New horror movie Hokum may be about a haunted hotel, but director Damian McCarthy promises it's nothing like Stephen King adaptation The Shining

Damian McCarthy's new horror movie Hokum may be set in a creepy hotel but it couldn't be further from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, the writer-director insists.

In the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Stranger Things: Tales From '85 on the cover, the Irish filmmaker recalled how he actively tried to avoid being inspired by the acclaimed Stephen King adaptation – and that he initially found it dangerously "tempting" to lift certain scenes and scares.

"It was almost like, 'We really can't do anything that was done in that because it's been done. It's got its own voice.' It was one we were trying to avoid," McCarthy noted.

While The Shining sees Jack Nicholson's writer Jack Torrance driven mad by the remote resort he's been employed at over the winter, Hokum centers on Ohm (Adam Scott), a horror novelist who travels to rural Ireland to scatter his parents' ashes. Unfortunately for him, though, the inn in which he's booked to stay is supposedly haunted by an ancient witch – and is a hub for some of the area's most peculiar locals, too. Peter Coonan (Bad Sisters), Will O'Connell (Game of Thrones), David Wilmot (Bodkin), Florence Ordesh (Foundation), and Austin Amelio (Fear the Walking Dead) round out the supporting cast.

It follows up McCarthy's previous genre hits Caveat and Oddity, the latter of which debuted to a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score in 2024.

"There are some brilliant horror films, and I love them, but they're very heavy, and I don't know if I'm going to be in a hurry to revisit them," McCarthy added in the feature, explaining that Hokum has an unlikely comedic edge underneath its dark, horrifying surface. "I definitely try to keep my films entertaining as well as scary. With Hokum, I would hope audiences get a good scare along with a few laughs – and hopefully there's something in there to revisit."

Hokum releases on May 1. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming horror movies heading our way.