McCarthy's 'Hokum' with Adam Scott: SXSW Review
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- Damian McCarthy's third feature "Hokum" premiered at SXSW 2026, with Neon releasing it theatrically Friday, May 1
- Adam Scott stars as Ohm Bauman, a bitter alcoholic novelist who travels to the Billberry Woods Hotel on Halloween to scatter his parents' ashes and procrastinate on his "Conquistador Trilogy"
- The film's centerpiece scare takes place inside a dumbwaiter, where DP Colm Hogan uses shadow and darkness to crop the composition from 16:9 into a claustrophobic 4:3 ratio
- McCarthy's previous film "Oddity" (2024) contained what the review calls the scariest scene of that year, and all three of his features share themes of Irish Catholic guilt, folklore, and creepy dolls
- The Billberry Woods Hotel setting features goats that attack guests' cars while they trip on mushrooms, with supporting cast including Will O'Connell as a bellboy and Florence Ordesh as a missing bartender
- The review criticizes the film's second act for losing focus with excessive backstory, but praises its tight classical filmmaking and clean, decisive cuts as a counterweight to years of attempts to "elevate" the horror genre
Why it matters: The review positions "Hokum" as a top-tier 2026 horror contender and marks McCarthy's biggest swing yet, pairing an A-list Hollywood lead (Scott) with his signature enclosed-space scares. For horror audiences fatigued by genre "elevation," the film offers a return to straightforward ghost-story craftsmanship, though its second-act bloat is a clear warning sign for a director whose three features have each improved on the last.
