SAMHAIN PROJECT, SEASON 6: HOKUM

Hokum is a damn nifty little horror film. One of the best I’ve seen in a long time. It not only has moments that will actually make you jump (and there are several), it has tons of tone and atmosphere. Atmosphere that is extremely well set up by the moaning and humming that make up a large portion of the eerie score. I was trying to picture a person conducting a session to create this music, not getting goosebumps and the creeps from the process. There are also John Carpenter-esque segments to the score that are just outlandishly powerful. 

Adam Scott, who normally plays an asshole, (key moment: Stepbrothers) occupies another one here as an author who goes to Ireland to pay homage to his dead parents and dispose of their ashes in a place he felt would be appropriate. He ends up getting wrapped up in the legend of a witch in the honeymoon suite of the hotel he’s staying at. Horrific imagery, shocks, and hellscape auditory performances abound. 

Contrary to his nature, he gets involved in helping another,, and that’s when the true creepiness of this film truly settles in. Consider it an edgier, ethnic 1408. Scott is terrific, whether annoying, morose, or horrified. The supporting cast of Irish folks is also wonderful, and they inject just enough humor in here to lighten things enough to make you shit your pants that much more when Hokum brings the hammer down. It also takes place right around Halloween, so it’s perfect for this time of year.

 A five star Samhain project special.  Great stuff.