Possum (2018)
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A disgraced puppeteer must confront the physical manifestation of his childhood trauma when a spider-like marionette begins to haunt his return to his family home.
The story
Philip Connell, a disgraced children's puppeteer, is forced to return to his childhood home in Norfolk, a place in disrepair due to a past fire. The home is shared by his decrepit uncle Maurice. Throughout his stay, Philip is haunted by a spider-like marionette called "Possum." He repeatedly attempts to dispose of the puppet, but it inexplicably returns to him each time. While plagued by strange visions and dreams of the puppet, Philip is also tormented by Maurice, who forces him to recount traumatic experiences of childhood bullying.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Philip Connell, a disgraced children's puppeteer, returns to his childhood home in Norfolk, shared with his decrepit uncle Maurice. Philip is haunted by a spider-like marionette called "Possum" which returns to him every time he tries to discard it. He finds a childhood book depicting Possum as a creature that devours orphaned children. While Maurice torments Philip with memories of childhood bullying, news reports surface regarding a missing boy, Michael, with Philip identified as a person of interest. During a period of distress, Philip enters his old school and flees after overhearing the secretary call the police. He is chased by Possum and passes out. Upon waking, he finds Maurice gone and experiences visions of becoming the puppet himself. Philip enters a charred room where he is attacked by a masked man, revealed to be Maurice. Maurice taunts Philip about the sexual and physical abuse he suffered at Maurice's hands as an orphan. Maurice beats and molests Philip until Philip overpowers him and breaks his neck. Philip then unlocks a chest to find a terrified Michael. The film ends with Philip sitting outside his house, staring blankly with Possum's severed head in his lap.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 85
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Matthew Holness
- Writers
- Matthew Holness · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Sean Harris · Philip Connell; Alun Armstrong · Maurice; Charlie Eales · Michael; Simon Bubb · Mr. Evans; Andy Blithe · Michael's Father; Ryan Enever · Michael's Uncle
- Genres
- psychological horror; psychological thriller; monster movie; science fiction horror
- Themes
- childhood trauma; abuse; the uncanny; doppelgängers; repressed memory
- Tone and mood
- bleak; understated; unsettling; dark; claustrophobic
- Premise and plot tags
- psychological thriller; horror; body horror; puppet; trauma
- Source material / true-story basis
- A short story by Matthew Holness published in the horror anthology The New Uncanny: Tales of Unease.
- Content notes
- child abuse; pedophilia
- Reception
- The film was generally praised by critics for its atmosphere, score, and unsettling imagery, and specifically for Sean Harris' performance, though the story received some criticism for its minimalist approach and 'unsatisfying' finale.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 88% · review count: 43; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 5
- Production trivia
- The film's visual style was inspired by public information films Holness saw in his youth.; The score was composed by The Radiophonic Workshop, marking their first soundtrack purposely constructed for a feature film.; The Stiffkey marshes, a filming location, is where the fabled Black Shuck was purported to haunt.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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