[Rating: Solid Rock Fist Up]
One of my favorite horror films has always been The Shining. There’s something about a haunted hotel with secrets buried deep in the foundation that just gives me chills. In fact, another Stephen King hotel story, 1408 is another inspiring spooky flick! In that same vein, Irish horror director, Damian McCarthy is back with his third feature, Hokum, that adds into the canon of horror yet another hotel to check out of as soon as possible!
Author Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is experiencing some writer’s block. As a successful author to a series about a Conquistador, Ohm is deciding how to end the series. He sees glimpses of his long dead mother, and takes it upon himself to visit Ireland. In Ireland, he travels to the Bilberry Woods Hotel, a place that holds meaning to his mother, and a place where he can scatter her and his fathers ashes. Ohm is told by the staff members, including bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh) that the Honeymoon suite is haunted by a witch that the owner has trapped inside. Ohm thinks this is all hokum, just a story that the hotel can tell to bring in customers.
Concerned for his well being, Fiona checks in on Ohm who has hung himself by the rafters of his bedroom. Recovering in the hospital, Ohm learns from the staff that Fiona has disappeared. The one suspect is a man named Jerry (David Wilmot) who lives on the grounds of the Bilberry. Jerry believes that Fiona has been taken to the Honeymoon suite somehow, and is being held there by the witch. Together with Ohm, the two travel upstairs to see what lies beyond the elevator doors. Their plans take a detour when Jerry is taken by desk clerk Mal (Peter Coonan), leaving Ohm by himself in the hotel room. From here, all hell breaks loose!
Once Scott enters the honeymoon suite, the level of eerie just increases! It’s dark, dismal, and terrifying what McCarthy delivers in this hotel room. The set design of what the audience can see adds depth to Ohm’s inner psyche and the pain he is experiencing through his journey and childhood guilt involving a demonic television show character, Jack the Jackass (Will O’Connell).
Hokum is my personal favorite of McCarthy. As an Irish director, he dives into the lore of Ireland and takes the concept of a witch to a whole different level. This is one hotel I wouldn’t even want to step foot inside the lobby, let alone spend a Halloween night there!
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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