Adam Scott has put hokum at the center of fresh attention around Damian McCarthy’s latest horror film, while also describing west Cork as one of the most beautiful places in the world. The actor said filming in Skibbereen and at Liss Ard Estate gave the production a distinctive atmosphere, even as he spent long stretches away from his family. He made the remarks while discussing his role as Ohm Bauman, an American novelist drawn into a troubled visit to Ireland.
Scott says the location shaped hokum
Scott said he had never been to west Cork or Skibbereen before the production, but quickly found the area memorable. He described time off set as a chance to walk, listen to podcasts, and get lost in the grounds around the estate where he stayed.
He called the experience of being on location a mixed bag because it was lonely without family, but said this project felt different. While staying at Liss Ard Estate, he said he was surrounded by people on honeymoon or anniversary trips, which made him feel like “the American weirdo staying upstairs. ” Scott added that he loved it and said the setting fit the story.
In hokum, Scott plays a successful but troubled horror novelist who travels to a remote corner of Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes at the hotel where they honeymooned. The character is pulled into a search after a young woman disappears following a Halloween gathering, and that search leads him deeper into the hotel and into disturbing encounters.
What Damian McCarthy is bringing to hokum
McCarthy’s film follows his earlier work on Oddity and Caveat, and Scott said he was already a fan before taking the role. He said Oddity fascinated him because of the filmmaker’s choices, including keeping the camera on inanimate objects and lingering on moments that are uncomfortable.
The story places Scott alongside a group of eccentric locals, including a mushroom-gathering wild man and a patient young woman named Fiona. The search for Fiona turns into a confrontation with the hotel’s suspicious resistance and the haunted reputation of the honeymoon suite.
Another account of the film describes hokum as a haunted hotel story centered on a supernatural entity that has claimed the room. That version also places the film’s opening on May 1, while Irish and UK cinema dates were listed as Friday in another release notice.
Reactions around the cast and crew
Scott said the Irish crew working with McCarthy was “unbelievable” and described them as “nice and smart. ” He also said Ireland was “a place to go and a place to stay, ” underscoring how strongly the location and working environment stood out to him.
McCarthy, who has also written and directed Caveat and Oddity, has said Ireland is a strong setting for horror because of its myths, legends, and folklore. He described the country as an old place with a rich storytelling tradition, and linked some of the current horror output to filmmakers who grew up on 1980s horror and now turn those influences into their own stories.
What comes next for hokum
With Scott’s comments adding momentum, hokum is positioned as one of the latest Irish horror titles drawing attention for both its cast and its setting. The film’s release windows place it in cinemas in the near term, and the west Cork backdrop is already emerging as part of its appeal. As the rollout continues, the focus will stay on how McCarthy’s latest feature lands with audiences and how far Scott’s performance carries the film beyond its haunted-hotel premise.
