POSSUM Review: The scariest kind of monsters are the ones that exist inside of our minds.
THE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT FROM MATTHEW HOLNESS
Possum would not be a film that would be suited for everyone. There aren’t a lot of characters and the film is made up of long eerie scenes with no dialogue. However, if you are the type of person who enjoys a good Lynchian psychological mind-fuck then Possum is a bizarre, unnerving, and unforgettable film.
I wouldn’t call Possum a horror movie, it’s more like a heavy psychological drama. The horror we see stems from a deteriorating, fragile mind on the brink of a complete psychotic breakdown.
Sean Harris plays Phillip, a troubled and disgraced puppeteer. Left with no choice, Phillip must return to his hometown after years of absence. In order for him to escape his past, he must face the abuse and trauma he left behind years ago. He carries a brown duffle-bag that holds his most hideous creation, a spider-like puppet with an emotionless, pale human head. He must confront his greasy, obnoxious stepfather which triggers a mental and emotional collapse in an already deranged and unsettled mind.
Sometimes the scariest monsters are the ones that live inside of our heads.
Firstly, our lead played by Sean Harris brings to life one of the tensest, strangest, loneliest and sympathetic roles in recent indie memory. At the same time, his character, Phillip is scary and unpredictable. He looks like he could snap at any second, casting a heavy shadow of uneasiness throughout the entire feature.
Possum primarily reminded me of two things; The Living And The Dead and The Babadook.
The Living And The Dead because of the dreary English setting, the run-down house and the fantastic one-man-show performance from Sean Harris; The Babadook because of the illustrations we get shown in the film. Phillip carries a book of disturbing, horrific black & white nightmarish drawings. All of this is wrapped up in the style of David Lynch. Also, the soundtrack needs a special mention. For a disturbing film, we need disturbing music and that’s what we got. The OST is there to help fill-in the prolonged scenes with very little or no dialogue.
Directed and written Matthew Holness who is best known Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. Possum is based on a short story written by Holness called The New Uncanny which was first published in 2008.
A shockingly good directorial debut that leaves you haunted for days. I look forward to seeing what Holness brings us next.
7 Spider-Like Puppets Out Of Ten Words by Gary Gamble Founder/Owner/BigCheese @ Moviehooker
