The 2026 supernatural horror film Hokum, written and directed by Damian McCarthy, has arrived in theaters with a gripping premise and an equally gripping score. Starring Adam Scott, alongside Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O’Connell, Michael Patric, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio, the film follows a novelist who retreats to a remote Irish inn haunted by the legend of a witch. While the cast and story have drawn strong critical attention, it’s the music underpinning every dread-soaked moment that makes Hokum genuinely unsettling from start to finish.
The original score for Hokum was composed by Joseph Bishara, one of the most respected names in contemporary horror film music. Paired with a selection of carefully chosen licensed tracks, the Hokum soundtrack is a textbook example of how sound design and score can transform atmospheric storytelling into something deeply visceral.
Hokum Soundtrack — Details at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Film Title | Hokum |
| Director | Damian McCarthy |
| Production Companies | Spooky Pictures, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Tailored Films, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland |
| Distributor | Neon (US); Front Row Filmed Entertainment (Middle East) |
| Theatrical Release Date | May 1, 2026 (US) |
| Composer | Joseph Bishara |
| Soundtrack Label | Void Recordings |
| Soundtrack Release Date | May 1, 2026 (Digital); Vinyl via Waxwork Records (forthcoming) |
| Total Score Tracks | 21 |
| Total Runtime | 33:09 |
| Format | Digital Album / Hi-Res (FLAC 24-bit/96kHz) |
| UPC | 881626819562 |
Hokum Soundtrack Overview
The Hokum Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released digitally on May 1, 2026 — the same day the film opened in US theaters — through Void Recordings, the Los Angeles-based label that exists exclusively to release Joseph Bishara’s work. A vinyl edition is also in the pipeline from Waxwork Records, the celebrated horror soundtrack vinyl label, though a firm release date for that edition has not yet been confirmed.
The album runs 21 tracks with a total runtime of approximately 33 minutes, making it a lean but impactful listen. As announced by Film Music Reporter on April 30, 2026, the release marks another chapter in the ongoing collaboration between Bishara and the indie horror space, following his work on Tarot (2024) and the broader Insidious and Conjuring franchises.
Tonally, the score is best classified as dark ambient and experimental — a blend of choral moaning, near-inhuman wails, dissonant percussive loops, and quasi-instrumental noise. Critics have noted the album’s striking use of silence as an active compositional element: the music deliberately pulls back at key moments, turning stillness itself into a source of dread. The 21-track structure mirrors the film’s narrative arc closely, with each short cue serving a specific scene, from the atmospheric arrival sequence through to the climactic confrontation and final catharsis.
Who Composed the Hokum Soundtrack?
The score for Hokum was composed by Joseph Bishara (born July 26, 1970), an American composer, music producer, and actor widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s premier horror film composers.
Bishara’s career in film scoring began with the 1998 Biblical drama Joseph’s Gift, but his reputation was built almost entirely within the horror genre. His early genre credits include The Gravedancers (2006) and Night of the Demons (2009), though it was his collaboration with director James Wan that made him a household name in genre circles. His score for Insidious (2011) drew widespread praise — The New York Times noted that the music helped elevate the film significantly, while Dread Central/Bloody Disgusting called it among the great horror music masterpieces of the century.
From that point forward, Bishara became an in-demand presence across a string of major genre productions. His credits include the entire Insidious franchise (Chapters 1–3, The Last Key, and The Red Door), The Conjuring (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), Annabelle (2014), Annabelle Comes Home, Malignant (2021), Dark Skies (2013), The Unholy, The Curse of La Llorona, and most recently Tarot (2024). He has received an ASCAP Top Box Office Films Award for Annabelle and a Best Score Award at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.
Beyond composing, Bishara is also known for appearing on screen in the films he scores, often performing as demonic or supernatural creatures — including the Lipstick-Face Demon in Insidious and the entity Bathsheba in The Conjuring.
For Hokum, Bishara operates fully within his signature aesthetic. The score sits at the intersection of dark ambient and experimental noise, building slow-burn dread through layered soundscapes rather than jump-scare stabs. His label, Void Recordings, is the exclusive home for all of his soundtrack work.
Joseph Bishara — Composer Filmography (Selected)
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Insidious | James Wan |
| 2013 | The Conjuring | James Wan |
| 2013 | Dark Skies | Scott Stewart |
| 2013 | Insidious: Chapter 2 | James Wan |
| 2014 | Annabelle | John R. Leonetti |
| 2015 | Insidious: Chapter 3 | Leigh Whannell |
| 2016 | The Conjuring 2 | James Wan |
| 2018 | Insidious: The Last Key | Adam Robitel |
| 2019 | The Curse of La Llorona | Michael Chaves |
| 2021 | Malignant | James Wan |
| 2021 | The Unholy | Evan Spiliotopoulos |
| 2023 | Insidious: The Red Door | Patrick Wilson |
| 2024 | Tarot | Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg |
| 2026 | Hokum | Damian McCarthy |
Hokum Official Score Tracklist
The following is the official 21-track tracklist for the Hokum Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, as verified by FMDB and Apple Music:
| # | Track Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hokum | 3:06 |
| 2 | evil old crone | 1:12 |
| 3 | could have been taken | 2:05 |
| 4 | old forest finding | 1:52 |
| 5 | bells call | 0:50 |
| 6 | closed entrance | 1:12 |
| 7 | bell leading | 1:28 |
| 8 | is something inside | 1:27 |
| 9 | costumed corpse | 1:04 |
| 10 | vertical tomb | 1:27 |
| 11 | dictaphone reveals | 1:27 |
| 12 | who’s there | 1:10 |
| 13 | trauma show host | 0:38 |
| 14 | lift shaft | 1:37 |
| 15 | walled in | 1:25 |
| 16 | basement rider | 0:55 |
| 17 | chalk circle | 1:54 |
| 18 | exit path | 2:36 |
| 19 | led down below | 1:34 |
| 20 | dragged to the dark | 1:01 |
| 21 | to safety | 3:09 |
Total Runtime: 33:09
Score Highlights
“Hokum” (Track 1) — The opening title cue sets the entire sonic tone of the film immediately: slow-building, dissonant, and uneasy. At 3:06, it’s one of the longer pieces on the album and functions as both an introduction to the score’s language and an atmospheric curtain-raiser for the story ahead.
“evil old crone” (Track 2) — A short but memorable cue that represents the folkloric threat lurking at the center of the film. Bishara leans into textural noise here, keeping the witch’s musical identity deliberately shapeless and unclassifiable.
“old forest finding” (Track 4) — One of the more atmospheric pieces, this cue captures the disorienting, ancient quality of the Irish rural landscape where the film is set. The music suggests something alive and watchful in the natural world around the protagonist.
“chalk circle” (Track 17) — A standout moment that corresponds to one of the film’s most inventive scenes. The cue reflects the tension of a character using a piece of chalk to draw a protective line around themselves while a supernatural presence circles the room — one of the more memorable set pieces in recent horror.
“exit path” (Track 18) and “led down below” (Track 19) — Back-to-back, these two cues represent the score’s descent phase, sonically mapping the film’s third-act plunge into the hotel’s underground spaces. “exit path” at 2:36 is among the album’s longest and most developed cues.
“to safety” (Track 21) — The closing cue. At 3:09, it’s tied with the opening as the longest piece on the record. Where the title track opened with unresolved dread, “to safety” offers something closer to release — though Bishara, characteristically, does not make it entirely comfortable.
Hokum Licensed Songs / Needle Drops
In addition to Bishara’s original score, Hokum features several licensed songs used as needle drops throughout the film. All of the following have been confirmed by NME:
| Song Title | Artist |
|---|---|
| “Oft In The Stilly Night” | John McCormack |
| “Thought Number 3” | Colm Mac Con Iomaire |
| “Lonesome Road” | Harry Bird And The Rubber Wellies |
| “The Price” | Julie Lavery |
| “Acorns To Ashes” | Colm Mac Con Iomaire |
| “Division (Ambient)” | Moby |
| “I’m Going Home” | Cork Sacred Harp Singers |
The selection leans heavily into Irish folk and traditional music, grounding the film’s supernatural horror firmly in a culturally specific, place-rooted sound world. Colm Mac Con Iomaire, the Irish fiddle player and composer, contributes two tracks — “Thought Number 3” and “Acorns To Ashes” — adding a locally authentic dimension to the film’s musical identity. Moby’s ambient contribution, “Division (Ambient)”, is the most internationally recognizable entry in the needle-drop lineup.
Where to Listen to the Hokum Soundtrack?
The Hokum Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is now available to stream and purchase digitally worldwide. The score album, released by Void Recordings on May 1, 2026, is available on Apple Music (confirmed via FMDB and directly listed on the label’s release page) and on Spotify, where Joseph Bishara maintains an active artist profile.
A high-resolution FLAC edition (24-bit/96kHz) is also available for audiophile listeners through digital Hi-Res platforms. Additionally, a vinyl edition from Waxwork Records has been announced and is expected to follow the digital release.
FAQs
Who composed the Hokum (2026) soundtrack?
The original score for Hokum was composed by Joseph Bishara, the American horror film composer best known for his work on the Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, as well as Malignant, Annabelle, Dark Skies, and Tarot (2024).
How many tracks are on the Hokum score album?
The official score album contains 21 tracks with a total runtime of 33 minutes and 9 seconds.
When was the Hokum soundtrack released?
The Hokum Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released digitally on May 1, 2026 — the same date as the film’s US theatrical release — through Void Recordings.
What label released the Hokum soundtrack?
The album was released by Void Recordings, a Los Angeles-based label dedicated exclusively to releasing Joseph Bishara’s work.
Will there be a vinyl edition of the Hokum soundtrack?
Yes. A vinyl edition has been announced and is expected to be released by Waxwork Records. A specific release date has not yet been confirmed.
Where can I stream the Hokum soundtrack?
The score album is available on Apple Music and Spotify. A Hi-Res digital download is also available for audiophile listeners.
What licensed songs appear in Hokum?
Seven confirmed needle drops appear in the film, including “Division (Ambient)” by Moby, “The Price” by Julie Lavery, two tracks by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, “Oft In The Stilly Night” by John McCormack, “Lonesome Road” by Harry Bird And The Rubber Wellies, and “I’m Going Home” by the Cork Sacred Harp Singers, as verified by NME.