Rohan Coleman faces the blade, of sorts, as he looks at the work and career of Brian Philip Davis, who's been splicing some of the most spine-tingling titles of the past few years...
Long glimpses down dark hallways, the dreaded wait for what’s around the corner and that final bold jump scare. These moments are the cornerstone of effective horror, and are just a handful of examples of how editing is so important. Each technical choice has the ability to make or break that carefully constructed tension.
The intensity of each sequence is dependent on how a film is cut, with Irish horror films in particular flexing a spectacular fright factor. In recent years, Damian McCarthy has proven to be a modern fan-favourite, with international audiences sharing in the terror of his previous titles Caveat (2020), Oddity (2024), and now the upcoming Hokum starring Adam Scott. McCarthy is joined once again by collaborator Brian Philip Davis on this latest feature.
Act One
As a visual arts student, Brian Philip Davis planned on being a graphic designer before his early experimentations with post-production began. Through DV tape and iMovie, Davis laid the groundwork for his future career by working on short films and music videos for himself and his peers. This eventually led him to editing Chris Baugh’s Bad Day for the Cut, which screened at Sundance. He admits himself that this "opened the door for doing more features”. Davis then made his mark on the world of horror, citing “directors whose work felt very designed” as his biggest influences, such as David Lynch, David Cronenberg and Tim Burton. He adds how this taught him "to be careful about what [he] said yes or no to”, which led to the impressive back catalogue of genre work he boasts today.
Irish folk horror is seeing something of a green wave in terms of reach, with visionary creatives such as Lorcan Finnegan (The Surfer), Ciaran Foy (Insidious), Lee Cronin (The Mummy), and Kate Dolan (Soulm8te) working on international titles and franchises. Some of Davis’s past collaborators, including impressive features from Aislinn Clarke (The Devil's Doorway), Baugh and Conor McMahon, have received widespread acclaim and backing for their genre pictures. This heightened interest in tales of Irish terror may stem from the extensive mythology associated with the land, as Davis points out: “It’s the birthplace of Halloween, or Samhain, and the birthplace of Bram Stoker.
And storytelling is one of our skills – it’s in our DNA. There are probably things we take for granted, like spooky landscapes, offbeat characters and dialogue that plays well internationally.
After working together on the spine-chilling Oddity, Davis and McCarthy are reunited for Hokum, with the pair developing a shorthand. Davis found one of the perks of this was how he “could now refer back to our experience of making that film”. The creative relationship is palpable in the viewing experience, with every scare, bump and jump being executed perfectly, no doubt thanks to the “similar tastes and sense of humour” of the pair. Davis calls upon their shared experiences and engagements with film as a key aspect of their dynamic, describing: “Damian and I get on like a house on fire and have done since the day we met. We both are a similar age and grew up in the 80s and 90s watching VHS tapes of all the movies […] so I think he has a trust in me to help get his vision onto the screen.”
While Oddity showcases the creative expertise of McCarthy, Davis describes Hokum as having even more rewatch appeal than Damian’s previous work, noting the characterisation as a key difference between his last two features. “In Oddity we had Darcy, the protagonist who we were rooting for to find out who killed her sister. In Hokum we follow Ohm who at first is actually quite an unlikeable character and, as the film goes on, we realise why he’s that way.” Similarly, McCarthy's blend of humour and horror is strong in Hokum: “Adam Scott plays this American who comes to Ireland and has to deal with these oddball Irish characters... Damian is always quick to point out to audiences that it’s okay to laugh.”
Making the Cut...
The immersion of comedy and creepiness is a key element of Davis’s approach to editing, as he’s always “looking for opportunities to bring out humour where it naturally exists, whether that’s in performance, timing or juxtaposition. I think horror and humour are closely linked – they both rely on timing and surprise – so I like to think my work carries a sense of humour when possible.” Though the comedic breaks in Oddity were few and far between, Davis still incorporated this impeccable control and restraint into the film, showcasing astounding decisiveness. “I like to avoid cutting too tightly, because holding a moment just a fraction longer can often wring far more tension out of a scene than rapid cutting ever could. Letting the audience sit in a space, anticipate what might happen, and engage their imagination is where a lot of the real power of horror lies”, which further captures his dedication to “understanding the tone, rhythm, and emotional intent that the director is aiming for, and then shaping the material to support that vision as clearly as possible.”
This commitment to “serving the film first” is an incredible strength of Davis’s editing style, a strength that certainly informs the creative relationships with his significant list of collaborators. While he’s clearly very dedicated to his collaborators’ visions, he still thoroughly enjoys “having control over the footage and deciding how the audience is going to experience it”, as he describes: “In some ways I feel like I’m putting together a rollercoaster that they’re going to ride. The most rewarding part of the job is experiencing the film with the audience. […] I love travelling to different festivals and watching the films with enthusiastic crowds and getting to meet them – the horror community are just the best people.”
Now that Hokum has hit cinemas globally, the horror community is rightfully reacting with excitement. With this terrifying tale of folklore, McCarthy and Davis have done something special again, further cementing Irish folk horror as an unstoppable force in modern filmmaking.
Hokum is in cinemas 1st May 2026.
