Director Damian McCarthy, who gave us the terrifying 2024 film Oddity, is back with his newest horror film, Hokum. The film follows “novelist Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott), who retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, and he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance force him to confront dark corners of his past.”
In anticipation of the film’s release, we spoke with star Florence Ordesh, who plays Fiona. Ordesh discussed the brilliantly chilling story and the joy of working with talents such as McCarthy and actor Adam Scott.
Check out our four-star review here!
HGL: Florence, what stood out most for you when you first read the script for Hokum?
Florence Ordesh: I really, really loved the pace of it; that’s something that stood out big time. A lot of times when I’m reading a script, I could get distracted quite easily, but while I was reading this, I was just so drawn into it. It was so well-paced and engaging that it was a page-turner, even as a script.
Can you imagine what horror screenplay you would love so much? It’s usually through sound, silence, and the visuals that draw people in with horror. But for this one, the script was so incredible, which is what really stood out. It flows so well, it keeps people engaged. Damian is a genius with that; there’s never a moment when you think you can run to the toilet and back. The next thing you know, the next hour and a half is gone.
HGL: The film is incredibly well-paced. When Fiona meets Adam Scott’s character, it’s at a vulnerable moment for him. How did you and Adam approach building that connection so that it feels authentic?
Florence Ordesh: Adam has been at this for a long time and is insanely talented. It was all very natural. We knew what we were dealing with, we knew what the stakes were, and it was very organic for us to get there through the performance in a very natural way. I feel like once action was called, it just moved in the right direction.
I think, as two actors who have been doing it for a long time and have done the research on their characters in advance and know the material really, really well, it should almost just come together naturally when you go to play that moment out. Working with Adam is so incredible, he makes it so much easier because he’s so rounded and natural, it was all very organic.
HGL: Damian McCarthy has built a strong reputation following Oddity. What was your first impression of his directing style?
Florence Ordesh: My first impression was that he was so at ease. When you’re working on a film set and the stakes are high, and you need to get all the shots by a certain time so you don’t go into overtime (laughs), it can be stressful. But because Damian was so at ease and easy-going and clearly prepared, it just made everything so smooth.
When there is less tension on the set for those reasons, it makes everything easier. That really came from Damian first, and it trickled through the set, so it just made an incredible environment; he set a great mood for filming.
HGL: Did you have a lot of preparation time for the role, and did you do any ad-lib material, or were things pretty close to the script?
Florence Ordesh: I did have a lot of preparation time. I had a couple of months with the script before we filmed, so I could really dive into it. In terms of ad libbing, we did stay on script; however, it was such a collaborative environment, Damian was so open that if the actors wanted to deliver a line in a different way, he would work with the actors so that he got the most natural performance.
Leading up to the shoot, there were a couple of things he rewrote just to make certain events a little bit clearer. Even on the day I worked with him and collaborated on the delivery of those lines, and how it could be as natural as possible, especially as they were exposition, which can sound a little too direct and on the nose. So working together to make sure we were getting the exposition across without actually sounding like we were giving the information and not totally on the nose, he was very collaborative with that.
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HGL: What kind of experiences do you hope audiences have with Hokum?
Florence Ordesh: I would hope they experience a little bit of everything because this film is so unique, and it does offer a little bit of everything. You’re going to get those high-tension, edge-of-your-seat moments, where your heart is beating, and you can’t look. You’re going to get moments where you’re laughing, and maybe crying. I hope people come away from the theater with brain fever, where they are still trying to piece it all together; that’s something I’d love to see.
HGL: What other projects do you have coming up next?
Florence Ordesh: I actually wrote a screenplay called The Dark Side of June, it’s a psychological thriller. I’m working with a production company at the moment, and we’re hoping to film it at the end of this year or early next year.
