Horror has long been one of cinema’s most effective tools for exploring grief, trauma, and human vulnerability, as seen with several iconic horror filmmakers over the past decade. Following the breakout success of Oddity, Damien McCarthy returns with Hokum, a deeply unsettling psychological horror film that pairs supernatural dread with an exploration of grief and anger. The film stars Adam Scott, whose nuanced performance anchors the film in something far more haunting than simple jump scares.
After screening the film at SXSW, Awards Buzz’s Scott Menzel sat down with McCarthy and Scott to discuss why horror remains such pivotal space for complex storytelling, what drew Scott back into the Horror genre, and the creative lessons they took from one another while making Hokum.
Scott Menzel: Hello, gentlemen. How are you?
Adam Scott: Hey, Scott.
Scott Menzel: I just want to begin by saying I saw this film at SXSW, and I was truly exhausted going into it but my god, did this movie wake up. It scared the hell out of me at times and keep me wide awake.
Damian McCarthy: Great.
Scott Menzel: Adam, I’d love to start with you. We’ve talked many times over the years, and I’ve always found you to be such an exceptional actor because you can move between genres so effortlessly. You’ve done horror before, but this film really places you front and center in a story where you are carrying a tremendous emotional and psychological weight. What is it about the horror genre that continues to speak to you as an actor?
Adam Scott: It’s interesting because my first job in a movie ever was Hellraiser 4. It wasn’t because it was a horror movie. It was because it was a job, and I was over the moon to get a speaking role in any movie, let alone a Hellraiser movie. I hadn’t even seen Hellraiser at that point. I had no idea what I was walking into. I was just happy to be there.
But it’s funny because there has sort of been a horror film sitting at all four corners of my career so far. It keeps coming back in interesting ways. This movie in particular, and Damien as a filmmaker, was a very purposeful choice on my part. I loved Oddity, his previous movie, and I loved this script. I thought of it as a thinking movie and a character-first horror movie second. It was an exciting script, and Damien is an exciting filmmaker beyond simply being a horror filmmaker. I thought Oddity was exceptional just as a piece of filmmaking.
Scott Menzel: I would absolutely agree with that. Damien, congratulations as well. To now have Neon behind this film is a major milestone. You’re only three films in, IFC was behind the last one, and now this. I’d love to know more about your relationship with horror and why you think the genre is so uniquely effective at tackling serious emotional subject matter.
Damian McCarthy: It’s probably a way to deliver those themes in an entertaining package. You could tell this story as a straight-up drama and take all the horror and supernatural elements out of it, but there’s something about horror that allows you to wrap complicated characters and painful histories into something audiences can experience in a much more visceral way.
You can deal with a character who is the way he is because of things that have happened in the past, but you’re not making some kind of overt message movie. I think that’s why people return to horror films over and over again. They’re getting more than just a scare from them.
Scott Menzel: I think that is such an important point, especially because we’re finally starting to see horror films recognized on higher-profile platforms like the Oscars in ways they weren’t before. It feels overdue because there is so much rich thematic material in this genre. Whether it’s trauma, race relations, grief, or guilt, horror is often saying more than people give it credit for.
Damian McCarthy: Yeah, for sure.
Scott Menzel: I always love asking creatives this because I think every collaboration leaves you with something you carry into the next one. So for both of you, what did you each take away from working with one another on this film?
Adam Scott: His wallet and his keys.
Damian McCarthy: (laughing) That was very good. But honestly, I think it comes down to experience. The more films you make, the more willing you become to let things go a little and allow yourself to be surprised by what happens. Even if you looked at one of my scripts, they’re very sparse. There’s not a lot of description. There’s a lot of white on the page.
I’ve had great experiences with actors over the years, but working with Adam and the cast around him really reinforced something for me. They know what they’re doing. It’s lovely to watch them take material you wrote and completely make it their own. It gets to a point where it no longer feels like I wrote it. That was a really satisfying surprise.
Scott Menzel: Adam, what about you?
Adam Scott: With Damien, it was really the atmosphere he created on set. It was such a kind and relaxed environment, which is funny considering we were making something that was scary, unpleasant, and full of tension. But Damien had this low-key confidence in the material, in his crew, and in his actors that was really instructive.
If I ever make something like this again, whether it’s a movie or television, that is absolutely the way I would want to approach it. We were all having a lovely time the entire shoot. And there were so many reasons it could have gone the other way. We were dealing with dark subject matter, practical effects, and being confined to one room for weeks. That kind of thing can start to wear on people and make everyone claustrophobic.
But it never felt like that. There was just this quiet confidence in what we were doing, and Damien was really leading that every day.
Scott Menzel: That’s amazing. Thank you both so much for your time. I hope this movie makes a ton of money at the box office, and selfishly, I hope the two of you reunite again very soon.
Adam Scott: Thanks, Scott.
