Hokum (2026)

If I haven’t made it very clear, or it isn’t blatantly obvious from my reviews, I am a big horror fan. But even I will admit that the majority of horror films that come out are just cash-grab slop built of lazy clichés and jump scares. That why I am always excited when a new horror film gets strong critical praise, and in this case that film was Hokum (2026). The film follows Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott), an American author who visits Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes after they had spent their honeymoon there. Staying in the same hotel as his parents did, he is dragged in to a world of mystery and the folklore that brings his own history to the fore.

Hokum is a film that I feel works for a wide group of horror fans. Do you like your horror films to have plenty of jump scares? This will work for you! Do you prefer your horror films to be a bit quieter and more visual with its scares? It starts a little more jump scare-y which had me a little worried, but as the film builds it blends its style of scares really well which makes it much more effective. And it is that building that the film does on all levels that really makes it work for me. The most obvious is the building of the tension within the film, which like all good horror films the film does extremely well. But also there are several narrative revelations that build throughout the film that I felt worked very well in creating intrigue but also creating a tone that allows you to come away from the film with multiple ideas about what may have happened. It’s a struggle to really delve into this one without going into spoilers so I won’t carry on, but I do definitely recommend giving this one a watch.