Hokum (2026)

Let me start with a bias that I’m not even going to pretend to hide.

I love Adam Scott.

Ever since Parks and Recreation, and then even more after Severance, he’s been one of those actors I’ll show up for no matter what. Genre doesn’t matter. Reviews don’t matter. If he’s in it, I’m at least intrigued.

So when I heard he was starring in a horror movie, I didn’t need a trailer. I don’t even think I watched one all the way through. Decision made.

There’s something very satisfying about seeing an actor you already like step into a genre that feels just slightly outside their usual lane and completely hold their own. In this case, Scott plays an author who heads to a secluded hotel in Ireland, carrying a mix of emotional baggage and creative frustration. He’s there to write, or at least attempt to write, and maybe work through some unresolved pieces of his past.

Naturally, that goes… poorly.

What starts as a quiet, introspective setup quickly turns into something much stranger. He gets pulled into a missing persons situation, and because of his connection to the individual involved, it becomes more than just curiosity. It turns into obligation. And from there, the story spirals into something increasingly layered, eerie, and just disorienting enough to keep you leaning forward.

Now, let’s talk about the horror element.

Is this movie terrifying? Not exactly.

Is it creepy? Definitely.

What it does have, which surprised me in more ways than one, is a solid number of jump scares. More than I’ve seen in a lot of recent horror releases, actually. And they work. They’re not all cheap or predictable, and they add a level of tension that keeps you from fully settling into the story.

That said, this isn’t the kind of movie that’s going to haunt your dreams. It’s more of a slow-burning unease layered with moments that make you physically react. A “don’t get too comfortable” kind of horror, rather than a “sleep with the lights on” one.

The atmosphere does a lot of the heavy lifting here.

The director, who also worked on Oddity (one of my favorites of recent years if you haven’t seen it), clearly has a style. And that style leans heavily into darkness. Not just metaphorically, but visually. The lighting throughout the film is dim, shadowy, and intentionally obscured.

Because of that, I cannot stress this enough. If you have the chance to see this in a theater, do it.

A dark room, a big screen, and that kind of cinematography? It just hits differently. Watching this at home with sunlight creeping in through the windows is not the same experience.

One element I found particularly interesting was how the movie plays with perception. There are moments involving substance use that blur the line between what’s actually happening and what might be imagined or distorted. And instead of clearly guiding you through that, the film kind of lets you sit in the confusion.

Which I actually liked.

It creates this layered uncertainty where you’re not entirely sure whose version of reality you’re watching. The character’s? Your own as the viewer? Something else entirely? It adds a psychological edge that keeps things from feeling too straightforward.

Now, is this a perfect movie?

No.

It’s not groundbreaking. It’s not going to redefine horror. And there are definitely moments where it feels like it could have gone just a little deeper or pushed things a bit further.

But it works.

And more importantly, it’s memorable.

Horror as a genre has been on a really strong run over the past few years, and while this year hasn’t had a clear standout for me yet, Hokum is probably the closest so far. Which, considering we’re not even halfway through the year, is a pretty solid place to be.

It’s engaging, atmospheric, occasionally unsettling, and anchored by a lead performance that makes the whole thing worth watching.

Also, I’d just like to point out something.

At one point, I casually said I wished someone would cast Adam Scott in a real horror movie.

And then this happened.

So if anyone needs me to start manifesting things on their behalf, I’m apparently available.