Acclaimed horror novelist Ohm Bahaman (Adam Scott) travels from the United States to the northern Irish countryside to spread his parents’ ashes outside an old hotel. A hotel that may have an evil supernatural presence lurking within its corridors.

Initially with its story, Hokum doesn’t really offer anything that hasn’t already been done before. Borrowing a lot from from Stephen King novels to name a few, the set up of a writer traveling to a haunted hotel is nothing new. Surely, this is felt during the first half of the film that plays very by the numbers. There’s a fake out character death that could have completely flipped everything on its head and lead to many creative possibilities if followed through. Instead, the film quickly moves on and ends up going the more traditional route.

With all that being said, Damian McCarthy still manages to add in some creepy moments and some wacky imagery. Some of the ghosts can have some icky designs that help them stand out. In particular, there’s this outlandish but frightening bunny with a human body that appears from an old TV show that Ohm watched as a kid. It’s very reminiscent of a Creepypasta you’d find scrolling on the internet during the early 2010s in the same vein as Jeff the Killer and Slenderman. The hotel itself also plays a part in creating a claustrophobic environment with tight crawl spaces and an eerie basement level. Although some of the jump scares should have been cut as they are too often relied upon, deflating the scene of any tension. For most of these moments, the film doesn’t linger on them long enough to be truly terrifying.

Across the board, the entire cast is strong and give some levity to its darker elements. Adam Scott is the standout as a sarcastic washed-up writer with a family tragedy that’s been eating away at him for years. One of Hokum‘s biggest focuses is on this chilling tragedy, adding some emotional weight to the story as it gets revealed. Irish actors fill up the supporting cast in very minor roles as inhabitants within the hotel, adding in some dry humor and touches of culture, which are nice additions. Specifically, Fiona (Florence Ordesh) is a woman who Ohm stumbles across at the hotel’s Halloween party. Her presence begins to set the bigger narrative in motion and is one of the only characters that feels integral.

Colm Hogan handles the cinematography with tight precision that can be both as beautiful as it is unnerving. Ireland’s landscapes look stunning in establishing shots and the hotel’s rooms are shot in away to give a forced perspective of just how huge the place actually is. Things will also subtly move around in the background without fully being in frame to build up impending terror.

Overall, Hokum is solid horror film elevated by a stellar cast and and a great sense of atmosphere, even it feels all but too familiar in certain areas. Casual horror fans should really enjoy it especially with a crowd.  However, those looking for a little more may be underwhelmed with this film’s story and use of jump scares that can feel cheap.

hokum