​FILM REVIEW: POSSUM (2018)

 DIR. MATTHEW HOLNESS, 85 MINS, UK

Honestly, I don't have half the time to get to the cinema to see films that I would like. Movie after movie seems to pass my by in the absolute blur of everyday life. Sure, I watch plenty of horror movies sat at home – especially with a view to the weekly reviews for Film Gutter – but to head out and see something brand new is something of a rarity. But when I first heard that Matthew Holness – the genius behind the comedy masterpiece that was Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, as well as many other very good projects – was delivering a straight-up horror film in the shape of Possum, I made a point of clearing the diary and getting myself along for a watch. Practically all I knew ahead of time is that it was based on Holness' own short story, and again having read a handful of his tales this added to my excitement.

Possum itself is a grim, dark and fascinating slice of quiet horror that has been playing on my mind for days since watching it. The story follow Philip, a puppeteer returning to his grim Northern hometown after an unspecified scandal of some variety. The puppet that made him his name is Possum, a strange spider-like creature with a pallid human face that he carries around in a bag an awful lot of the time and that haunts his dreams and nightmares. Whoever decided to give him a children's TV series with this monstrosity I don't know, but that's a fact I was happy enough to suspend my disbelief and accept within the story. It doesn't help Philip's already dark mood that he shares the house with Maurice, his stepfather, and there is a distinctly strained and uneasy relationship between them. There's also a room at the front of the house that appears to be distinctly off-limits, and that's almost typical of how much goes unspoken in Possum.

It's hard to say a whole lot more, partly because it might give some elements away, but also because Possum is a very slight film – at least in the plot sense. However the film is absolutely thick with the unspoken and the unsaid, with implications and mysteries, some of which do become clear and others which simply remain unanswered. In many regards, that's the strength of the movie – it has such a light touch throughout that is in its own way absolutely riveting. When you look back, it feels as though it gets that balance dead on, answering just enough and also leaving the right things hanging. I felt genuinely unsettled and shaken after watching it, without fully understanding everything – not an easy trick to pull off at all.

I'm writing this review about five days after watching it, and it feels as though it has somehow grown in stature over that time. The more I consider it and delve into the nuances, the better a movie it looks. In fact I can't wait for a DVD release now because then I get to watch it again and have another go at pulling it apart. Holness has put together a very clever script, ably performed by a very limited number of actors – in fact given Holness's theatrical background you could almost present it as a play and it would still work just fine.

For those of you who like your movies neat and tidy and all wrapped up at the end, I don't think that Possum is for you at all. It has a limited number of what you would call real scares, leaning much more on mood and atmosphere to create something significantly more unnerving. If you enjoy hints and implications and suggestions, and a much quieter breed of horror, then Possum could well be for you. If you have a chance to get to the cinema to see it, it's well worth the trip too – the unique visuals are very effective on the big screen, although no doubt it'd hold up just fine on a TV screen too. This one is well worthy of a 9/10 and rates as one of the best horror films I've seen in 2018.