Severance favourite Adam Scott stars in "disturbing" and "nightmarish" first look at new horror film

It's been over a year since Severance wrapped up it's highly acclaimed second season, and though fans still have a while to wait before the hit Apple TV series returns for a third run, it's star Adam Scott has an exciting new project coming to screens very soon.

Horror flick Hokum is written and directed by Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy – whose previous film Oddity is also well worth a watch – and the upcoming movie has just launched a brand new trailer ahead of its UK release at the beginning of May.

The eerie teaser begins with Scott's character – an American writer named Ohm Bauman – looking terrified as he clutches a lamp in a cramped, dark space, before we flashback to a scene of him driving to an Irish countryside hotel, while a slightly sinister voice mutters some intriguing words in voiceover.

"Fadó Fadó, long long ago," the voice says. "Deep in the woods, there lived..."

Before this sentence can be finished, we cut to Ohm warning a pair of children not to talk to strangers. The response from the stranger in question? "There are worse things that Strangers out there, yank."

Later, we see that Ohm is demanding a room as far away from this man as possible, while he also explains that the reasons for his journey to Ireland – his first time in the country – are connected to a trip his parents took to the Emerald Isle for their honeymoon many years ago. He has returned to scatter their ashes.

Throughout the trailer, it is clear that something is not quite right in this hotel and we get glimpses of all sorts of bizarre goings on and creepy images, before those words from the beginning of the trailer are repeated again – this time with an ending.

"Fadó Fadó, long long ago, deep in the woods, there lived... an old cailleach," the voice says. "A witch."

You can check out the trailer in full below:

The official synopsis for the film – which will be released on 1 May – reads: "When reclusive novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, the staff’s tales of an ancient witch haunting the honeymoon suite take hold of his mind.

"Soon, disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance draw him into a nightmarish confrontation with the darkest corners of his past."

Hokum had its debut at the South by Southwest Festival last month where it seemed overwhelmingly positive reviews and praise reserved for the way McCarthy handled the Irish folklore aspect of the film. It certainly looks like one worth checking out for horror fans!

Hokum is released in UK cinemas on 1 May 2026.

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