Convention - CinemaCon 2026 : NEON Bets Big on Hokum, a Chilling Irish Horror Led by Adam Scott

By Mulder, Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, Dolby Colosseum, 14 april 2026

The morning of April 14, 2026, at the Colosseum inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas carried a very specific kind of electricity, the kind that only happens when a distributor no longer feels the need to prove its legitimacy but instead asserts its identity with quiet confidence, and that is precisely the tone NEON embraced during its CinemaCon showcase, with Elissa Federoff stepping on stage not to sell a slate in the traditional sense, but to remind theater owners that the company has, in less than a decade, redefined what an independent studio can achieve in the modern theatrical ecosystem, moving from its 2017 launch with Colossal to a catalogue that now includes global cultural milestones like Parasite still its biggest worldwide success at approximately $262 million and historically crowned as the first non-English-language Best Picture winner as well as recent prestige and commercial hits such as Anatomy of a Fall, Anora, and the 2024 horror breakout Longlegs, and what made this particular presentation resonate beyond the usual industry rhetoric was the clarity of its message: NEON is no longer just a curator of festival darlings, but a studio equally invested in audience-driven theatrical experiences, a philosophy Elissa Federoff underlined by insisting that cinema remains, above all, a shared experience designed for the big screen, a statement that felt less like a slogan and more like a strategic stance in a landscape where many specialty distributors have drifted toward hybrid models or limited runs.

Within that broader positioning, Hokum quickly emerged as one of the most strategically important titles of the lineup, not because it aims to reinvent horror, but because it exemplifies NEON’s increasingly precise understanding of the genre as both an artistic and commercial powerhouse, and the studio clearly knew it had a moment on its hands when Adam Scott walked on stage shortly after receiving the CinemaCon Award of Excellence in Acting, transforming what could have been a routine promotional segment into one of the most engaging beats of the presentation, with the actor leaning into his own lifelong fascination with horror, joking about discovering at an early age that fear was strangely addictive before explaining that reading the script made his involvement in Hokum “an easy yes,” a line that landed particularly well in a room filled with exhibitors constantly searching for authenticity in star-driven campaigns, and what stood out even more was the deliberate way he emphasized his eagerness for audiences to experience the film in theaters, a subtle but crucial reinforcement of NEON’s theatrical-first philosophy that aligns perfectly with horror’s proven ability to draw crowds in communal settings.

Behind the scenes, Hokum is firmly rooted in auteur-driven horror, written and directed by Damian McCarthy, whose growing reputation in the genre is anchored in his ability to blend psychological unease with folkloric elements, and the film’s premise, following a grieving novelist retreating to a secluded Irish hotel to scatter his parents’ ashes only to become consumed by stories of an ancient witch haunting the premises, leans into a classic gothic framework while promising a more intimate, character-driven descent into paranoia, and that tone is reinforced by a cast led by Adam Scott, supported by Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O’Connell, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio, a lineup that mixes recognizable faces with strong character actors capable of grounding supernatural material in emotional realism, while the production itself reflects an international collaboration between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates, backed by companies such as Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Tailored Films and Spooky Pictures, with producers including Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy, Ruth Treacy, Julianne Forde, and Mairtín de Barra, and supported by Screen Ireland, further anchoring the project in a distinctly European atmosphere that feels essential to its identity.

That authenticity is also visible in the film’s production choices, with principal photography taking place in County Cork in early 2025, a location whose natural landscapes and architectural textures lend themselves perfectly to the film’s eerie tone, while the technical team including cinematographer Colm Hogan, editor Brian Philip Davis, and composer Joseph Bishara, whose work in horror scoring is already widely recognized suggests a carefully crafted sensory experience designed to balance atmosphere and tension rather than relying solely on conventional jump scares, a direction that critics have already responded to positively following the film’s premiere at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 14, where early reviews highlighted both the strength of the performances and Damian McCarthy’s controlled, deliberate direction, reinforcing the idea that Hokum operates as much on psychological dread as it does on supernatural spectacle.

From a distribution standpoint, the trajectory of Hokum also illustrates NEON’s evolving strategy, with the company acquiring worldwide rights in August 2025 during the Toronto International Film Festival and positioning the film for a coordinated international rollout, including an early release in the Middle East on April 30, 2026 via Front Row Filmed Entertainment, followed by its U.S. theatrical debut on May 1, 2026, and a French release on April 29 through The Jokers Films, a timeline that reflects a growing confidence in giving genre films a broad theatrical presence rather than limiting them to niche markets, particularly at a time when horror continues to outperform expectations in cinemas worldwide.

Interestingly, what made Hokum stand out even more during the CinemaCon presentation was how it contrasted with the studio’s other highlighted project, I Love Boosters, introduced by Boots Riley and LaKeith Stanfield, which leaned heavily into experimental storytelling and political subtext, with Boots Riley bluntly stating, “I make movies for the big screen,” while LaKeith Stanfield emphasized the emotional and experiential power of cinema, describing the film as something audiences will truly feel, a segment that, alongside a pre-recorded message from Keke Palmer, reinforced NEON’s dual identity as both a tastemaker and an entertainer, capable of delivering both visceral genre thrills and provocative auteur-driven work within the same slate.

Hokum encapsulates the current moment for NEON in a way that feels both calculated and organic, sitting at the intersection of artistic credibility and commercial viability, and if the CinemaCon reaction is any indication, the film has the potential to extend the studio’s impressive track record in horror while continuing to validate its broader philosophy that theatrical cinema, whether prestige drama or supernatural thriller, thrives when it is treated not as a secondary option but as the primary destination, and in a marketplace still navigating the balance between streaming and theatrical releases, that conviction voiced repeatedly throughout the presentation by figures like Elissa Federoff and echoed by talent such as Adam Scott might ultimately be the most important takeaway of all.

Synopsis :
Ohm Bauman, a novelist, retreats to an inn in Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes. But the staff’s tales of an ancient witch haunting the bridal suite gradually take hold of his mind...

Hokum
Written and directed by Damian McCarthy
Produced by Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy, Ruth Treacy, Julianne Forde, Mairtín de Barra
Starring Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio
Cinematography : Colm Hogan
Edited by Brian Philip Davis
Music by Joseph Bishara
Production companies : Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Team Thrives, Spooky Pictures, Tailored Films, Cweature Features
Distributed by Neon (United States), The Jokers Films (France)
Release dates : March 14, 2026 (SXSW), April 29, 2026 (France), May 1, 2026 (United States)
Running time : 107 minutes