Damian McCarthy’s third feature “Hokum” shows the filmmaker fine-tuning his personal formula for disturbing descents into darkness even further.

Between the interactive experience and the passive one, the most immersive, meaningful, and memorable of the two is the movie.

It would be less hyperbolic to simply say “Whistle” is the most cliché-riddled thriller of 2025 and 2026 at a minimum.

Like Houdini with handcuffs, “Overlord” possesses the skillful showmanship to fight free from its drawbacks and overwhelm with pleasing popcorn entertainment.