Oddity director Damian McCarthy puts the frighteners on Adam Scott in the enigmatic Hokum.
Not every Irish horror movie is folk horror. But, let’s face it, most of them are. That’s a feature, not a bug; Irish folklore and mythology offers a rich and rarely mined vein of horror – all else aside, it gives you license to make faeries the scary alien bastards they were always meant to be (all the cute nursery rhyme nonsense can be laid at the feet of 19th century English folklorists, in case you were wondering).
Which is not to say that Hokum, the third feature film from Irish director Damian McCarthy, is actually folk horror. But despite the trailer not giving too much away, it looks like it could be.
Man, I hope its faeries. That would rule so hard.
Hokum Trailer
What’s the plot?
As the brief official synopsis tells us:
When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past.
Okay, so, it’s a witch. I’ll take that. But maybe she’s a fae witch? I’m just trying to manifest something here.
Who’s in it?
Adam Scott is the oddly named Ohm Bauman, but apparently Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O’Connell, Michael Patric, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio, and Ezra Carlisle play characters who don’t get names yet. There’s probably a Patrick in there, though. Possibly even a Seamus.
When’s it out?
Hokum hits Australian cinemas on April 30.
What’s the vibe?
I really dig McCarthy’s stuff. 2020’s Caaveat flew under a lot of people’s radar, but it’s definitely worth running down, and 2024’s Oddity well and truly lives up to its name. If he brings this one home, he’ll be on my Always Watch list, and so far it looks like a safe bet.
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