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| 15 Horror Movies Like Hokum You Must Watch If You Love Folk Horror, Haunted Secrets and Creepy Forest Mysteries. (Credits: IMDb) |
Damian McCarthy’s Hokum has quickly become the kind of horror film that sticks in your head long after the credits roll. With its eerie Irish setting, unsettling folklore, mysterious disappearances, haunted locations, and a lead character slowly questioning everything around him, the film blends supernatural horror with psychological unease in a way that feels both classic and refreshingly strange.
If watching Ohm Bauman wander deeper into a nightmare left you craving more stories filled with isolated landscapes, local legends, suspicious villagers, ancient evil, and forests that clearly need better public relations, these 15 films deserve a spot on your watchlist.
Movies Like HOKUM
1. Oddity (2024)
If there is one film that captures the same chilling atmosphere as Hokum, it is Oddity. Also directed by Damian McCarthy, the story follows blind psychic Darcy Odello as she investigates the mysterious death of her twin sister. What begins as a search for answers slowly transforms into a deeply unsettling supernatural mystery.
Like Hokum, the film thrives on secrets hidden beneath seemingly ordinary surroundings. Every room feels suspicious, every conversation feels incomplete, and every revelation somehow makes things worse. Fans who enjoyed Hokum's slow-burning dread will feel right at home here, although "home" might not be the safest place to be.
2. Caveat (2020)
Another gem from Damian McCarthy, Caveat follows a drifter who accepts a strange caretaking job on a remote island. The catch? He must wear a chain-restricted harness while staying inside an isolated house with a deeply troubled woman.
The film shares Hokum's obsession with isolation, hidden truths, and the feeling that absolutely nobody involved is telling the full story. It creates terror through uncertainty rather than spectacle, proving that sometimes a dusty room and a creepy rabbit toy are more frightening than any monster.
3. The Hallow (2015)
Set deep within the Irish countryside, The Hallow follows a conservationist whose family becomes the target of ancient creatures believed to inhabit a nearby forest.
Much like Hokum, local folklore isn't merely background decoration here—it actively shapes the horror. The woods feel alive, hostile, and deeply offended by human visitors. If the haunted forests of Hokum fascinated you, this film delivers an even more dangerous version of that nightmare.
4. The Witch (2015)
Robert Eggers' acclaimed folk-horror masterpiece follows a family struggling to survive near a remote forest in 1630s New England.
The similarities to Hokum are impossible to ignore. Both stories explore fear, superstition, isolation, and the gradual collapse of certainty. Every character feels trapped between reality and something much darker lurking just beyond sight. Plus, if a forest looks suspicious in a horror film, history suggests staying very far away from it.
5. The Ritual (2017)
After the loss of a friend, four men embark on a hiking trip through Sweden's wilderness. Unsurprisingly, things do not go according to plan.
Like Hokum, this film blends psychological trauma with ancient folklore. The deeper the characters travel into the forest, the less they understand what is hunting them. Fans of eerie landscapes and mythological horrors will find plenty to enjoy.
6. A Dark Song (2016)
A grieving mother and an occult specialist isolate themselves in a remote house to perform a months-long ritual with potentially life-changing consequences.
The film mirrors Hokum's themes of grief, obsession, and supernatural forces that refuse to remain hidden. Its slow pace allows tension to build naturally, creating a deeply immersive experience that rewards patient viewers.
7. The Hole in the Ground (2019)
A single mother begins suspecting that the son who returned from the woods may not actually be her son.
Set in rural Ireland, this unsettling horror story shares Hokum's fascination with mysterious forests, psychological instability, and disturbing local legends. The growing uncertainty keeps audiences questioning what is real until the very end.
8. You Are Not My Mother (2021)
When a teenager's mother suddenly disappears and returns acting completely differently, she becomes convinced something sinister has taken hold.
Like Hokum, the film mixes folklore with emotional family drama. The atmosphere grows increasingly uncomfortable as answers remain frustratingly out of reach. Sometimes the scariest thing isn't the monster—it's the possibility that someone you love is no longer themselves.
9. Apostle (2018)
Set on a remote island controlled by a mysterious religious community, Apostle follows a man attempting to rescue his missing sister.
The film combines folk horror, ancient rituals, hidden secrets, and isolated communities. Much like Hokum, the protagonist arrives as an outsider and slowly discovers that the local stories are far more dangerous than they initially seemed.
10. Men (2022)
Following a personal tragedy, a woman retreats to the English countryside hoping for peace and quiet. Instead, she encounters increasingly bizarre and terrifying events.
Both Men and Hokum thrive on psychological discomfort and unsettling imagery. Reality constantly feels unstable, making audiences question whether the horror is supernatural, symbolic, or something in between.
11. The Night House (2021)
After her husband's death, a woman discovers disturbing secrets hidden within his life and their lakeside home.
Like Hokum, the story revolves around grief, hidden histories, and the terrifying realisation that someone close may have concealed far more than expected. The atmosphere remains tense throughout, with mystery driving every scene.
12. The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015)
Set during a snowy winter break at an isolated boarding school, this horror film slowly unravels a deeply disturbing mystery.
Fans of Hokum's slow-burn storytelling will appreciate how carefully the film builds dread. Every detail matters, and the sense of loneliness becomes almost overwhelming.
13. Saint Maud (2019)
A deeply religious nurse becomes obsessed with saving the soul of a terminally ill patient.
Although the setting differs from Hokum, both films explore characters gradually losing confidence in what is real. The psychological tension becomes increasingly intense, leading to a memorable and haunting finale.
14. The Wicker Man (1973)
Widely considered one of the defining folk-horror films, The Wicker Man follows a police officer investigating a missing child on a remote island.
The film established many of the genre's most beloved ingredients: strange locals, ancient traditions, unsettling rituals, and a growing sense that outsiders are not welcome. Hokum clearly shares some of that DNA.
15. Kill List (2011)
What begins as a gritty crime thriller slowly transforms into something far stranger and far more horrifying.
Like Hokum, this British horror favourite keeps audiences guessing. Every answer opens new questions, and the final act delivers the kind of shocking revelations that leave viewers staring silently at the screen wondering what just happened.
Next: Hokum Shooting Locations.
The recommendations have sparked plenty of discussion among horror fans online. Some viewers argue that Oddity and Caveat are the closest spiritual companions to Hokum because they share Damian McCarthy's signature style of tension and mystery.
Others believe The Witch, The Ritual, and Apostle better capture the folk-horror atmosphere that made Hokum so memorable. A few fans even joked that after watching all 15 titles, they may never trust forests, remote hotels, isolated houses, or overly friendly villagers again.
What makes Hokum stand out is its ability to combine supernatural folklore, emotional baggage, psychological uncertainty, and creeping dread into one unsettling package.
These 15 films deliver similar experiences from different angles, whether through haunted woods, ancient legends, mysterious disappearances, isolated communities, or characters making decisions that horror audiences would definitely not recommend.
Which one is your favourite, and are there any hidden folk-horror gems that deserve a place on this list? Let us know what would make your ultimate Hokum-inspired watchlist.