  We present optical and infrared monitoring data of SN 2012hn collected by the
Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects (PESSTO). We show that SN
2012hn has a faint peak magnitude (MR ~ -15.7) and shows no hydrogen and no
clear evidence for helium in its spectral evolution. Instead, we detect
prominent Ca II lines at all epochs, which relates this transient to previously
described 'Ca-rich' or 'gap' transients. However, the photospheric spectra
(from -3 to +32 d with respect to peak) of SN 2012hn show a series of
absorption lines which are unique, and a red continuum that is likely intrinsic
rather than due to extinction. Lines of Ti II and Cr II are visible. This may
be a temperature effect, which could also explain the red photospheric colour.
A nebular spectrum at +150d shows prominent CaII, OI, CI and possibly MgI lines
which appear similar in strength to those displayed by core-collapse SNe. To
add to the puzzle, SN 2012hn is located at a projected distance of 6 kpc from
an E/S0 host and is not close to any obvious starforming region. Overall SN
2012hn resembles a group of faint H-poor SNe that have been discovered recently
and for which a convincing and consistent physical explanation is still
missing. They all appear to explode preferentially in remote locations offset
from a massive host galaxy with deep limits on any dwarf host galaxies,
favouring old progenitor systems. SN 2012hn adds heterogeneity to this sample
of objects. We discuss potential explosion channels including He-shell
detonations and double detonations of white dwarfs as well as peculiar
core-collapse SNe.
