Hokum (2026) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Damian McCarthy

Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot

Release Date: August 11, 2026

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

When novelist Ohm Bauman (Scott) 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.

‘Hokum’ follows reclusive novelist Ohm Bauman who is struggling to find the right ending to the final installment in his popular novel trilogy. Deciding to stay at a remote retreat in order to spread his parents’ ashes in a place they loved and to hopefully find some new inspiration for work, various eerie images and numerous rumors from the staff and locals lead him to the mystery of the inn’s self-proclaimed haunted Honeymoon Suite that now remains permanently locked due to talk of a witch living within. But when a kind member of the staff who helped him vanishes mysteriously, Ohm can’t help but try and help find her, although the truth of what he might uncover will be a test he never could have anticipated.

Written and directed by Damian McCarthy (Oddity, Caveat) who does a very nice job at the helm of ‘Hokum’ guiding along the creepy and emotional tale with style and a persistent eeriness. The film’s cast includes Adam Scott (TV’s Severance), Peter Coonan (King Frankie), David Wilmot (Hamnet), Michael Patric (A Dog’s Purpose), Will O’Connell (TV’s Game of Thrones), Brendan Conroy (The Green Knight), Florence Ordesh (TV’s Cold Courage), Austin Amelio (TV’s Fear the Walking Dead), and more, with most offering largely capable and solid performances in their roles.

‘Hokum’ is a largely solid, creepy and well-constructed tale of uncertainty, solitude and the long-unanswered question of what might be hiding in the dark. Following a struggling writer attempting to conclude his beloved book trilogy who ends up in a world of uncertainty, terror and danger when he opts for staying at an out of the way inn while visiting a beloved location to his parents where he scatters their ashes. It’s a tense, uneasy and engaging tale that also retains a persistent eeriness and uncertainty always looming throughout as our lead tries to make sense of supernatural rumors and whispers of witches. As you might expect with this sort of tale, Ohm has his demons and he must try to piece together a terrifying situation that has no clear explanation, while also being forced to confront the horrors of his past along the way.

The film is packed with indelible imagery and an atmosphere that elicits unease, although many of the surprises and turns it takes are fairly obvious from early on, with comments and events leading the viewer to a clear idea of what haunts the man before all is fully unveiled. There are some surprises and rewarding shocks and jumps along the way, and while a few revelations and occurrences are somewhat underwhelming there is plenty to love about this haunting tale and lead Adam Scott does a great job at the forefront throughout helping to keep it from losing its way.

Overall, ‘Hokum’ offers a creepy, engaging and well-acted tale of a reclusive author who stays at a beloved secluded inn and ends up in a truly horrifying situation that will test the limits of his resolve and beliefs. It may not work perfectly in every area, but as a whole it’s an unnerving, tense and solid horror film that benefits significantly from the capable work of filmmaker Damian McCarthy and lead star Adam Scott. ‘Hokum’ is definitely recommended for any genre fans that appreciate a capably constructed haunted hotel tale that also has some other surprises and eerie occurrences in store to keep viewers on their toes. If you’re already even mildly interested in this one and enjoy a creepy and entertaining horror flick then this one is probably worth taking the time to give a whirl.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Hokum’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks very good in many respects and it provides a frequently clean, sharp and capable presentation for much of its duration although it does also suffer from a few hiccups such as some instances of noticeable banding and occasional artifacts and imperfections arising during some of the film’s many extremely dark scenes. Detail is solid on characters, creepy locations and exteriors, while the HDR fine tunes the luscious outdoor scenery and other tidbits along the way, and black levels usually remain deep, rich and solid barring a few exceptions. Overall, this is a pretty solid Ultra High Definition presentation that has some occasional issues but holds up well for the most part and should largely satisfy both fans and first time viewers.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack delivers a crisp, clean and splendidly immersive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly utilizes all five available channels in order to send eerie music, creepy noises and jump scare effects, along with plenty more overtaking the various speakers whenever appropriate, while always ensuring that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible. Overall, this is a great 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that does its job well and consistently complements and enhances the terror and creepy vibe of the viewing experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Hokum’ features a few entertaining extras including an ‘Audio Commentary with Damian McCarthy’, in addition to the Behind the Scenes Featurette ‘The Making of Hokum’ (running approximately 16 minutes in length) which includes interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. Also included is ‘Jack the Donkey, a Family Favorite’ (running approximately 2 minutes), along with the film’s ‘Teaser’ (1 minute) and ‘Trailer’ (2 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

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‘Hokum’ Arrives on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD on August 11, 2026 & is Now Available on Digital from NEON & Decal Releasing

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You can purchase ‘Hokum’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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