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(L to R) Adam Scott and director Damian McCarthy talk ‘Hokum’.
Opening in theaters on May 1st is the new supernatural horror film ‘Hokum’, which was written and directed by director Damian McCarthy (‘Oddity’), and stars Adam Scott (‘Severance’) and David Wilmot (‘Hamnet’).
“We’ve been expecting you.”
Release Date: May 1, 2026
Run Time: 1 hr 51 min
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Scott and director Damian McCarthy about their work on ‘Hokum’, developing the screenplay and the visual look McCarthy was going for, Scott’s approach to his character, finding the location for the hotel, and what Scott enjoyed about working with McCarthy.
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Adam Scott in ‘Hokum’. Photo: Neon.
Moviefone: To begin with, Damian, can you talk about the process of developing the screenplay as a writer, and the visual look you were going for as a director with this film?
Damian McCarthy: It was always very much to make like an old-fashioned ghost story. So, talking to lighting, camera, production design, costume, a ghost story that you’re not exactly sure when this is set, that the time-period would be ever so slightly vague. There are no cell phones. It would just give this feeling in the film kind of a strange quality to it. With the script, I think when developing the script, I was trying to just make something as entertaining and scary as possible. That was certainly the challenge. There was an impulse at times to make it a little bit heavier and maybe a little bit more violent. But just for my taste, it seemed to keep coming back to what it ended up being, a fun, scary ghost story with a good mystery and interesting characters.
MF: Adam, you’ve said that your character has a “challenging personality.” Can you explain what you mean by that and your approach to playing the character?
Adam Scott: I think he has a challenging personality in that he’s just kind of a jerk. For me, that was an exciting place to start. I think Damian wrote this uncompromising character who ends up having to compromise just through the circumstances that he gets thrown into and he must face up to it and maybe forgive himself, as the audience is learning all the reasons for his jerkiness. But that place where we start is uncompromising, and it was fun to just dive into it headfirst with Damian.
Adam Scott in ‘Hokum’. Photo: Neon.
MF: Adam, were you concerned about making the character likable for the audience to root for, or did you just rely on the script to make it all work?
AS: Well, the script is the king. That’s what matters and I just wanted to follow what Damien had written. I think that if you leave the door just like an eighth to a quarter open for the audience to be let in, no matter how unpleasant the character, hopefully they’ll take that ride with you.
MF: Damian, can you talk about finding the location for the hotel, and how did that add to the timeless feel you were going for with this production?
DM: So, we shot this in the southwest of Ireland, in Cork, and we looked around. We looked to try to find a working hotel someplace that’s kind of ready to go. We found some creepy places, but just nothing that felt all that cinematic or interesting. So, what ended up happening was it was a private residence that we found, just this beautiful old home that we then production designed, and art directed, just to make small modifications to turn it into a hotel. Then for other rooms like some of the hallways and the honeymoon suite, which is obviously where more than half the movie takes place, that then became a set build, close to that location at West Cork Studios. Then there’s a sequence where beneath the hotel there’s a long old spooky basement. We shot that in a beautiful castle, not too far from the location, which is stunning called Castlefreke in West Cork. It’s just a beautiful place. I’m from West Cork, and I’ve been there for my whole life, but I still find all that area stunning. There was a beach I would visit as a kid, all the time. I’d always be at that beach just looking up at that castle. So, it was lovely to go in there and be able to turn it into this spooky location.
Adam Scott in ‘Hokum’. Photo: Neon.
MF: Finally, Adam, what was your experience like working with Damian on this movie and watching the specific way he makes movies?
AS: It was great. I mean, I was a huge fan already because I loved ‘Oddity’ so much. So that, in conjunction with this incredible script, it was a no brainer, and getting to go in there and watch the detail with which he attacks every scene was just inspiring. It was just fun, and it was a great shoot.
Adam Scott in ‘Hokum’. Photo: Neon.
What is the plot of ‘Hokum’?
An author (Adam Scott) travels to a remote part of Ireland to spread the ashes of his deceased parents, unaware that his rented accommodation could be haunted.
Who is in the cast of ‘Hokum’?
‘Hokum’ opens in theaters on May 1st.
