Adam Scott comes face-to-face with a terrifying entity in Hokum. Ahead of the movie’s May 1 release, NEON has revealed the final Hokum trailer. The video features a variety of quotes from early reviews for the Adam Scott-led folk horror movie, praising the film for being “pure nightmare fuel,” among other things. It also offers more glimpses at some of the haunting elements that Scott’s character faces in the movie, including the first proper look at the terrifying witch at the heart of the story. The trailer sees Ohm Bauman [Scott] retreat to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes. It’s there that he’s met with the staff’s tales of an ancient witch haunting the honeymoon suite. While initially brushed off as just a simple folk superstition, it’s not long before Scott realizes that something is very wrong. The film also looks to be one of Scott’s more intense roles, showcasing a more vulnerable side of the actor than viewers are used to seeing. While much is left to the imagination with this Hokum first look, it’s the quick, creepy flashes that bring intrigue, with the strange symbols, eerie voices, and glimpses of something lurking in the dark that force Scott’s character to confront his past. As for that brief but unsettling look at the witch, it’s just enough to give viewers a sense of how disturbing things might get without fully revealing the scope of the film. Check out the trailer below:

In addition to Scot, the cast includes Bad Sisters’ Peter Coonan and Bodkin’s David Wilmot, as well as Florence Ordesh, Will O’Connell, and Michael Patric. Siox C, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio, and Ezra Carlisle also star in the film. Behind the scenes, Hokum also has a notable horror pedigree, with Damian McCarthy directing, following his feature debut Oddity, which premiered at SXSW in 2024, and won the Audience Award in the Midnighter Section. Also behind the scenes are Cweature Features and Spooky Pictures founders, Steven Schneider, best known for his work on the Paranormal Activity and Insidious franchises, and Roy Lee, who worked on IT: Welcome to Derry and Weapons, both of whom are producing the film, along with Image Nation’s Derek Tauchy and Julianne Forde, and Mairtín de Barra of Tailored Films. ScreenRant spoke to Scott about Hokum at SXSW back in March, where he said that the film gave him the chance to “reverse course” from some of the more “friendly” people he’s played in the past.
Adam Scott: I kind of have played a lot of friendly, affable people as of late, and wanted to try and reverse course and play someone who, when the story starts, isn’t the most pleasant person in the world. And I thought about where Damian was dropping that character in, and the journey he put him on was super interesting and frightening. I was frightened by the script. I thought it was disturbing and just a lot of fun. So everything is what attracted me to it, actually.
As for the name of the film, McCarthy called it “nonsense” and “ridiculous,” adding that it reflects the way Scott’s character feels about the folklore when he arrives at the inn. He also teased that it maybe hints at a “deeper meaning” of that inner turmoil Ohm is facing as well.
Damian McCarthy: The word itself is just nonsense, something kind of ridiculous. And I think for the film itself, it kind of reflects Adam’s character, who just doesn’t believe in any of the local folklore of witches and ghosts. And maybe a little bit deeper meaning of what’s going on with his character as well.
Hokum is set to hit theaters May 1, 2026.

Release Date

May 1, 2026

Runtime

101 Minutes

Director

Damian McCarthy