Hokum review: Damian McCarthy's new horror movie is a near-perfect Irish folk horror film starring Adam Scott. We break down everything. Hokum just dropped, and we had to talk about it immediately. Damian McCarthy, the director behind Oddity and Caveat, delivered something special here. Adam Scott plays Ohm Bauman, a horror writer who checks into a remote Irish hotel to scatter his parents' ashes and ends up locked in a haunted honeymoon suite with a witch, a missing woman, and a conspiracy that's entirely human. This is a full spoiler review (with a warning before we get into it). We cover Adam Scott's performance, McCarthy's visual style, the incredible use of lighting and sound design, comparisons to Stephen King's 1408 and The Shining, and why this might be one of the best horror movies of 2026. DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Hokum (2026) — Dir. Damian McCarthy — Neon Cast: Adam Scott, David Wilmot, Peter Coonan, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell Also referenced: Oddity, Caveat, Severance, 1408, Secret Window, The Shining, Amnesia: The Dark Descent Hokum: The Movie and Why It Works Damian McCarthy's third feature after Caveat (2020) and Oddity (2024); currently sitting at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes Adam Scott stars as Ohm Bauman, a reclusive horror novelist who checks into a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents' ashes Folk horror meets haunted hotel; supernatural elements wrap a deeply human story about grief, guilt, and who the real villains are Distributed by Neon; premiered at SXSW in March 2026; theatrical release May 1, 2026 The Cast of Hokum: Who's Who at the Bilberry Woods Hotel Adam Scott as Ohm Bauman; David Wilmot as Jerry (you'll love him); Peter Coonan as Mal Florence Ordesh as Fiona the bartender; Michael Patric as Fergal the groundskeeper; Will O'Connell as Alby the bellhop Adam Scott watched Oddity, got obsessed, and essentially cast himself by cold-contacting McCarthy directly Damian McCarthy: From Electrician to Horror Auteur McCarthy was a working electrician in West Cork while making micro-budget shorts on weekends After festival rejections, he uploaded "He Dies at the End" to YouTube; it went viral and launched his career The character name "Ohm" is a nod to the electrical unit of resistance (and to McCarthy's own resistance to returning to that career) McCarthy edited Oddity himself on weekends over eighteen months; had an early draft of Hokum in the drawer the whole time Atmosphere and Visual Style: Horror in the Dark Cinematographer Colm Hogan returns from Oddity; heavy use of natural light, oil lanterns, and oppressive shadow The lighting doubles as character work: Ohm's darkness is literal and metaphorical from the opening scene Comparisons to Amnesia: The Dark Descent for the lantern-only exploration sequences Stephen King Vibes and Genre Comparisons Strong parallels to 1408 (grumpy writer, haunted hotel room), Secret Window (writer psychology), and The Shining (isolated hotel) McCarthy's recurring device: objects from previous films appear (Caveat's bunny in Oddity; Oddity's bell in Hokum) The film's title itself means "nonsense" — reflecting how the characters (and maybe the audience) first treat the witch folklore Coming Up on Grave Tone Interview with horror author Annie Nugabauer on her upcoming projects Interview with Rye Barrett (Johnny in In a Violent Nature) on the sequel and the Canadian horror scene May 2026 horror slate: Obsession, Saccharine, Corporate Retreat, Passenger, Backrooms, Pitfall Follow us & Subscribe: SpotifyApple PodcastTikTokInstagramThreadsGrave Tone Horror Podcast Website Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.