At a Glance
- Hokum (2026), directed by Damian McCarthy (Caveat, Oddity), stars Adam Scott.
- Scott plays a writer trapped in a haunted hotel.
- The film is now streaming on Hulu.
- Polygon calls it a “criminally overlooked” 2026 thriller that would make a Halloween shortlist.
Hokum is a 2026 horror-thriller from Damian McCarthy, the writer-director behind Caveat and Oddity — two films that turned tiny casts and single locations into genuine dread. This time the lead is Adam Scott, best known for Parks and Recreation and Severance, playing an author stuck in a haunted hotel.
As Polygon notes, the film has finally reached streaming on Hulu, and it deserves a bigger audience than it got in release.
Why Polygon Is Pushing It
Polygon argues Hokum is “criminally overlooked.” In a weaker year it would be a shoo-in for a best-horror shortlist; even in a stacked 2026, the outlet says it lands comfortably in the year’s top ten. Scott, in particular, is singled out for a career-defining turn — the kind of performance that reframes how you read the rest of his filmography.
The McCarthy Factor
McCarthy’s filmography is short but remarkably consistent: slow-burn, economical, and built on practical tension rather than spectacle. Hokum fits that mold. If you liked the claustrophobic dread of Caveat or the eerie confidence of Oddity, this is the obvious next stop.
Where to Watch
Hokum is available on demand on Hulu now. Polygon suggests it as an easy add to a Halloween viewing list — short, sharp, and far smarter than its low profile suggests.
McCarthy’s Small-Scale Horror
Damian McCarthy is a useful counterexample to the blockbuster arms race. With Caveat (2020) and Oddity (2022/2024), he built a reputation on tiny casts, single locations, and tension that earns itself rather than buying it with spectacle. Hokum extends that approach: a writer, a haunted hotel, and the slow realization that the room is the antagonist.
That economy is the point. McCarthy’s films are proof that a horror movie can be made for almost nothing and still land — and that a star like Adam Scott would sign on to that kind of project signals how much the indie horror lane has opened up.
Scott’s Genre Turn
Adam Scott made his name in comedy (Parks and Recreation) and elevated his dramatic standing on Severance. A leading role in a McCarthy horror film is the latest sign that serious actors no longer see genre work as a step down. The post-prestige-TV era has made horror a place where performers go to do interesting work, not to pay the bills.
The Streaming Long Tail for Overlooked Films
Hokum reaching Hulu is the part of the story that matters most for films like it. A modest thriller with no theatrical footprint can vanish entirely; a streaming slot, even a quiet one, gives it a second life with an audience that discovery algorithms would never surface in a theater. Polygon’s push is the kind of editorial advocacy that keeps small films alive past their release week.
Where Horror Discovery Lives Now
In a stacked 2026, the films that get remembered are often the ones critics refuse to let go of. Hokum is exactly the sort of title that benefits from a vocal champion — short, sharp, and easy to recommend. For Halloween viewing, that is the entire pitch.
Damian McCarthy makes the most tense low-budget horror out there. Adam Scott in a haunted hotel is a perfect match for his Severance energy.
Hulu is where these small films survive now. Glad Polygon is pushing Hokum, it deserves more eyes this Halloween.