Sightlines · reception
How Hokum was received
2026 · Damian McCarthy · Hokum on Sightlines
The arc
Premiered at SXSW in March 2026 to loud midnight-crowd buzz, then became one of the year's indie-horror success stories in its May theatrical run — reportedly grossing around $25M on a $5M budget — turning years of 'trust me, watch Caveat and Oddity' evangelism into a mainstream moment.
What’s debated
The reliable fight is twofold: where Hokum ranks against Caveat and Oddity, and whether McCarthy overstuffs his films with ideas — most call it his best yet, while a vocal minority (see Little White Lies' 'pure poppycock' pan) insists it's recycled haunted-house hokum living up to its title.
Its footprint
SXSW programmer Peter Hall's line that it feels like 'a Stephen King story that King never wrote' became the film's shorthand, and the trailer — Severance-era Adam Scott menaced by a witch in a remote Irish inn — made the rounds as one of the scariest of the season.
Where it stands
Horror Letterboxd already treats McCarthy as its guy, and Hokum slotted straight in as the third panel of a Caveat/Oddity triptych that fans assign as homework.
Did you know? Hokum brought Damian McCarthy back to SXSW, the festival where his previous film Oddity had won the 2024 Midnighters Audience Award.
Named by the director
- Watership Down (1978) — McCarthy names it as the childhood watch that 'did some damage' — the declared source of the rabbit imagery that recurs across his films, Hokum included.
- Ghost (1990) — McCarthy said the team 'thought a lot about Ghost' for Hokum's sound design — its slowed-down, childlike demon wails being one of his favorite sound designs ever.