I was all set to trash “Possum” as an overly artsy piece devoid of horror substance. The British psychological horror film was written and directed by Matthew Holness in his feature debut. It was released in 2018, amidst a host of arthouse horror movies dropping left and right.
I was set to trash it—but the scares got me, an important aspect of horror cinema.
“Possum” is beautiful to witness. Its aesthetics are peerless, its vibe unsettling. The score is a chilling accompaniment, though a bit too loud at times. The opening credits conjured memories of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” A disturbing book featured reminded me of “The Babadook.” You’ll find yourself uncomfortable as you watch.
When the film opens, everything just feels off, and I liked it. The foreign acoustics lend to an unsettling mood. The muted color palate makes the landscape, and the house it surrounds, feel dreary. The gloom is lingering throughout the story.
86 Minutes
The film follows Philip, played by Sean Harris. Philip is a children’s puppeteer returning to his childhood home under unknown circumstances. Philip is carrying baggage, figuratively in the form of past demons and literally in the form of a chilling looking marionette called Possum.
The first act revolves around Philip trying unsuccessfully to dispose of Possum. Sean Harris gives a brilliant performance of a troubled man with extreme emotional issues. Living with Philip is his creepy uncle, Maurice (Alun Armstrong) who is equally impressive in the film.
The scares are fantastic. I jumped several times and had a crop of goosebumps along my arms during multiple scenes. Possum is hideous, more so than the typical marionette, and lends a perfect complement to the narrative.
As we watch Philip interact with Possum, the viewer can come up with their own theories. The result is more horrifying than horror. There’s a lot of weirdness. Nothing is spoon fed here. You can have many interpretations and that’s a fun thing.
The Score
Possum was composed by sound effects and experimental electronic music studio The Radiophonic Workshop. Per Wikipedia, this was the studio’s first soundtrack purposely constructed for a feature film. The score is excellent. It follows the scenes in a haunting way. As said before, it is overly jarring at times, but nothing that can’t be withstood.
“Possum” is beautiful to watch. The scares are effective, but the story can be tough to handle. Horror junkies will get their fix from it. Casual fans will be turned off by the weirdness.
“Possum” is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.
