For the first time in my life I felt really scared while watching a movie. The haunting experience of is still vibrating in my brain. Hokum is a journey where surreal terror reigns. Written and directed by Damian McCarthy, this story delivers scenes where mental health and creativity clash. McCarthy has a vision for showcasing stress and life scenarios that take a continued toll. Adam Scott plays the lead role. I am grateful that I got to see him speak and promote Hokum at CinemaCon this year during the Neon presentations. Hokum is an audacious film full of unexpected delights.

Adam Scott plays Ohm Bauman, a book author with a mixed reputation. He spends his lonely hours writing and utilizing his deep thoughts to add layers to his writing. As he consumes glasses of whiskey, his search for a story is always on the horizon. For Ohm, however, finding the keys to his story puts him in a bind. After the loss of his parents, he decides to visit an Irish Inn. He does this so he can go and scatter their ashes. He also wants to dedicate more time to his writing in the solitude of the Inn. The whole experience takes a considerable toll on his mental health because the Inn apparently has strange, disturbing things happening in it. With a closed Honeymoon Suite and other weird circumstances, Ohm finds himself in the center of danger.

For Ohm, the terrors of his childhood rumble. His stay at the Inn continues to alter his mind to a point where his mental condition is seriously impacted. He develops a friendship with a staff member named Fiona (Florence Ordesh) and with an outsider named Jerry (David Wilmost). The sketchy employee of the Inn is named Mal (Peter Coonan). When Ohm begins to realize that different elements are shifting, Mal is always trying to cover his tracks. What did Ohm walk into? Was going to Ireland the right choice? What is he trying to get with his story? Is the trip even about his story? Did he walk into a new nightmare? The doors of terror open and slam shut in the most gut-wrenching and spellbinding ways. Hokum involves deep searches for answers and survival.

Hokum blew my mind. I was invigorated by the mazes presented throughout the movie and the weird angles of the Inn. Scott also kills it. His attitude as a struggling writer adds depth to the terror especially since he is playing someone unaware in the beginning. But then as evidence evolves, he finds himself trying to put the various pieces together. It is somewhat like his performance in Severance, but this time the things he is encountering are really happening and leading to inevitable nightmares. He cannot escape his unforgettable and negative past. However, his new mission is to find what he walked into and deal with it. He can still be a good person and a good writer if he can escape what he’s lurking in this nightmare of a location. Three out of four stars for Hokum.