Hokum
Hokum
Starring Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh
Directed by Damian McCarthy
Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is a struggling writer trying to find an ending to his famous Conquistador trilogy when he's haunted by visions of his dead mother. Taking it as a sign, he takes his parents' ashes to the Bilberry Woods Hotel in rural Ireland to spread their ashes, since it's where they spent their honeymoon. While staying at the small hotel he meets the quirky employees, including desk clerk Mal (Peter Coonan), groundskeeper Fergal (Michael Patric), bellhop Alby (Will O'Connell) and bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh). Coming off as harsh and abrasive, Ohm just wants quiet while he spreads the ashes and deals with his inner demons, but things take a turn when one of the employees go missing, and local wild man Jerry (David Wilmot) is seen as the prime suspect. Choosing to stay and investigate himself, Ohm breaks into the hotel after it's closed for the season to get into the locked Honeymoon Suite, which is said to be haunted by a witch, in order to find the missing employee. What he finds is a murder mystery, a witch, and supernatural memories of his past that threatens to chain him up for all eternity.
Damian McCarthy has really come into his own, creating his own path in the horror genre. He blends the realism with the supernatural in unique ways, providing both a murder mystery and a supernatural story to boot. "Oddity" did that expertly, and "Hokum" managed to make it even more...expert. While it's easy to compare both films due to their one-location setting, Irish mystical roots, generalized story and flawed characters, both are their own entity that should be appreciated on their own. "Hokum" introduces the concept of the Irish witch that supposedly resides in the hotel's Honeymoon Suite, and how she can bind the tortured for the sins of their past.
Adam Scott is best known for his comedic roles, but here he sheds any sort of humor (for the most part, there are some comedic moments thrown in, but they're few and far between to help relieve the tension) and proves that he won't be typecast as a singular genre actor. Ohm is flawed and abrasive, but we learn through his life how he was formed that way, and the demons of his past that have come back to haunt him. You see the tension, the fear, the doubt and the anger in his eyes, even when he doesn't say a word he speaks volumes. He's not your typical horror hero, but someone who, at first, you wish would see his comeuppance. Then, throughout the movie, as his own life mystery unravels, he becomes a flawed yet sympathetic character, proving McCarthy's ability to write a multi-layered character that's more than the sum of his parts.
The mystery in the movie surrounds the disappearance of an employee and the way the rest of the hotel employees don't really seem to care. They already think they know what happened, and there's no use searching the abandoned Honeymoon Suite since it's been locked up for a long time - even though one character supposedly saw the spirit of the missing employee pointing to it. This is what blends the mystery and the supernatural: both work in tandem to unravel the case, while providing frightening jump scares that are actually placed perfectly as opposed to being thrown in because no actual story is being told. The dread is palpable, especially when Ohm finds himself stuck in the Honeymoon Suite with no other employees around - and that's when the true terror takes place.
While watching the movie I couldn't help but notice several nods to another classic haunted hotel story, "The Shining." While driving to the hotel, Ohm drives down desolate roads that is reminiscent of "The Shining's" opening. Ohm himself is a struggling writer who is battling his own demons like Jack Torrence. The hotel is closed for the season, much like the Overlook. Even Ohm's last name is similar to Stephen King's pseudonym Richard Bachman.
Behind the scenes, McCarthy reunites with old friends to craft an unforgettable film. Director of Photography Colm Hogan (who he worked with in "Oddity") mesmerizes the screen with utilizing framing, negative space and shadows that are locked in Ohm's point of view, leaving us to wonder what is in the dark as much as Ohm wonders. One of the better uses of this is in the opening, but there's numerous other examples scattered throughout.
Then editor Brian Philip Davis provides a flowing rhythm throughout the movie, gliding around haunted chambers and small, dimly lit corridors once again through Ohm's point of view that blends the suspense and drama. Adding in set designer Ciana McKenna who provides a multi-layered, perfectly designed set piece along with Joseph Bishara's haunting score and you've got all the makings for an excellent haunted house murder mystery.
The Score: A+
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