**Cheap jumpscares: the lazy way out** This is yet another prime example of the damage Shyamalan has inflicted on contemporary, supernatural-based cinema and plot-driven horror. Damian McCarthy has once again resorted to involuntary physiological reactions triggered by auditory overexposure. It is a bargain-bin technique that dilutes any chance of genuine suspense by drowning out the visual experience with abrupt …

*Hokum* suffers from a frustrating issue: some of its most promising concepts feel like they belong to movies it doesn’t fully commit to. Damian McCarthy utilizes a remote Irish hotel setting to present us with a haunted bridal suite, a large subterranean cellar, a local witch, chalk markings, protective boundaries, psychedelic mushrooms, a missing woman, and a novelist burdened by significant family history. Any …

It's a pleasant, small-scale horror film that takes place around Halloween. Adam Scott plays an author struggling with writer’s block who is attempting to finish the last book in a series. He goes to an old hotel in Ireland, where his parents had their honeymoon, to scatter their remains. During his stay, he's often impolite toward others; at one point, he even burns a bellboy’s hand after the young man, who admires …

Damian McCarthy’s work consistently portrays the Irish wilderness as an oppressive place, continuing a history of films centered on remote dwellings harboring sinister mysteries and unsettling forces. It seems like the Irish Tourism Board might suggest he consider different locations for his stories! Following **CAVEAT** and **ODDITY**, **HOKUM** continues McCarthy’s ability to generate a disturbing environment fo…

It’s possible I just wasn’t in the right headspace today because ten minutes felt like an eternity—I was pretty bored. Perhaps another time, when I’m not feeling so irritated by everything and everyone, I’ll give it another look. HOWEVER, [SPOILERS]: Was it believable that he transitioned from seeing a disturbing older woman appearing in his home on two occasions to casually handling a weapon seemingly linke…

While it has moments where the story feels unfocused and the momentum lags, this isn’t an unsuccessful film. It reminded me of 1408 from 2007 and Grave Encounters, particularly the initial installment. The actors were well-chosen and their performances really helped move things along; however, the deliberate pace makes it hard to connect with the main character, which ultimately prevents the suspense from developing …

It felt like the clergyman was simply adjusting his voice during the Christening, but regardless, author "Ohm" (Adam Scott) finds himself on the verge of finishing the final book in his celebrated “Conquistador” series when a memory surfaces: his parents’ ashes are still stored in a cupboard, next to a picture of his mother posed against an enormous tree. He resolves that the ideal location for their remains is benea…