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Hokum Editor Breaks Down the Cut Behind the Film’s Scariest Sequence

A new interview explains how restrained reveals plus speed tweaks built the sequence’s tension.

Overview

  • SlashFilm published an interview with editor Brian Philip Davis that details how a key scare in Hokum came together in the edit.
  • Davis said he treated the set piece like an action sequence to keep the rhythm tight and the stakes clear.
  • He and director Damian McCarthy chose to hide most of the witch on screen, citing the Alien playbook of showing less to make it scarier.
  • The team tried multiple versions of the first half of the scene and tested speed changes, including ramps, before locking the final pacing.
  • Davis previously cut McCarthy’s Oddity, and Hokum is now playing in theaters.