Hokum

Grade: A-

The hotel in Hokum looms ominously, from the first time we see it. It’s a character of its own – and, naturally, I thought of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining. Above the front entrance, it just says “hotel” in tall, foreboding capital letters. I loved a nighttime shot where two flashlight beams travel from the top of the front window downward, as two people make their way towards it. Hokum is one of the best Stephen King stories he didn’t write. I previously said that about Weapons.

This is writer/director Damian McCarthy’s third feature film, after Oddity and Caveat. Both of those titles went unseen by me, and had casts that featured not one name I recognized. Now, with Hokum, he got distribution from Neon, and was able to secure Adam Scott as the star. I’ve never watched Severance or Parks and Recreation, but even those who have may see new sides of him. Throughout Hokum’s 107 minutes, I was put off my his rudeness to other characters, I sympathized with him, I rooted for him, I thought he was funny, and I thought he was convincing as an action star. He has to do so much, including in the middle act, where it’s basically a one-man show – but he can carry a film.

He plays Ohm Bauman, a famous horror novelist. The ending of his current work in progress is Hokum’s opening scene. His parents are long deceased, and he travels to Ireland to stay at the hotel where they honeymooned, and scatter their ashes near the property. The Honeymoon Suite, he is told, has been locked up for years, because it’s believed to be haunted. Bauman finagles his way up there, to investigate after the disappearance of Fiona (a wonderful Florence Ordesh), one of the hotel employees who helped Bauman out in a way I won’t reveal. Yes, Hokum is part Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew (potential) murder mystery, and the movie is doing so many things, that I quickly tossed that out. And I haven’t even talked about an early scene that was looking like it would be Adam Scott’s last.

It lives in pure horror territory during Baumann’s time up in the Honeymoon Suite. I liked it better than Stephen King’s short story 1408, which had a paranormal activity buff spending a night in a haunted hotel room. There are jump scares and disturbing visuals, but what hit me the most were the sound effects. I don’t like jump scares, but one of the best I’ve experienced is the one that involves a TV, and the viewer learning a significant detail about Bauman’s backstory. I can’t believe I didn’t pick up on it before, given what we were already shown. I jumped, and then I laughed, thinking “they got me with that?” This minute or two is a triumph in writing, camera work, and makeup. I loved everything about it, and shouldn’t even begin to say more in any form.

The score, sets, lighting, costumes, and cinematography all succeed with flying colors at bringing us into an old-timey Irish inn, rife with history. You will need to pay extra attention to keep the supporting male characters straight; I could have used more differentiation between all the similar-looking, similarly-named Irish men. I’m not sure we needed a lame, cheap reveal in one of the last scenes, but the movie doesn’t suffer too much because of it. There is a persistent symbolic through-line regarding dealing with your past, but it’s not beaten over our heads in a silly Blumhousey way.

The original House on Haunted Hill, with Vincent Price, ended with us finding out that there was nothing supernatural happening. Everything was achieved through characters pulling wires and various other tricks behind the scenes, to mess with the guests. There is a way to explain everything away in Hokum. It’s up to the viewer to decide if that’s the case. These words flew off my fingers in one sitting. Hokum is bursting with life, personality, and will awaken your imagination. I will be buzzing about it for a long time.

Grade: A-