Hokum Review: The wind is cold and blowing through the speakers of the theatre. There is a bell bell somewhere off in the distance. A half open hotel corridor remains still on the screen. It’s enough for Hokum to get under the skin before the real horror comes along. Most horror films need to be heard or seen with gore or an abundance of jump scares. This one doesn’t. It waits. It’s a test of your patience. Then, all at once, it strikes the nerves with images and sounds that are psychologically poisonous. The movie puts its cocky protagonist, the writer, in a secluded hotel filled with fear, gradually eroding his self-assurance and the audience’s sense of comfort. The witch mythology and over-arching silence is enough to freeze the entire theatre at the end of the act. Well, that was more frightening than the screams, in all honesty.
This is an extremely chilling and perplexing film, directed with a coldness and a degree of unsettling by Damian McCarthy, this follows a famous writer who decides to stay for a few days alone in a remote hotel. The whole scenario is familiar but the way it is executed is quite a lot more twisted. The writer finds out about the cursed room in the hotel, which slowly turns his disbelief into fear. This slow change is the emotional core of the tale. The script takes its time leading up to the horror; there’s no rush.
The first thing I liked about the movie is how normal objects suddenly have a fearsome quality to them. Sheep’s head, ringing of a bell, distant wind noises, dark corridors, half open doors – through sheer presentation they become terrifying. It isn’t a traditionally monstrous film, but nearly every frame evokes a sense of menace in Hokum. The background score is well done, not sounding like the typical horror theme. It lacks functionality, does not fit and is mentally fatiguing. I did at times really want the sound to die down because it gave me the feeling of something being very wrong in the theatre itself.
The main character, delivered with an arrogant and coldly detached performance by Adam Scott, becomes an early subject of the audience’s fear of what will happen to him next. His bad manners and attitude of the supernatural warnings make his psychological breakdown lovable to watch. I liked how the movie used his own weaknesses for the purposes of the plot rather than relying on ghosts and creatures. He grows increasingly senile and is a part of the horror itself.
The film also has great timing. The jump scares are never cheap nor the weird insertion of noise for the sake of jump scares. Every scare comes from good preparation of tension. Because the film patiently sets the stage for fear first, a figure in the background or an unexpected movement in a completely silent manner is explosive fear. Whereas Evil Dead or The Mummy has a lot of killing with giant creatures, Hokum has nothing of that sort. Instead, it puts viewers in anticipation. Even if there’s nothing scary on the screen, the horror remains.
I also loved the way that the story continually adds a layer or two. In addition to the ghostly terror, the plot creates a mystery as it develops a feeling of unspoken secrets related to the hotel. The story is seldom without a message. I really became queasy about one of the rabbit sequences, and the lift sequence just totally defied my expectations! That instability is one of the film’s biggest assets.
But the most unsettling of all aspects of Hokum comes in the form of witch mythology. The Witch is initially just a bit of folklore. The film’s mythology, however, becomes startlingly believable, slowly. The story opens with the same menace that exists throughout its entire length and finally reveals itself in the last half hour. One particular scene with the witch in it is likely one of the most talked about parts of 2026’s film! That moment is the turning point that takes the film to ever more terrifying—and disturbing—territory.
Another risk-taking creative move is the film’s reliance on silence. Nearly half the time, there are scarcely any conversations. The characters don’t speak much, leaving the audience to imagine them for themselves. It has a certain pull without being too showy, and that’s what I liked about the movie. Meanwhile, this can split the audience. Parts that are slow may not be suitable for those looking for constant action or loud noise. Hokum is a process that requires patience and concentration. It asks the viewer to take in all of the sounds, images, and pause.
Though it has everything going for it, I still felt that it fell just short of being an all time horror classic. I wanted to explore the witch mythology a bit more and for the supporting hotel characters to be a little more involved. They are interesting additions, but aren’t fully used in the screenplay. The emotional impact could have been even deeper with more depth in these areas.
Nevertheless, the pay-off is worth the price of admission. The end-of-theatre moments were quite memorable. There was no one around me who spoke. The quiet within the auditorium seemed to be a part of the film. At the end, I was mentally exhausted, and this is the best praise I can offer a psychological horror movie.
The thought of seeing Hokum when it’s just you at home at night, probably sounds even scarier than it would in a packed theatre. It’s the kind of horror movie that sneaks up on you at night when you’re alone because it’s late, and it’s in the dark.
Rating: 4/5
