Hokum Director Damian McCarthy Has Defined a Horror Style All His Own

Hokum director Damian McCarthy has defined a horror style all his own

Like Alfred Hitchcock and his love of a good director’s cameo, blonde actresses, and Jimmy Stewart, director Damian McCarthy is developing his own set of visual signatures. After a handful of early YouTube horror shorts, the Irish director made the leap to features with the creepy psychological mystery Caveat. A few years later, he returned to the scene of the crime (the Irish countryside) for Oddity, which centered on a murder, cursed objects, …

‘Hokum’ is a fun but flawed folktale

3.5 out of 5.0 stars3.5 Damian McCarthy’s highly anticipated sophomore horror outing “Hokum” released in theaters worldwide May 1. After he delivered well-directed and effective scares in his previous movie “Oddity,” horror fans have been eagerly awaiting McCarthy’s second outing. Much of the hype surrounding the project was about how, unlike many modern “elevated” horror films, McCarthy actually scares the audience. The big question is: does “H…

‘Hokum’ Review: Adam Scott Leads a Chilling Descent Into Madness

At first glance, the setting for Hokum seems simple and familiar within the horror genre—a small, eerie, secluded hotel in Ireland, possibly haunted by a witch. However, as the title suggests, there’s more to the story than just a haunting. Director Damian McCarthy, known for the chilling Oddity in 2024, crafts a tightly woven, occasionally very frightening narrative that leads both the characters and us on a disturbing journey of discovery.  Oh…

'Hokum' Review: A Solid Spookhouse Throwback

John Dotson reviews the Neon distributed film Hokum, directed by Damian McCarthy and starring Adam Scott, Florence Odesh, and more.

Review – Hokum ⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Hokum writer director, Damian McCarthy, teams up with Severance’s Adam Scott to weave a claustrophobic tale of ancient, folk horror set against the backdrop of rural Ireland. We follow Ohm Bauman, a published fantasy author struggling to confidently cap off an extremely popular trilogy of books. Having seemingly never seen The Shining, he’s come across the pond […] The post Review – Hokum ⭐️⭐️⭐️ appeared first on The Edinburgh Reporter.

Adam Scott checks in to a haunted inn in ‘Hokum’ - TPR: The Public's Radio

In the satisfying new horror movie Hokum, Adam Scott plays a misanthropic writer who takes his parents' ashes to the lonely Irish inn where they honeymooned many years ago. There’s just a few things dampening his stay: surly staff, a local eccentric and a witch haunting the hotel. Hokum was directed by Damian McCarthy, known for making similarly spooky films like Caveat and Oddity.  Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/n…