Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Writer finds bloody terror in a haunted Irish hotel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Hokum
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In HOKUM, Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is a writer who's putting the finishing touches on his latest novel. He goes through his late parents' things and decides to travel to Ireland's Bilberry Woods Hotel, where they once honeymooned, to spread their ashes. There Ohm meets hermit Jerry (David Wilmot), who lives in a camper in the woods and is said to have murdered his wife. The hotel is preparing for its annual Halloween celebration, but Ohm only wants to drink. At the bar, he starts chatting with hotel bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh), then gets drunk and confrontational and goes to his room. Fiona has a bad feeling and checks on him, only to discover that he tried to hang himself. When Ohm is released from the hospital, he returns to the hotel to speak to her but finds that she went missing on Halloween night. He also learns about the closed-off Honeymoon Suite, which is supposedly haunted by a witch. He decides to stick around to find out what happened to Fiona.
Is It Any Good?
While this horror movie is a little short on story and scares, it makes up for those drawbacks with Scott's caustic performance and an irresistible Ireland-Halloween-haunted-hotel atmosphere. Written and directed by Damian Mc Carthy (Caveat, Oddity), Hokum takes its biggest risk in casting Scott, who specializes in stingingly arrogant, rude characters. He takes that route here with Ohm Bauman, although he expands his repertoire to include remorse and curiosity, as well as trauma from a childhood tragedy. In other words, he makes this flawed character interesting.
That said, the images from Ohm's novel are effective but don't add much to the movie overall, and there's little reason for him to stay for a full week at the hotel and treat everyone there with such disdain. So the story drags a little, and then the ultimate Big Bad, a witch, feels fairly familiar. But there isn't a scene that goes by that doesn't sing with the richness of Ireland, as well as the amazing hotel, whose lobby is decorated with models populated by nightmare-inducing figurines of children. Hokum is the kind of movie that makes horror hounds want to live inside of it, as long as they keep on the lookout for stray witches.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Hokum's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared? How is this different from real-life trauma?
How is drinking depicted? Do characters drink too much? Are there consequences? Is alcohol glamorized?
How does the movie depict trauma? Has the main character faced his trauma? In what ways does it become part of the story?
Do you think Ohm Bauman finds redemption in the end? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 1, 2026
- Cast : Adam Scott , Florence Ordesh , David Wilmot
- Director : Damian McCarthy
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Neon
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy ( Ghosts ) , Holidays ( Halloween ) , Travel
- Run time : 107 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some violent/disturbing content, and language
- Last updated : April 28, 2026
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