I’m excited for Daily Dead readers to start seeing Hokum in theaters. This film was a huge crowd-pleaser at The Overlook Film Festival, and, if you loved Oddity, you’re going to really enjoy Damian McCarthy’s haunted hotel story. I recently had a chance to speak with McCarthy for a discussion about developing the story, the film’s themes, building his haunted hotel, and working with Adam Scott.
“When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past.”
Spoiler Warning: Hokum‘s themes and character arcs are discussed at a high level, so see the movie first if you’d rather be 100% spoiler-free.
Written and Directed by Damian McCarthy and Starring Adam Scott. In theaters on May 1st, 2026