Hokum

Even though i have been mostly to Scotland over the years, i did visit Ireland as well to explore the city of Dublin. The biggest reason i went there in the first place, was to see one of my personal favourite bands of my life, which is the Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Amazing concert and a wonderful night where Stereophonics proved they still deliver after so many years, where i especially experienced the song We Share The Sun live. But since i was staying for about a week in Dublin i decided to see some historical places around the city. For example i went to see Guiness Storehouse, the world famous Guiness museum with 7 floors filled with history, pictures, you get to see brewing history, how Guiness became such an iconic brand all over the world and much more. If you love alcohol and history as well, this is the perfect museum to visit. If you want to relax after checking out all 7 floors of this museum, you can get a drink at the 7th floor at The Gravity Bar. I did walk around the famous Dublin Castle, very beautiful and i can totally understand why the Irish people are proud of this historical castle. Let´s stay within Ireland but let´s talk about a film that was filmed in this country. Did you know that the 2014 horror film Dracula Untold was actually filmed in Northern Ireland? This is a horror film that divided a lot of horror fans, some people enjoyed it while others have several issues with this film. I personally enjoyed this film, it´s not one of the better Dracula related movies but as a horror film it does deliver some solid horror entertainment. Actor Luke Evans as Vlad The Impaler is a fun acting performance, i also have to mention legendary actor Charles Dance does a great performance as Master Vampire. There are some fun battle scenes in this film if you love historical references. Worth a watch on streaming. How many of you saw the 2024 excellent horror film Oddity from Irish director Damian McCarthy? A very fascinating story and really well made, Oddity really surprised me. I really enjoyed this film and i remember hearing about his upcoming film Hokum that was being filmed in Ireland. It was recently released on physical media here in Sweden so of course i had to pick up a copy and review this film as well. Is this just as good as Oddity or is Hokum not as powerful as i was hoping it would be?

American author Ohm Bauman ( Adam Scott ) is a struggling writer who is trying to finish his conclusion to his succesfull "Conquistador" trilogy. After glimpsing the ghost of his mother, Ohm decides to visit The Bilberry Woods Hotel in rural Ireland, where his parents had honeymooned, to lay their ashes to rest. What starts off as an ordinary hotel visit is about to become more strange, in a number of different ways....

If you have seen the 2024 horror film Oddity you might remember how good that film was capturing a very creepy atmosphere, surrounding a very odd wooden full body figure. Even if Hokum tell a completey different story than Oddity, that same creepy atmopshere can be found in Hokum as well. It is almost as if director Damian McCarthy wanted to keep that feeling that Oddity managed to do, make you feel engaged into the story and the characters. Honestly, i would say that this might be the best looking film from director Damian McCarthy. It is a very dark portrait of a depressed writer in the dark Irish landscape, and this combinaion works really well combined . I love the acting by the entire cast including the Irish actors, and the biggest surprise to me personally is how good lead actor Adam Scott ( who i really enjoyed in the American comedy TV series Parks and Recreation ) is as the author Ohm Bauman. One of the reasons why he is so good in this performance, is because his character is a really big asshole, who have no respect for anyone. And this matches well with the story since we are in a very dark place, a hotel that seems to be stuck in time and no big changes have been made within these walls. Bauman is exactly like the hotel, he doesn´t want any changes just minding his own business. The mystery of what is happening within this hotel is told in a fascinating, yet simple way that reminded me a little bit of the Australian horror film The Babadook ( a film everyone should see ). Not that these films have a similar plot, but they are both horror films with a very creepy atmopshere. Hokum is a really good horror film that proves you don´t need lots of blood or gory scenes, as long as you can tell a very effective horror story. Director Damian McCarthy could be one of the most promising horror director´s we have seen in a long time, and with Hokum he really proves that he knows exactly what he is doing with this genre. Lesson learned, never trust a suspicious Irish hotel, just book the most blend Bed & Breakfast hotel you can find instead.

Rating: DDDD