My Review of Hokum (2026)

Written And Directed by Damian McCarthy 

Ohm (to Mal): "Can I get a room as far away from the craic as possible?"

Earlier this year, I caught up with the director's first two movies, Caveat and Oddity and I saw the potential. With this movie, it was a case of putting an American character in an Irish setting with some interesting results.

The American in question was a burned out writer named Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott). He's trying to come up with a satisfying end to a Conquistador trilogy he's been working on and the ghost of his dead mother, Delia (Mallory Adams) would bring him to the Emerald Isle of course.

This meant Ohm going to Ireland and specifically to The Bilberry Woods Hotel where his parents spent their honeymoon. The place was owned by the rather odd Cob (Brendan Conroy), though more time was given to his son in law and desk clerk Mal (Peter Coonan) and creepy groundskeeper, Fergal (Michael Patrick). 

Ohm lost a lot of points here because the way he was towards the staff, notably bellhop Alby (Will O'Connell) was far too mean spirited. Ohm only seemed to have a soft spot for bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh) because she knew where an old redwood tree was. Ohm also seemed to have some kindness to local man Jerry (David Wilmot) but only just about.

I get with Ohm, both his parents were dead and there's some guilt over that for him but he's not an immediately likable main character. However the disappearance of Fiona and the rumblings of the Honeymoon Suite in the hotel harbouring a witch (Sioux Carroll) did give this movie something to work with.

The witch herself was a local legend that Ohm was initially dismissive of. However teaming up with Jerry to look into the Honeymoon Suite after hours and trips to the underworld certainly did more to make Ohm a believer than anything else. It's all rather unsettling and it even ended on a strong note with Ohm getting clarity on how to finish his book.

- Mushroom powder factored into the goats jumping on the cars and Alby even spiked Ohm with it as revenge for burning his hand with a spoon.

- Will O'Connell also played Jack the Jackass while Austin Amelio and Ezra Carlisle played the Conquistador and boy from Ohm's book.

- Standout music: Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies Lonesome Road.

- Chronology: Like the previous two movies, this was filmed in Cork and I assume it's set there.

Hokum might be the strongest of the movies from Damian McCarthy so far. A great central performance from Adam Scott, coupled with strong supporting and a genuinely unsettling witch. I really liked this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10