan Conroy), his son-in-law and front desk clerk Mal (Peter Coonan), , groundskeeper Fergal (Michael Patric), bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh) and bellhop Alby (Will O’Connell). Right away, the writer rubs everyone the wrong way, acting abrasive and dismissive. He overhears Cob spinning local lore about the Cailleach, a mythological witch said to snatch children and march them in chains through the underworld. Despite his rough exterior, Ohm warms up to Fiona after she helps him track down a location from an old photo of his mother. While spreading the ashes, he also crosses paths with Jerry (David Wilmot), a local living out of his van who loves to sip milk spiked with magic mushrooms.
As the trip drags on, Ohm is forced to battle not only the supernatural horrors lurking in the woods, but also the outright hostility of the human staff. Layered on top of the hauntings is a heavy dose of psychedelic folklore, with drugs opening minds to the supernatural.
That’s the 2026 version of it was all a dream.
I don’t know. In no way was this movie for me. It just meanders endlessly, feeling entirely like it’s trying way too hard to be the kind of pretentious indie feature that gets passed around film circles as “groundbreaking.”
Or maybe modern horror just completely misses the mark for me, and you’re actually going to love it. At the end of the day, I like Adam Scott on his podcasts, so take that as my half-sandwich of a review.
