HOKUM
8.5 / 10
I watched Hokum alone in an empty theater today and definitely screamed like a little girl... at least once.
The latest feature from Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy, Hokum premiered at this year’s South by Southwest to critical acclaim and was just released in the United States by NEON. I caught a matinee this afternoon and was glad I did. This film deserves a wider audience than it’s getting.
Adam Scott plays Ohm Bauman, a curmudgeonly American novelist chased by ghosts from his dimly lit and creepy home in Pullman, Washington to the dimly lit and creepy Bilberry Woods Hotel in remote Ireland. Bauman is a successful writer on the verge of completing the final volume of an epic trilogy, but success hasn’t brought him happiness... or manners, judging by nearly every interaction he has with the friendly locals. But before you get too annoyed by Scott’s dickish protagonist, the story flips upside down and things turn even stranger.
I genuinely loved the pacing of this movie. Hokum wastes no time sinking its hooks into you and McCarthy’s ability to use visual language to convey information while avoiding heavy exposition is both ingenious and impressively executed.
I also really enjoyed the intertwining of the mystical with the grounded mystery Bauman finds himself pulled into. That balance between the fantastical and the tangible keeps the film from sinking too deeply into bleakness for long stretches.
Finally, the way McCarthy gradually reveals Bauman’s backstory is masterfully handled and gives real emotional resolution to his arc by film’s end.
Despite some truly terrifying moments, I wouldn’t classify Hokum as a straight horror film. The incorporation of Irish folklore gives it an almost Brothers Grimm fairy tale quality. Something I found refreshing and distinctive from many recent horror releases. I’d never seen McCarthy’s work before Hokum, but now I’m excited to go back and watch his earlier films.
My score? An enthusiastic 8.5 out of 10. Go see this if it’s playing at a theater near you.
The latest feature from Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy, Hokum premiered at this year’s South by Southwest to critical acclaim and was just released in the United States by NEON. I caught a matinee this afternoon and was glad I did. This film deserves a wider audience than it’s getting.
Adam Scott plays Ohm Bauman, a curmudgeonly American novelist chased by ghosts from his dimly lit and creepy home in Pullman, Washington to the dimly lit and creepy Bilberry Woods Hotel in remote Ireland. Bauman is a successful writer on the verge of completing the final volume of an epic trilogy, but success hasn’t brought him happiness... or manners, judging by nearly every interaction he has with the friendly locals. But before you get too annoyed by Scott’s dickish protagonist, the story flips upside down and things turn even stranger.
I genuinely loved the pacing of this movie. Hokum wastes no time sinking its hooks into you and McCarthy’s ability to use visual language to convey information while avoiding heavy exposition is both ingenious and impressively executed.
I also really enjoyed the intertwining of the mystical with the grounded mystery Bauman finds himself pulled into. That balance between the fantastical and the tangible keeps the film from sinking too deeply into bleakness for long stretches.
Finally, the way McCarthy gradually reveals Bauman’s backstory is masterfully handled and gives real emotional resolution to his arc by film’s end.
Despite some truly terrifying moments, I wouldn’t classify Hokum as a straight horror film. The incorporation of Irish folklore gives it an almost Brothers Grimm fairy tale quality. Something I found refreshing and distinctive from many recent horror releases. I’d never seen McCarthy’s work before Hokum, but now I’m excited to go back and watch his earlier films.
My score? An enthusiastic 8.5 out of 10. Go see this if it’s playing at a theater near you.