There are films that are easily forgotten after viewing, but not Hokum. I was expecting very little from the movie, but came out thinking of some of the scenes in it. This is a movie with a unique storyline which can be dissected. If you have just seen Hokum or want to learn more about it, read on for my review of the movie and the story behind it.
Storyline Overview
Hokum follows Ohm, played by Adam Scott, as he travels to a quiet corner of Ireland carrying the ashes of his parents. The plan seems simple enough: visit a place connected to his family and scatter the ashes beneath a large tree. That's it. Nothing dramatic on paper, anyway.
Once he gets there, he just settles into a local hotel called Bilberry Woods to base himself for the journey. But before long, odd things begin happening around him—small at first, the kind of moments you might brush aside after a long day of travel. Then they become harder to ignore. I found that part interesting because the film doesn't rush straight into the horror. Instead, it lets the mystery build gradually, pulling Ohm deeper into a situation that's far stranger than he expected.
=×=×=×=SPOILER AHEAD=×=×=×=
Hokum Ending Explained
The ending begins when Jerry arrives at the hotel looking for Ohm. Mal lies and tells him that Ohm has already left for the airport, but Ohm is actually trapped inside the Honeymoon Suite. Spotting Jerry's car outside, Ohm repeatedly tries to get his attention by ringing the reception bell through a rope hidden in the room. A series of bad-timing moments prevents Jerry from hearing it, but when he returns to the hotel once again, he finally notices the ringing.
Suspicious of Mal, Jerry forces him to hand over the Honeymoon Suite key. Through the door, Ohm reveals the truth about Fiona. Fiona was pregnant with Mal's child, but because Mal was already married, he trapped her in the suite during Halloween. She eventually became connected to the hotel's hidden underground area, where the witch resides, and never escaped.
Before Jerry can rescue Ohm, Mal shoots him with a crossbow. His plan is to blame everything on Jerry and burn down the hotel, destroying any evidence. However, things quickly spiral out of his control.
As the hotel catches fire, Ohm heads underground and attempts to protect himself by witch drawing a chalk circle, but the witch captures him before he can finish it. Mal follows him below, hoping to retrieve a key and escape the hotel. Instead, the witch catches him as well, wrapping chains around him and dragging him deeper into the darkness.
Ohm also finds himself chained. It is here that he experiences a powerful moment involving his mother. Throughout the film, he has carried guilt connected to her death. Rather than blaming him, she forgives him and guides him toward something important. Earlier in the story, Fiona had saved Ohm when he was being hanged by cutting the rope with a blade. That same blade was Fiona left inside his jacket. Realizing this,
Ohm takes it back and frees himself from the chains.
Meanwhile, Mal appears to meet a far worse fate. The witch drags him deeper underground, and the film strongly suggests that he never returns.
To escape, Ohm heads for the underground lift. Earlier in the film, he had noticed that the lift only traveled downward and had no button to return to the surface. He also discovered that a nearby clock featured a golfer whose swing could activate a mechanism. Knowing this might become important, Oham had already set up a solution. Watching his wristwatch, he waits for the exact moment the golfer swings, triggering the mechanism and allowing the lift to move upward.
Ohm escapes the burning hotel but collapses outside. He later wakes up in a hospital, where Alby reveals that only Fiona's and Jerry's remains were found. No trace of Mal was ever recovered.
Alby also admits that he secretly put hallucinogenic mushrooms in Ohm's whiskey earlier in the story. This explains some of the film's stranger visions, though I don't think it means everything was imaginary. Some scenes—particularly those involving bizarre visions, fictional characters, and surreal encounters—may have been hallucinations rather than supernatural events. The mushroom reveal explains certain moments, but it doesn't neatly account for everything. That's what makes the ending interesting. It leaves us wondering where reality ends and where folklore begins.
The final scene ties back to Ohm's book. He changes the ending so that Conquistador not smashes a bottle over a boy's head. Instead, he asks the boy to do it to him. The boy refuses and throws the bottle away. It lands near a goat's head, creating one final symbolic image before the credits roll. Like much of Hokum, the meaning is left open to interpretation.
What I Liked About Hokum
The thing I enjoyed most about 'Hokum' was its atmosphere. From the vintage-looking hotel to the quiet Irish setting, the film creates a constant feeling that something isn't quite right. What kept me engaged wasn't necessarily the scares themselves, but the uncertainty surrounding everything. For a good portion of the movie, you're never completely sure whether the strange events are connected to local folklore or if there's another explanation hiding beneath the surface.
I also liked the pacing for the most part. A few scenes felt slightly stretched, but the story never lost my interest. Adam Scott delivers a decent performance, even if he isn't the main reason the film works.
As someone who enjoys folklore-based horror, this movie hit a sweet spot for me. The first half focuses more on mystery than jump scares, while the second half becomes increasingly unsettling as Ohm begins experiencing strange visions and events. By the end, I was still questioning how much of what happened was real and how much existed inside Ohm's mind, which made the story more interesting to think about afterward.
Related Articles
My Review & personal thoughts
After watching this film, I'm sure to give it a "high mark of 8.5/10". The main feature that makes "Hokum" stand out is a wonderful mixture of folklore, mystery, and psychological suspense with a great plotline. In contrast to modern horror films where the creator usually relies only on jump scares or gory elements, in 'Hokum' the director uses other techniques to keep viewers hooked. The film provokes a lot of questions from the viewer and gives a good dose of suspense as it goes, and sometimes it's hard to understand whether this or that element of the plotline is real or it's just a product of Ohm's imagination.
The best part of the film for me is its folklore-driven mystery. Witch, underground chamber, strange rules concerning the hotel, and the general impression that something is wrong about this whole situation provide an excellent atmosphere of intrigue. And regardless of whether the director tried to frighten the viewer or not, 'Hokum' creates a feeling of unease that is present in nearly every scene.
Speaking about the film's weaknesses, I don't think there is anything significant about them. Well, there was one point that was bothering me – the question of how this witch appeared in the Honeymoon suite and this mysterious system of the hotel means how the hotel owner trapped the witch in that specific place.I expected that the explanation of this question would be given a bit clearer. Maybe this fact is left intentionally vague, but it is one of the things that I'm not able to get rid of.
It's nice that the film does not spoil its mystery by the use of mushrooms at the end. Some films tend to give an explanation to everything, which is sometimes rather annoying for the viewer. But in 'Hokum' mushrooms appear in the right place: maybe they explain some visions of Oham, but definitely not all of them.
I liked the ending of the movie: had Ohm died after all that he passed through, I'm sure the impact would be a lot smaller. The fact that the main character managed to overcome his guilt, survive the hotel, and escape from it provides a good ending to this story that leaves some questions to think of.
Finally, I should say a few words about Damian McCarthy. Having watched 'Caveat' roughly a year ago, I was looking forward to seeing what he can do next. And for my taste, 'Hokum' turned out to be better than 'Caveat'. Of course, if I had to rate these films, I would give 'Caveat' 7.5/10 and 'Hokum' 8.5/10. Anyway, I think McCarthy is one of the underrated directors of modern horror. And although not everyone who likes this genre would appreciate 'Hokum', it's definitely worth watching.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Was the witch real in Hokum?
The film never gives a direct answer, but many of the events suggest the witch was genuinely real rather than being only a product of Ohm's hallucinations.
2. What happened to Mal at the end of Hokum?
Mal is dragged into the underground realm by the witch, and no trace of his body is ever found, strongly suggesting that he never escaped.
3. Did the mushroom reveal mean everything was imaginary?
No. The mushrooms may explain some of Ohm's stranger visions, but they don't fully explain the supernatural events surrounding the hotel and the witch.
4. Are Caveat, Oddity, and Hokum connected?
Yes. Damian McCarthy has confirmed that the films exist within the same universe, although each story can still be enjoyed on its own.
5. Why does the rabbit appear in both Caveat and Hokum?
The rabbit has become a recurring motif in Damian McCarthy's work. The director has explained that the image was inspired by a childhood movie memory and continues to appear as a subtle connection between his films.
My Interpretation of Hokum's Ending
My interpretation is that the witch was real. The mushroom reveal explains some of the stranger visions, such as the jackass scene and Ohm seeing characters from his own book, but I don't think it explains everything. One detail that stands out to me is the chain marks left on Ohm's wrists. If everything underground was only happening inside his mind, then how do those physical marks exist afterward?
I'm less certain about Ohm's mother. If the witch and supernatural elements are real, then it's possible his mother genuinely appeared to help him. If not, the scene could simply represent Oham finally confronting his guilt and forgiving himself.
As for Mal, I think the film strongly suggests that he never escaped from the underground chamber. His body is never found, which leaves the door open for different interpretations.
To me, the goat-head ending represents a way out. After the bottle is smashed on the goat's head, the story seems to suggest that the characters have finally found an escape from their situation, bringing the cycle to a different conclusion than the one we were expecting. My biggest unanswered question, though, is why the witch remained tied to the hotel and underground chamber. If she was truly that powerful, why wasn't she roaming freely outside?
=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×
Final thoughts
Overall, 'Hokum' was one of the more enjoyable horror films I've watched recently. The combination of folklore, mystery, and an ending that invites discussion kept me invested from start to finish. Interestingly, the word "hokum" traditionally means nonsense, trickery, or something that may not be entirely genuine, which feels fitting for a story that constantly makes us question what's real and what isn't. At the time of writing, availability may vary by region, so check your local streaming or rental platforms to watch it. I'm also excited to see what Damian McCarthy does next. Until then, thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next movie breakdown.
0 Comments