Possum, 2018.
Directed by Matthew Holness.
Starring Sean Harris, Alun Armstrong, Simon Bubb, Andy Blithe, and Pamela Cook.
SYNOPSIS:
A disgraced puppeteer returns to his home town to confront his cruel uncle and their shared traumatic past.
Earlier this month we took a look at Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, a hilarious cult TV series that affectionately spoofed the horror films and shows of the past. Jump forward several years, and its co-creator and star Matthew Holness once more taps into his love of classic horror to bring us something altogether much darker and much scarier; the atmospheric and deeply disturbing Possum.
Those looking for a horror film where everything is spelt out throughout and we have a final exposition dump that explains what we’ve just watched might want to look elsewhere. Possum is full of dark and complex themes and a rich story, but it is told in a subtle manner that prefers to creep under your skin rather than outright scare you. The film is laden with a suffocating atmosphere that you can feel pressing down in every scene. Making you feel almost trapped with the characters in what feels like an unending cycle of increasing madness and trauma. The horror is low key to the point of near-silent, with it content to slowly work its way into your brain like a parasite that slowly gnaws away at you, leaving you with this deep-seated sense of unease that you can’t shake for the entire runtime.
The story is light on action but heavy on suggestion and metaphor. Possum follows Phillip (Sean Harris), a puppeteer who, after a “scandal”, has returned to his home town confront his past and his uncle Maurice (Alun Armstrong). What makes this simple story so enthralling and unsettling is how it withholds information from the viewer, never explicitly telling us what Phillip’s “scandal” was or much about his past with Maurice. Everything is instead implied via various uncomfortable interactions in a fashion that proves to be far more disturbing than any kind of exposition could possibly be.
Much of the horror from the film comes in the form of the titular Possum, Phillip’s puppet. A horrifying spider-like monstrosity seemingly spawned from a Kafkaesque nightmare. Its ghoulish white human-like head, resembling actor Sean Harris, serving as a reminder to Phillip about his past and why he seems to be constantly trying to destroy it. Yet, as much as he tries, the Possum keeps coming back. The creature serving, in my interpretation, as a physical embodiment of his inability to escape his childhood trauma and of his inability to rid himself of his own dark impulses. It’s a rich horror tale that lingers in your mind with its approach of emphasising what is not said, making for a much more frightening and uneasy experience.
The heavy unsettling atmosphere is complemented by the look and sound of the film, with Holness drawing inspiration from various sources such as 1970s British public information films (notorious for their sometimes gory horrifying imagery) and German Expressionism, amongst others, to create a work that homages the past while still being its own entity. The film stock possessing a desaturated, almost grainy quality to it, shots often lingering to allow the atmosphere and tension to sink in or with the camera positioned in such a way that we can’t quite make out what’s lurking just over our character’s shoulders.
The production design is superb at complimenting this already queasy vibe the film has going for it, with the primary setting of Maurice’s house looking as if rotting from the inside. Its dilapidated grimy wallpaper, dusty 1970s furniture and crumbling paint-chipped doors making it seem like a physical embodiment of the characters crumbling rotten mental states. This extends to the various other locations that populate the film, with an abandoned barracks and a set of garages sharing this grim haunted appearance that reflects the dark nature of the story.
Holding the film together is the phenomenal performance of Sean Harris as Phillip, the actor creating a character who is at times pitiful, tragic, but also incredibly creepy. His awkward body language, haunted, highly expressive face and distinctive voice, making for a profoundly captivating and unsettling screen presence. Alun Armstrong is also terrific as Maurice, Phillip’s uncle, giving a dark and disturbing performance as a vile human being who takes great pleasure in inflicting suffering upon others. The scenes in which Harris and Armstrong share (the film plays like a two-hander) are where the pair shine. The tension between the two suffocating to the point where you can barely breathe. Harris seemingly turning into a scared little boy, his face often frozen in terror merely being in Armstrong’s presence, his co-star barely containing his joy at making his on-screen nephew squirm. These scenes are, in my view, the most frightening of the film. They don’t say it, but there is little doubt as to what happened between them.
Possum is a masterful and profoundly disturbing horror, whose performances, suffocating atmosphere, and grim story left me with an uncomfortable feeling that I couldn’t shake for days. It also shows that while Matthew Holness is a master at making us laugh at horror, he is also a master at scaring us with it.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Graeme Robertson