Films involving witches tend to be relatively straight forward. There’s a witch. The witch is bad and doing bad things. Scene. Damien McCarthy took this overly simple structure and made it a sidequest. Yes, at it’s core, McCarthy’s latest film, ‘Hokum’ is a horror film, but it’s so much more at the same time. The film utilizes a litany of different genres, weaving a web of different stories that hurtle towards the same end. ‘Hokum’ is a stained glass window. A million different pieces that blend to create the bigger picture. While it’s not without it’s faults, they are so few and far between they’re almost not worth mentioning, providing one of the best theater experiences of the year.
Ohm Bauman has had a complicated life, leading him to become a writer. After developing writer’s block and needing time away, he finally decides to dispose of his parent’s ashes at the Irish inn where they had gone for their honeymoon. An Irish inn that just so happens to be inhabited by a witch. While the story seems quite vanilla and run of the mill, it’s merely a sidequest for something far larger and sinister that has been going on at the inn.
Into the Dark
‘Hokum’ is a dark and brooding film that marinates within the darkness. The brilliance in that choice is that it never gets lost. Damien McCarthy manages to brilliantly weave every web perfectly as the film hurtles towards it’s climax. I found myself genuinely surprised at times with how effortlessly McCarthy brought each lose thread into play. Weaving a tapestry of brilliance that built the smoothest roller coaster ride I’ve ever been on. I can’t wait to ride again.
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McCarthy’s use of narrative is matched by his use of genre. ‘Hokum’ presents as a horror film, but it’s also a mystery thriller with a dash of action and comedy. It’s part drama. The film is a truly a genre salad that works exceptionally well. The use of genre helps the narrative to stay on pace and on track. The complex narrative and genre bending nature of this film have provided audiences with one of the most creative films that I have seen in a long time.
(Un)Luck of the Irish
Setting the film in Ireland gave McCarthy the perfect palette with which to paint upon. The Irish woodland provided the appropriate amount of creepy to match the dark and witchy tone of the film. The cinematography throughout ‘Hokum’ is utterly brilliant, highlighting the beauty of the countryside. It serves just as much as a travel video as it does a narrative horror film.
Ireland lent, not only it’s beauty, but it’s folklore. The folklore serves as an accent to the story that gives the overall narrative more depth. It’s also familiar. Many people are familiar with witches and the folklore that follows them. It helps root the story with a level of reality as something darker and more sinister is afoot.
The Brilliance of Adam Scott
Adam Scott plays a narcissistic, jerk like no other. It’s genuinely the only role I’ve ever seen him play and yes, I know that’s more of a me problem than a him problem, but he does it so well, it only makes sense that he would continue to be cast in those roles. The thing is ‘Hokum’ pulls from so many of Scott’s other talents that this performance may very well be remembered as his finest. Simply put, Adam Scott is brilliant.
The introverted cynicism with which Scott protrays Bauman hits harder as the story unfolds. It’s clear that there is more to the tormented antagonist and as he descends into the dark the audience is brought deeper and deeper into the figurative dark that infects Bauman’s mind. Always one for a quip, Scott does flex his comedic muscles, but he also portrays some of the dramatic that many who love him in the AppleTV series, ‘Severance, know him for. Scott puts on a clinic of acting precision, keeping pace with the genre bending of his director.
Final Thought:
‘Hokum’ is one of those films that I’m going to be talking about for a really long time. Like a kernel shell, it’s stuck in my tooth begging me to get back to a cinema to see it again. Flawed minimally, Damien McCarthy has provided one of the truly brilliant horror thrillers of the decade.
