Review: Hokum

Image courtesy of Neon.

While I enjoy horror films, there are few in recent years that I have actually found to be scary. The films of Irish director Damian McCarthy - at least, the two I've seen - are exceptions to the rule. His latest, the haunted hotel film "Hokum," is a great showcase for lead actor Adam Scott and an almost nonstop barrage of spooky moments.

The film opens with a scene from the final novel in Ohm Bauman's (Scott) conquistador series. As Ohm types away in a dark room, we get the sense that something is watching. Much like his previous film, "Oddity," McCarthy is not hesitant to rely on jump scares - but unlike most American horror movies that use them, they are utilized for maximum effect and actually make you jump out of your seat, rather than roll your eyes.

Ohm is haunted by the death of his mother - a somewhat nebulous scenario in which she was shot - and the subsequent death by alcoholism of his father. He plans to travel to Ireland to visit a small country inn where his parents once stayed and to spread their ashes somewhere within its environs.

From the moment Ohm arrives at the inn, he gives off a caustic vibe. This involves a humorous series of scenes in which he denies a bellboy who wants him to read his own manuscript and a man whose son is a fan of his work and wants an autograph. Ohm is off-putting, but his behavior comes off as a defense mechanism for reasons we'll later discover.

The one employee at the hotel to whom he takes a shine is Fiona (Florence Ordesh), who comes to Ohm's aid in a major way that I won't spoil. Later, he learns that Fiona has gone missing and comes to believe that she has visited the hotel's honeymoon suite on the second floor. He is told that the suite has been locked for years because the hotel's owner trapped a witch up there and keeps it closed off to ensure she remains imprisoned.

Ohm meets a strange man in the woods named Jerry (David Wilmot), whom the locals say has an unsettling history, and the two of them agree to visit the suite to look for Fiona. But Jerry gets detained and Ohm ends up in the suite by himself, leading to a night of horrors as he is plagued by creepy visitations - an individual who looks like part-donkey, part man; an actual corpse; and a basement that can only be reached by the world's creepiest dumb waiter and seems to lead into the bowels of hell.

McCarthy's previous film, "Oddity," is one of my favorite horror films of recent memory. It is likely the scariest movie I've seen in years (certainly since "Hereditary") and has a series of diabolically effective set pieces. It's still my favorite McCarthy film, though "Hokum" is a strong following act. Scott is great here as a sarcastic man who unpleasant facade hides a world of pain. The film's setting is unique and spooky and, as was the case with "Oddity," the atmospheric touches go a long way.

And like the best horror movies of the past decade - such as "It Follows" or "Weapons" - "Hokum" is thematically rich and has actual substance (its final scene especially), other than just trying to scare its audience. But for those who just want to be frightened, rest assured that this picture delivers in that department.