What Is Hokum About?
Some other terms for Hokum are BS, hogwash, hooey, poppycock, and probably my favorite, twaddle. Director Damien McCarthy, the Irish filmmaker who gave us the surprisingly creepy films Caveat and Oddity, now gets to torment Adam Scott in the folk horror Hokum. And why does McCarthy have such a thing with creepy rabbits? A horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch. That synopsis from IMDb, and it’s kind of I mean, yeah, it is a little bit accurate, but there’s so much more that goes into the story.
And don’t worry, I’m not going to get into any sort of spoilers. I went into this without seeing any trailers. So, I will keep that same sort of expectation to not spoil it for you. So, we’ve got Adam Scott as Ohm, this writer who travels to the quaint hotel in Ireland where his parents had once vacationed in order to spread their ashes. Now, right from the get-go, Ohm, he’s not a personable character.
He’s bluntly rude, condescending, and just generally an ass to almost everyone. It’s a strange dynamic to use on the central character, especially right at the start, because he’s certainly not someone we can sympathize with or root for. But, starting from this point, it does give the character a ton of opportunity for growth if, like Ethan Hunt, he chooses to accept. Now, I will say that Ohm does become a little more likable over the course of the story, but not to a huge degree. Thankfully though, there is a character who he meets that I found instantly endearing.
Now, I’ll get to him in just a bit. The folklore for this horror, it’s delivered in a unique way. It’s organically mentioned and then somewhat explained near the start, and then it’s pretty much ignored for the remainder of the movie, at least through dialogue. Instead of the narrative constantly revisiting the tale so that we can never forget about its presence, the storytelling treats the audience with intelligence and respect, and then figures we’re smarter enough to put the pieces together as they unfold, not needing to pop in every few minutes to say, “Hey, hey, remember that creepy thing somebody was talking about?” approach actually made the whole atmosphere more enveloping and engaging, because while the background permeates the story flow, there’s a mystery that’s also taking place.
But, instead of this being a thriller that has feeble attempts at horror, this uses the pressure and suspense of the thriller portion to then amp up the emotions for when the freaky crap kicks in. And I got to say, there were a couple of times that the hairs on my arms stood up. There was this thickly foreboding presence to the tone. It’s not oppressive, but you could feel the eeriness building. And when we do get to the portions of the movie that provide some payoffs, they’re effectively unsettling and can cause earned chills.
And the imagery McCarthy chooses to utilize, it’s just not okay in the slightest. The director has some weird thing with rabbits, because this and at least his last two films have brought in some sort of hair that is mainly a malevolent bunny Foo Foo. And what’s great also, that the frightening visuals, they’re not overused, so they maintain their effectiveness, appearing at key moments to make us eek out some poop before slinking back into the shadows for another round of, “Hey, let’s make people not want to close their eyes ever again.” Now, that being said though, I was disappointed that the movie stooped to using jump scares, complete with musical stings to create this manufactured fear. And I’m not saying that I didn’t jump at some of them, but with all of the uneasy world-building, it just felt cheap to use this horror crutch.
I don’t think I would have minded so much had the visuals not been accompanied by the musical crescendo. Just have the character move and allow the terror to just shock us by what’s in the background, rather than this uber obvious building up of score. The storytelling uses a limited cast along with a solitary location to build out our scenes. A quaint but creepy hotel in the middle of a forest, seemingly odd staff at the hotel, and then the aura of forbidden allure thanks to a prohibited area of the hotel. All of these work together to make us believe that something cagey and potentially untoward is going on inside.
Maybe there is, but the actors sell the make-believe and effectively cast the appropriate pallor to that tone. And while each of the characters does add intrigue, suspicion, strangeness, even kindness, there’s one who stood out as exceptional, becoming the sort of hero to our story, especially with the lack of heroic qualities displayed by Ohm. David Wilmot plays Jerry. He’s a stoned Zach Galifianakis-looking hermit kind of guy living in the woods, drinking his magic milk, and just kind of keeping to himself. Now, he’s got a soft and laid-back demeanor, probably something that’s due to just the drugs that he’s continuously ingesting.
Still though, he’s somebody full of compassion and concern, and he is the character we root for despite some of his oddities. And Jerry plays the part of the fool for this story, where he is discounted by everybody just because of his appearance and life choices. But, in reality, he’s the one who sees the truth and then tries to get others to see it as well. And Wilmot embraces the characteristics perfectly and then creates someone indelible. While he’s not the central character within the story, he is certainly the majority of its heart.
Now, I appreciate that the storytelling doesn’t drag itself out unnecessarily. This is an hour 41, and at no point did I get antsy or bored. The only reason for any squirming in my seat was just thanks to the creepiness. The plot continuously gives us enough content to progress the tale efficiently, but also doesn’t rush through areas that are essential for building dread. When the final act of the movie arrives, it’s a pulse-pounding scenario that employs suspense, terrorizing imagery, subtle nightmarish fuel-background movements, and then an extreme mounting apprehension.
The surroundings, they become claustrophobic and wickedly dark, illuminated only slightly by these few and far between warm lights. And the whole tone grows progressively freakier, giving us both the payoff for the mystery that led us here along with that skin-tingling horror that’s just been teased throughout. So, all in all, Hokum is a solid freaky folk horror that doesn’t beat us over the head with its lore, but creates an unsettled atmosphere filled with some mystery before unleashing the full fright of its terror. Adam Scott is excellent as the abrasive and caustic protagonist, crafting a persona that’s easy to dislike, but also someone who manages to capture a little bit of warmth. David Wilmot is the standout, bringing heroism and wisdom to a character typically dismissed as a fool.
The imagery and set design are crafted with just the right combination of decrepit darkness and night-terror-inducing makeup to make you poop a bit and refuse to sleep. The use of jump scares and musical stings cheapen some of the chills, but they’re not relied on enough to be the only spooky elements. Damien McCarthy is quickly solidifying himself [clears throat] as a master of original folk horrors, something we certainly need more of within filmmaking. There’s no sex or nudity, a lot of profanity, and then some gnarly violence. I give Hokum four and a half out of five couches.
Now, if you’re into horror and then you appreciate originality within lore, put this one on your list to check out. Okay, what are some horror films that you’re looking forward to seeing in the next couple of months? I’m excited to check out Obsession, Backrooms, maybe Passenger.
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