The Setup
Hokum centers on Ohm Bauman, a famous novelist struggling with existential despair following his parents' deaths. Carrying their ashes, he travels to the Billberry Woods Hotel in rural Ireland where his parents honeymooned. The hotel is a quaint old hunting lodge with an eerie atmosphere, where the elderly owner tells tales of a witch that once haunted the grounds. The honeymoon suite is mysteriously off-limits.
Character Arc and Conflict
Ohm begins as a troubled, somewhat unlikeable character plagued by suicidal ideation, symbolized by a revolver he keeps in a wooden box. At the hotel, he develops a connection with Fiona, a bartender. A tragedy occurs, and when Ohm awakens from a hospital stay a month later, he discovers Fiona has been missing for weeks and police are investigating a local tramp who may be involved. The film follows Ohm's emotional journey as he softens throughout the story, ultimately learning that it might be worth saving himself and continuing to live.
Setting and Atmosphere
Much of the film takes place in the hotel's dingy, grotesque honeymoon suite where Ohm finds himself largely alone. The space functions almost as a character itself, with the room's dark, unsettling atmosphere and bizarre, frightening details creating constant psychological terror. Director McCarthy captures the isolation and claustrophobia of the setting against the backdrop of the beautiful Irish countryside near Skibbereen in West Cork.
Genre and Themes
Hokum is an Irish folklore horror film that explores psychological torment and supernatural elements. The opening depicts the dark, violent fiction Ohm writes—a conquistador and child in a desert, setting the tone for his troubled mindset. The film represents a reversal of typical horror arcs: rather than an innocent character becoming hardened, Ohm gradually softens and finds value in life, with the horror serving his emotional transformation. 
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