Adam Scott has spoken about his fondness for West Cork, where he filmed his recent supernatural horror film Hokum.
Scott, 53, best known for his roles in the dystopian drama Severance and the sitcom Parks And Recreation, plays Ohm Bauman, the protagonist of Irish writer-director Damian McCarthy’s latest feature.
Hokum follows Bauman, an American novelist who travels to a remote part of Ireland to scatter his deceased parents’ ashes only to discover that his hotel may be haunted.
Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance cause him to confront the darkest corners of his past.
Scott, who was the only American actor on set, praised the professionalism of the Irish crew and the beauty of the country.
The film was shot at West Cork Film Studios and also stars Peter Coonan, known for Bad Sisters, and David Wilmot, who appeared in Hamnet.
“West Cork, and Skibbereen specifically, is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” Scott told the Press Association.
“Whenever we weren’t working, I was staying on this really cool estate that’s been turned into a hotel, the Liss Ard Estate.
“When I had time, I would just get lost in the grounds. I walked those grounds probably 30 times over the couple of months we were there. It is just beautiful. I could lose myself in West Cork and stay there for months and months.”
Speaking about the Irish crew, he said: “The crew that Damian works with is unbelievable and everyone is so nice and smart. Ireland is a place to go and a place to stay as far as I’m concerned.”
Hokum is one of a number of horror films recently made in Ireland. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, which stars Jack Reynor was filmed in Ireland and Spain.
McCarthy, who has also written and directed Caveat and Oddity, said Ireland was a great setting for a horror film because of the country’s rich history of myths and legends.
“I guess it’s a fact that it’s such an old country, and when you’re in school learning all about these myths, legends and folklore, you realise it really is that island of storytellers, with such a rich history,” the West Cork-born filmmaker said.
“A lot of the horror coming out of it now is probably from people who grew up in the ’80s watching John Carpenter films and Steven Spielberg movies, and who are now, as adults, turning what they loved as kids into their own stories.”
Hokum is in Irish and UK cinemas on Friday.
