‘I was the only Yankee on set’: Adam Scott on filming Hokum West Cork

Witches and disturbing visions are the stuff of nightmares, but they also make excellent material for a horror film.

Hokum, a new film by Irish writer-director Damian McCarthy, draws on Irish folklore to explore these themes.

The term “hokum” dates back to the early 20th century, when members of the theatre community used it to describe exaggerated performances designed to provoke laughter or a strong audience reaction.

Over time, the word has become synonymous with nonsense, particularly in theatre, film, and television. Some linguists suggest it may be a portmanteau of “hocus pocus” and “bunkum.” In the film, “hokum” is how the protagonist, Ohm Bauman, portrayed by Adam Scott, dismisses the paranormal.

Hokum follows Bauman, an American novelist who travels to a remote part of Ireland to scatter his deceased parents’ ashes, only to discover that his hotel may be haunted. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance force him to confront the darkest corners of his past.

Scott, 53, best known for his roles in the dystopian drama Severance and the sitcom Parks and Recreation, spoke about his experience of being the only American on set.

“It was great to work with these incredible local Irish actors, it really helped immerse me in the atmosphere,” he says. “I was the only Yankee on the set.”

The film was shot at West Cork Film Studios and also stars Peter Coonan, known for Bad Sisters, and David Wilmot, who appeared in Hamnet.

“West Cork, and Skibbereen specifically, is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” Scott continues.

“Whenever we weren’t working, I was staying on this really cool estate that’s been turned into a hotel, the Liss Ard Estate.

“When I had time, I would just get lost in the grounds. I walked them probably 30 times over the couple of months we were there. It is just beautiful. I could lose myself in West Cork and stay there for months and months.”

Speaking about the Irish crew, he adds: “The crew that Damian works with is unbelievable, everyone is so nice and smart. Ireland is a place to go and a place to stay, as far as I’m concerned.”

In the film, Bauman faces a murderous member of staff, a legendary witch, and his own personal demons. He also becomes trapped in the hotel’s haunted Honeymoon Suite.

Speaking about the film’s comparison to “the most terrifying escape room,” Scott says: “I’m terrible at escape rooms, so I think Ohm actually ends up being a little better than I would have been in that situation.

“I found the character fascinating. I love that the story begins with a man who isn’t particularly friendly, someone who keeps people at a distance and deflects human interaction.

“Slowly but surely, we as an audience come to understand why. As the story unfolds, he begins to open up, perhaps allowing people back into his life, forgiving those he feels have wronged him, and maybe even forgiving himself. It’s a really interesting structure and a genuinely compelling story.”

McCarthy, who has also written and directed Caveat and Oddity, said Ireland was a great setting for a horror film because of the country’s rich history of myths and legends.

“I guess it’s a fact that it’s such an old country, and when you’re in school learning all about these myths, legends and folklore, you realise it really is that island of storytellers, with such a rich history,” says the West Cork-born filmmaker.

“A lot of the horror coming out of it now is probably from people who grew up in the Eighties watching John Carpenter films and Steven Spielberg movies, and who are now, as adults, turning what they loved as kids into their own stories.”

Speaking about the film’s supernatural elements, McCarthy says: “A lot of it actually is inspired by what we read in school, and I’m sure it all gets in there somewhere and hopefully comes out as something original.

“But it’s really just the idea of the witch. I was always drawn to the idea of making a horror film about a witch and putting my own Irish slant on it, her taking sinners off to hell, which seems to be what she likes to do. That was my approach with it, really.”

Hokum is one of a number of horror films recently made in Ireland. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, which stars Jack Reynor, was filmed in Ireland and Spain.

McCarthy says his interest in horror films was sparked by a video rental shop in Bantry that his father owned during the Eighties and Nineties.

“My parents had a VHS store when I was very young, so from an early age I found myself drawn to the horror section,” he says.

“As I started making feature films, I became interested in telling stories within the genre, that maybe aren’t just about scares but served as a way to sneak in stories about interesting characters.

“I love trying to bring people in who are not traditionally horror fans. I would hope that this movie will convert people into horror fans because it’s very scary but there’s good laughs and wonderful performances and there’s enough in it for more than just the horror fans.”

He adds: “ Hokum was a little bit different than anything else I had ever written because it is really just following one character very closely, and truly putting him through the ringer.

“The character isn’t that likeable to begin with and he’s got to win back the audience, you really have to stick with him, though he can be a little bit unpleasant, so Adam was perfect for that.

“I always was a fan of his work and knew he could keep the audience pulled in.”

Hokum is in cinemas now.