HOKUM

Hokum (2026)

Directed by: Damian McCarthy

The lead character is good at pissing people off. With his apathetic attitude, it’s also hard to care about his journey or whatever he’s trying to accomplish.

His portrayal lessens the impact of the jumpscares. Even though some scenes are genuinely scary, they feel almost normal because he always seems unfazed by them.

As a novelist whose craft depends on curiosity and keen observation, his complacency and reluctance to seek answers is disappointing. Rather than pursuing the truth behind the place, he passively waits for answers to reveal themselves.

There’s a noticeable effort to make the people around him look mysterious, and it doesn’t feel authentic. These characters contribute little to enrich the narrative.

Jumpscares are too polished, arriving when you expect them the most. The witch lady, or whoever she is, does her job well at creeping people out. She deserves to have her own show.

Just as the horror begins to build momentum, the movie holds itself back instead of pushing it to the next level. Coming face-to-face with the witch, the main character literally sleeps through the encounter, draining the tension completely.

Confrontation with guilt and trauma isn’t cathartic. The puzzle surrounding whether the events truly happened is clever writing. But the movie is too weak in developing its story for that mystery to even matter.

In the end, the movie sinks into the same 𝘩𝘰𝘬𝘶𝘮 it intends to portray.

𝐇𝐎𝐊𝐔𝐌

Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O’Connell, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio

Screenplay by: Damian McCarthy

Presented by: Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Team Thrives, Spooky Pictures, Tailored Films, Cweature Features

Release Date: May 6, 2026 in Philippine cinemas nationwide

A Movie Review by: Goldwin Reviews