Ohm Bauman: “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are some oddballs walking around this place.”
Finding an intriguing milieu somewhere between the recent popularity in witch related films over the past decade (think The VVitch, Hereditary, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, and Weapons) and a spooky atmosphere somewhat reminiscent of the Stephen King room related 1408, Hokum (2026), written and directed by Damian McCarthy, is another worthy entry in the horror genre.
In many ways about battling your own demons, Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is a successful writer with a very troubled past – making him a bitter, cantankerous, and bluntly rude human being, he is currently writing the trilogy-ender to his successful Conquistador series (which serves as a bookend for this film). Suddenly haunted by his parents’ ashes sitting upon his mantle (as well as being hit with a form of writer’s block), he decides to fly to Ireland to spread them at one of the places he knows they loved – a kitschy inn called The Bilberry Woods where long ago they honeymooned.
Arriving in the secluded woodsy location, it is a Peyton Place of sorts, with little seen guests, an unorthodox staff, as well as many bizarre ruminations on folkloric legends of the region being bandied about. Too educated and civilized for such ludicrous things, the writer shows little interest in anything the aged owner Cob (Brendan Conroy), his son-in-law manager Mal (Peter Coonan), bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh), frequent crossbow wielding groundskeeper Fergal (Michael Patric), or bellhop Alby (Will O’Connell) have to say – be it a simple ask (like an autograph for a son), or silly talk of the witch that has long been held behind locked cage in the inn’s honeymoon suite (that is only accessible by a private elevator). Of all the people, Ohm has a bit of a rapport with Fiona.
Equally as mysterious are the numerous black goats in the area (constantly attacking parked cars), as well as a man living rough in his van – Jerry (David Wilmot – Hamnet; Calvary), who believes in all of the supernatural rumours. . . but he drinks his own homemade moonshine and makes a magic mushroom liquid concoction as well, so perhaps take all of that talk with a grain of salt.
After a shocking happening that leads to a two week time jump, when Ohm returns to the place, Fiona has disappeared, the police are looking for Jerry (who long ago supposedly killed his wife), and the hotel is quickly closing for the season. Learning that no one in the small community, including the cops, have ever searched that locked suite, will Ohm try to investigate the supposedly witchy room? If so, when he enters, will it be as easy to leave? Could any of this mystifying talk about witches and folklore be true? And, if so, will he discover that some things might not fit as well within his rather structured mind, or is all of this something that is much more human after all?
A slow burner of an old school horror feature, instead of blood and guts, it builds a bleak, haunting atmosphere. Despite Ohm’s disbelief in all things supernatural, his haunting history could feed into this place – that almost feels like it is somehow trapped in the past (much like the honeymoon suite that hasn’t been touched in decades). Building some unique and ominous characters, that, despite being rather friendly, seem to hold a lot of secrets and lies, they only add to the mystery. And, of course, Ohm is at the centre of it all, his journey a type of symbolism of his own deep traumas, where he must delve into his dark past to conquer his demons and try to become a more whole human being on the other side of this dangerous quest. And it is no surprise that his name represents ‘how strongly a material opposes the flow of electric current’.
With an ending that could be interpreted in two different ways depending on the viewer, Hokum thrives thanks to its eerie atmosphere, complex characters, visual panache, and creepy sound design. Using fantastic world building, once that locked suite is open, things somehow feel both much larger as well as more confined at the same time. All of a sudden, not only the flicker of a light, but also the ringing of a bell heightens things exponentially. So, release the chains that bind and make peace with all those spooks, for this fiery film is well worth the treasure it offers.