Video summary
The video review focuses on the 2026 horror film *Hokum*, written and directed by Damien McCarthy, who previously created the Shudder exclusives *Caveat* and *Oddity*. The reviewer rented the movie through Fandango at Home for $6.35, noting that it is not available on standard streaming services. Before diving into the analysis, the reviewer adds a disclaimer about their current health status and medication, which may affect their energy levels and clarity during the discussion. Having given *Caveat* a mixed rating but greatly improved marks to *Oddity*, the reviewer approached *Hokum* with high expectations, hoping it would represent the next evolutionary step in McCarthy's career, potentially surpassing his previous work.
The film stars Adam Scott as a writer suffering from severe writer's block and unresolved past trauma, leading him to check into a hotel where he is told about a locked honeymoon suite haunted by a witch. The plot thickens when the protagonist returns months later to find a new mystery has emerged, complicating the narrative with two distinct storylines: the supernatural witch element and this fresh mystery. The reviewer argues that while both aspects are present, the film fails to balance them effectively; the witch storyline feels secondary and less impactful than it should be, especially given the creepy atmosphere McCarthy is known for cultivating. Instead of leaning fully into the horror potential of the haunted room, the film seems to dilute its focus by introducing a new mystery that overshadows the primary supernatural threat.
Visually and sonically, the movie receives significant praise for its dark, claustrophobic aesthetic and effective use of lighting that keeps details visible despite the gloomy tone. The score is described as well-composed and not overused, while the sound design is highlighted as a standout feature that successfully heightens tension without relying solely on music. The reviewer notes that the film maintains a persistent sense of unease regarding the main character's surroundings and introduces quirky, interesting secondary characters, particularly Jerry, whose backstory could arguably warrant its own prequel. However, the narrative structure suffers from hints being dropped too early, which reduces suspense, and the second plot thread feels somewhat unconvincing and unnecessary, detracting from the overall cohesion of the horror experience.
In conclusion, the reviewer rates *Hokum* a strong three and a half out of five stars, acknowledging that while they enjoyed the film, it did not reach the heights of McCarthy's earlier work, *Oddity*, which remains their favorite. The ending is deemed decent enough to tie the loose threads together, but the decision to prioritize a new mystery over the established witch lore ultimately weakens the film's impact. The reviewer invites viewers to share their differing opinions in the comments, hoping to discuss how others interpreted the dual narrative elements and whether they missed any subtle details. Despite the flaws regarding plot balance, the strong atmosphere, sound design, and McCarthy's consistent direction make *Hokum* a worthwhile watch for fans of psychological horror, though it falls slightly short of being a masterpiece in his filmography.
Read the full video transcript
Thanks for checking out this movie
review video. This is for the 2026
release Hokum and I watched it through
Fandango at home. I rented it. I know
it's been out for a while, but I get to
these newer films at my own pace. I
rented it for $6.35.
That's including tax and everything
again through Fandango at home cuz it's
not streaming on any regular service you
would be subscribed to, so you know, or
I would be subscribed to at least.
Um so yeah.
Disclaimer real quick before I get
further into this video. Um I things may
sound a little bit off with me. My
energy may be a little bit lower than
normal cuz I believe I have the onset of
a sickness coming on and or
I'm taking a new medication
and that uh can cause drowsiness. So
that's been kind of it's called it's
been causing a little bit of fogginess
too. So um if I feel a little bit if I
seem a little bit off, it's probably
because I'm feeling it. But anyway, I'm
going to do my best. Anyway, Hokum. Uh
written and directed by Damien McCarthy
who also did Caveat and Oddity. I have
no spoiler reviews for both Caveat and
Oddity. I've been following McCarthy
because those first two films ended up
being on Shudder as Shudder exclusives.
So I got screeners for both of those and
put out non-spoiler reviews. So I really
wanted to see Hokum cuz I heard really
good things and
I was
excited because I believed it would be
that next step that McCarthy would be
making because I when I saw Caveat, I
gave it two and a half out of five
stars.
So obviously I was very in the middle on
it, but I saw some really good things in
it that I'm like, man, this person has
some really good stuff going. Would love
to see what else he can do. Then I got
the screener for Oddity and I really
liked Oddity. Gave it four out of five
stars and I was like, yes, this is what
I'm talking about. This is the big
improvement from Caveat. So then when I
heard that Hokum came out and it was
doing really well, unfortunately didn't
go to Shudder, so I didn't get a
screener. I was like very excited to
check this one out because maybe it's
that next level past Oddity. Maybe this
is a four and a half or a five. I'm
going to tell you right now, I did not
like this film as much as I liked
Oddity, but I liked it. So, wait for my
my rating at the end of the video.
This film stars Adam Scott, so a lot of
people know and love Adam Scott.
Uh
A lot of people be like, "Oh yeah, in
Severance." Or, you know, what whatever
else people identify him with. I
identify him a lot as the jerk brother
in Step Brothers. Um that's where my
mind goes a lot, but he is great in
Severance and every other thing I've
seen him in. So, a lot of people love
Adam Scott.
This film was done in Ireland as well as
United Arab Emirates, so it has some
very interesting scenery going on with
it. Although, the majority of the film
you are inside a little hotel.
So, the synopsis of it, Adam Scott plays
a character who is a writer who's
experiencing some writer's block issues.
And it is established immediately
he also has some like undealt with
trauma in his past, and I'm not going to
tell you specifically what it is cuz you
should kind of experience that on your
own cuz it's pretty distressing,
disturbing, and traumatizing.
Um so, that plays into the film as
things go on and cuz they throw it at
you like very early. You just know it's
going to play in into the film.
And he
wants to go away. He wants to get away
from his house. He wants to be able to
undo this writer's block. So, he goes to
this hotel where he is told that there's
a room, the honeymoon suite, that's
always locked because lore has it there
is a witch in there. It's haunted
because of this witch.
Um so, he is talking to like a bartender
about this, and then she's like I've
kind of always wanted to get in there
and he is so down on his luck and just
not doing great that
he does something that is drastic
and then
after all the fallout like things happen
which you don't see it's kind of like a
many months later or whatever that comes
up. Uh he goes back and finds out that
there's a new mystery that has popped up
since he was last there and I'm not
going to tell you what that is. But
the film ends up doing two things at the
same time and I'll just tell you right
now to me one of the biggest problems is
that that's what was happening.
Is they had the witch aspect of things
and then they had this other aspect of
this new mystery that pops up when he
comes back to the hotel and he's kind of
a different person uh cuz what he went
through.
And it just felt like the witch thing is
what they really should have glommed
onto and gone hard at and they didn't.
It's still in there and they're like
there is payoff with that like don't get
me wrong.
But
they I think they should have just done
that because it seems like it becomes
less important than what the mystery is
and I just don't think it was a good
idea to have this new mystery thing
outshine that witch aspect. Especially
because of what the atmosphere is for
the film and how it is like really
creepy and there's a lot of tension to
it. So anyway let me get to my notes
here.
I said that the opening sequence is very
effective at setting a disturbing tone
with a creepy atmosphere which I believe
Damien McCarthy does very well. Creepy
and disturbing is done very well with
McCarthy going all the way back to
Caveat.
Uh if you have seen his prior films this
feels very similar in a great way. You
will immediately be like yes this feels
like Caveat. Yes this feels like Oddity.
It has a very similar look. It's very
dark, but you can still see things with
how the lighting is done, so kudos on
that. And a lot of it is done in a
house, in some sort of structure.
There's there With McCarthy films,
you're you're not going to be outside a
whole lot. You're really not. So, it
gives it more of this kind of like
isolationist, claustrophobic feeling at
times.
Uh there's a pretty effective score
early on in the film. I really did like
the score. The composition was really
great. I don't think it was overused. I
don't think they cranked it too much to
scream at you, so kudos on that.
You get the feeling they're winking at
you pretty hard early on in the film,
which starts some theories with how
things will end up going. There are some
things I was able to kind of easily pick
up on in the film because I do think
that there were
hints that were too strong that were
thrown out there kind of early on in the
film.
So, that was kind of one of my minor
criticisms of it.
Um there is some good mystery created
and a persistent feeling that things are
off with the surroundings for this main
character at the hotel, outside of the
hotel, with the characters. A lot of
weird, interesting, quirky type
characters. The character of Jerry, if
you've seen the film, I think Jerry was
the best character, the most
interesting, and I would love to see
actually like a prequel, full-on movie
about Jerry. That would be super cool.
Um about 50 minutes in, it really ends
up stepping things up, and that's when a
lot more of the tension ends up coming
in. You start getting even deeper into
this new mystery thing that's going on.
Uh sound design, front and center with
this film. I love when films do that
type of stuff, cuz sound design is
really underappreciated in my opinion,
and really good sound design hits so
well and creep increases that tension,
increases that creep factor.
Love the sound design in this. So,
[snorts] so good. And those are the
moments, too, where you can just drop
out the score and it's even better for
the sound design then.
Uh it's shot really well and it has lots
of very effective imagery that ends up
being thrown into the film. So, not that
I wasn't surprised with that cuz
McCarthy did that with his
previous films.
Uh there's good tension for a good
amount of the film. Kind of already
ended up touching on that.
Uh again, there are two things that are
going on in this and one of them should
have been dropped because it doesn't
feel like it matters much. And like I
said, it should have been that new
mystery thing that ends up being dropped
or make that significantly more minor of
a thing. They just make that something
that's like a little additional that's
going on.
And I kind of feel like the way he wrote
that whole aspect of it
didn't even feel super
um convincing to me either. So, I think
there's a little bit of an issue with
that.
Uh the ending is decent though. So,
overall it comes together in the end and
overall I did enjoy the film. But like I
said,
I did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed
Audition. That's still in my opinion
McCarthy's best film. But I would give
Hold the Dark a very strong three and a
half out of five star rating.
But this is where I would like to hear
from other people. What are your
thoughts on this film? Go ahead and put
it down in the comments and we can talk
spoilers in the comments. That's totally
fine.
Um would love to hear other opinions,
especially differing ones. That that's a
big thing. I'm all about hearing
differing opinions and just having a
nice regular civil conversation about
that. Cuz maybe there's something I
missed. Maybe you can change my mind or
change my experience based off what
you've seen.
I like that stuff. But regardless, thank
you so much for taking your time. Please
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video and until next time, keep it
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