Author Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) attempts to finish his successful Conquistador trilogy. After glimpsing a ghost in his home, Ohm travels to a hotel in rural Ireland where his parents had honeymooned. After being told that the honeymoon suite is off limits due to being haunted by a local witch, Ohm learns that the hotel’s bartender, Fiona (Florence Ordesh), has gone missing.

After finding his comedic stylings in Step Brothers (2008), lead Adam Scott returns to his dramatic roots here, playing against type as the caustic, insensitive and antagonising Ohm. Severely depressed, lonely and drinking a wee bit much, Ohm finds himself on a redemptive path by pursuing the whereabouts of the young Irish bartender who had shown him some warmth. Stuck in a foreign place that also holds an important remnant of his family history, Ohm must confront a witch to lay the ghosts of his past to rest.  

The hotel and its surroundings are beautifully gothic, with its employees suitably suspect. The hotel mimics that of The Shining (1980): its staff, and bartender, entertains a heavily drinking author, dressed in bizarre animal costumes, to celebrate the Halloween period while also believing in the supernatural. After experiencing Ohm’s literary world, we see him enter another preestablished setting, itself living with its own mythology. The movie’s universe is rich and authentic, establishing a setting that audiences would love to settle into, like Netflix’s limited mystery series Bodkin (2024).

Verdict: An excellent psychological supernatural horror, which is sure to become a cult classic. 4.5 stars.

Luke McWilliams. themovieclub.net. Viewed at Dendy Cinemas.