Filmmaker Damian McCarthy Plans One Final Pure Horror Project Before Shifting Genres
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Horror director Damian McCarthy plans to make one final, terrifying haunted house movie before exploring other genres while keeping dark elements in his work.
Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy has steadily built a reputation as one of the most exciting voices in modern horror, following up his breakout micro-budget feature Caveat with the Shudder hit Oddity. As his latest film, Hokum, hits theaters, McCarthy is already looking ahead to his next project. In an exclusive interview with Polygon, the director revealed plans to make one final out-and-out horror film, viewing it as an opportunity to apply everything he has learned to craft his scariest movie yet.
While audiences have been reacting strongly to Hokum, which stars Adam Scott as an American novelist facing a witch in an Irish hotel, McCarthy believes he can push his scare tactics even further. Reflecting on audience reactions, he noted that watching people gasp and scream in theaters often sparks ideas on how to make scenes more punishing or refine specific jumpscares. His upcoming script shifts focus to a self-contained, classic haunted house premise centered on a protagonist who simply cannot leave a property.
Looking past that final horror feature, McCarthy does not plan to abandon the genre entirely. Instead, he hopes to follow a career trajectory similar to Peter Jackson, eventually branching into historical adventures, crime thrillers, or sci-fi while retaining dark, frightening elements in his storytelling. For horror fans who treat cinema as a vital part of their entertainment diet alongside gaming and streaming, McCarthy's commitment to mastering tension promises one last terrifying ride. Original reporting can be found at Polygon.
Tags: Horror Movies, Damian McCarthy, Film, Culture, Entertainment
Original article: Polygon