Matthew Holness' Possum

Coelacanth

Coelacanth

Mannikin
Surprised to see that no-one's talking about Possum as yet here — I think it's out on demand as of yesterday, but I entirely recommend seeing it on the big screen if possible. Best to go in as blind as you can (even without seeing the trailer, I'd advise), but suffice to say it deals with trauma and desolation, and features a wonderfully morbid puppet.

Huge and terrifying poster below and trailer, but like I say best not to know anything at all for this one.

Possum-UK-poster.jpg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6j3HAA-3XY
 
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Also, going home after seeing it again last night we had to walk past this window to the fashion wing of the technical college, around midnight, in the rain. It was... offputting

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I watched this for the first time last night on the UK blu-ray release and really loved it. It's richly atmospheric and powerfully disturbing, like some intoxicating hybrid of Thomas Ligotti and Ramsey Campbell. Matthew Holness clearly has a great eye for eerily bleak landscapes and I wondered if there may have been an influence from the artwork of George Shaw, especially pictures like these:
george shaw "scenes from the passion" - Google Search
 
It never showed on the big screen where I live. I bought a copy of the DVD when it came out. It is a haunting film. I've watched it twice already. It is based on his short story "Possum" that originally appeared in The New Uncanny edited by Sarah Eyre and Ra Page. This won the Shirley Jackson Award for best anthology. Fortunately, I already had a copy. I thought it an excellent story too. I love the poster art. I inquired at a few of the bigger internet poster sale sites, but they all said that they don't think the poster was released. Shame.

The closest thing I would liken the movie to is Cronenberg's Spider. But that is based on memory from its initial release. I was able to see that on the large screen. I'll have to watch that one again. Enjoyed the novel by McGrath.
 
I agree. The film has sparse dialogue, tight pace throughout. Even with separate viewings, tension never recedes as Possum's shadow haunts wild marsh, abandoned pool, and industrial decay. Philip as the main character is frightening as a man, and frightened as a boy harassed by his puppet and the insidious Uncle Maurice. Very atmospheric, suitable for 2nd viewing.
Robin Davies said:
I watched this for the first time last night on the UK blu-ray release and really loved it. It's richly atmospheric and powerfully disturbing, like some intoxicating hybrid of Thomas Ligotti and Ramsey Campbell. Matthew Holness clearly has a great eye for eerily bleak landscapes and I wondered if there may have been an influence from the artwork of George Shaw, especially pictures like these:
george shaw "scenes from the passion" - Google Search
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These pictures are great. Thank you.

george-shaw-e2809cscenes-from-the-passion-the-falle2809d-1999-web_710.jpg


WAR_UOWA_PCF85.jpg
 
"Possum" is my favorite kind of film-- bleak and mysterious. Fantastic cinematography and design. Fine acting. I can't think of a film that reminds me more of Ligotti. The director referenced "The Frolic" in an interview apparently, but "The Clown Puppet" and "The Troubles of Dr. Thoss" seem equally inspirational from where I sit.
 
Matthew Holness could create a wonderful movie tie-in book. If you watch the movie carefully, the main character has a journal that contains diary-like entries, illustrations, items laid-in and paper-clipped to the pages. It could delve into the past and extend past the film. It would make an excellent horror collectible.

Jennifer Kent and her team created a nice Babadook movie tie-in book. It cost $80. Good luck finding it for less than $400 now. I have a copy, but mine isn't signed.
 
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I can't stop thinking about this goddamn film. It's haunting. I'm at a loss for why it isn't getting more notice from the horror community. What exactly are horror fans looking for these days?

Not enough jump scares? No tits? No gore? No comedy relief? No accompanying social justice movement to latch onto to make the film seem a lot more important than it is? I don't know...
 
Tits and gore haven't been in vogue for mainstream horror for a while. It's about the big glossy supernatural horror jump scare things like The Conjuring or It. The only recent big horror films I can think of with 'social justice' (oh no!) elements are Jordan Peele's films, both of which are very good.

I love Possum, but it's a British film that didn't get much promotion and is probably too weird for most people. I'm really not surprised it has limited appeal, and I doubt Holness is either.
 
James said:
Tits and gore haven't been in vogue for mainstream horror for a while. It's about the big glossy supernatural horror jump scare things like The Conjuring or It. The only recent big horror films I can think of with 'social justice' (oh no!) elements are Jordan Peele's films, both of which are very good.

I love Possum, but it's a British film that didn't get much promotion and is probably too weird for most people. I'm really not surprised it has limited appeal, and I doubt Holness is either.
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Social justice as a concept or goal is absolutely fine. My problem is being preached to by Hollywood people in really obvious and dumb ways. "Racism is bad", cool I didn't realize that, thanks Hollywood. "Rape/misogyny/sexism is bad", thanks Hollywood, wasn't aware of that either, I'll make a note. That's my problem with mainstream artists jumping on the latest social justice train-- maybe I'm too cynical, but it usually looks to me like an easy way to get positive buzz about your film (whether the film itself merits praise) and it almost always treats the audience like children. I don't appreciate self important artists treating me like a child with their clumsy, heavy handed affairs that aren't teaching me anything I haven't know since childhood. And the degenerates these "messages" are aiming at aren't going to start respecting other genders or culture over a film. I'm probably taking this all too seriously, I just see an overall lack of dangerous art in the mainstream any more. And if art isn't a little dangerous, I don't have time for it. I've other things to do.
 
I think films can stop criticising rape and misogyny when these stop being daily realities for women, but really many of these 'messages' people see in mainstream cinema seem to come down to pretty basic things like casting decisions. Hollywood is doing what it has always done in trying to sell movies. They don't care about social engineering. There has always been a lack of dangerous art in mainstream American cinema. It's worse now due to franchise glut, but Hollywood has always been mostly indifferent toward challenging the audience.

The 'SJW' 'problem' of 'moralising' cinema was 'worse' in the 70s when New Hollywood filmmakers would routinely subvert the mainstream political narrative of the day, especially when it came to war. Now all I see about complaints re: messages are instances of a woman or PoC in a leading role in an empty franchise piece. There isn't really any message there that I can see, especially in horror cinema, but the outrage will clog my YouTube recommendations daily.

I don't expect this to be a popular view on here, but I'd like mainstream horror cinema to be more political, akin to Cronenberg, Hooper or Romero's works, but only Jordan Peele seems to be doing that now. The top box office horror films are mostly big glossy 'escapist' pieces too afraid to contain any kind of social commentary and aren't as subversive as James Whale's horror films of the 30s.
 
James said:
I think films can stop criticising rape and misogyny when these stop being daily realities for women, but really many of these 'messages' people see in mainstream cinema seem to come down to pretty basic things like casting decisions. Hollywood is doing what it has always done in trying to sell movies. They don't care about social engineering. There has always been a lack of dangerous art in mainstream American cinema. It's worse now due to franchise glut, but Hollywood has always been mostly indifferent toward challenging the audience.

The 'SJW' 'problem' of 'moralising' cinema was 'worse' in the 70s when New Hollywood filmmakers would routinely subvert the mainstream political narrative of the day, especially when it came to war. Now all I see about complaints re: messages are instances of a woman or PoC in a leading role in an empty franchise piece. There isn't really any message there that I can see, especially in horror cinema, but the outrage will clog my YouTube recommendations daily.

I don't expect this to be a popular view on here, but I'd like mainstream horror cinema to be more political, akin to Cronenberg, Hooper or Romero's works, but only Jordan Peele seems to be doing that now. The top box office horror films are mostly big glossy 'escapist' pieces too afraid to contain any kind of social commentary and aren't as subversive as James Whale's horror films of the 30s.
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I can't disagree with any of that. Well said. But things like this are what bother me about the social justice movement:

I am married to a Thai refugee, my children are half Thai, our best friend couple are from Central America. I spend 40+ hours a week working for a non-profit organization that builds community centers in underdeveloped countries, providing computer training, vaccinations, and dental hygiene for children living in poverty. Yet some guy that grew up in the suburbs and lives and works among white people, whose social media is nothing but white people, tried to give me a "talking to" because I didn't like Get Out. Because, see, him judging others on twitter is how he makes a difference in the world. I try to actually make a difference, however small, but because I refuse to live in the PC nursery school, I was the one needing sensitivity training or some BS. That's the kind of thing I'm tired of. I don't know why I'm ranting here about this, just an overwhelming frustration with just about everything in this world right now James, to be honest.

I have no problem with horror being political, some of the best films have that undercurrent (The Shining, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Night of the Living Dead). I just hate the idea of horror wading into the PC waters. That scares me.

All the best.
 
There definitely are some 'left' bullies out there, which is maybe easier to hone in on as a specific problem vs absolutely all of the right-wing falling over themselves to be more disgusting than the other right now, but they're thankfully not very influential in society outside of being annoying online sometimes. I have felt their ire when stating preference for Bernie over Hillary and been called a sexist for that. It's stupid and unfair, but not a rampant social problem.

Not liking Get Out doesn't make you a racist. One of the reasons I like Get Out is that it criticises shallow liberalism from a leftist perspective. The villains are Obama supporters who 'love' black people and in doing so have fetishised them in a manner that is deeply racist.
 
James said:
There definitely are some 'left' bullies out there, which is maybe easier to hone in on as a specific problem vs absolutely all of the right-wing falling over themselves to be more disgusting than the other right now, but they're thankfully not very influential in society outside of being annoying online sometimes. I have felt their ire when stating preference for Bernie over Hillary and been called a sexist for that. It's stupid and unfair, but not a rampant social problem.

Not liking Get Out doesn't make you a racist. One of the reasons I like Get Out is that it criticises shallow liberalism from a leftist perspective. The villains are Obama supporters who 'love' black people and in doing so have fetishised them in a manner that is deeply racist.
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I may need to re-visit this film. I have this weird habit of not liking popular movies. It's not always the "you need to like this because it's socially relevant" either. Just films that win awards and all kinds of accolades. I have some issue with that. I hated No Country For Old Men, as I heard so much hype, then watched it and thought "just an okay movie". But after a 2nd viewing I thought it was a masterpiece. Same thing with The Godfather. Maybe now that the hype has died down and I no longer feel pressure to like Get Out, I might actually like it. Ha ha.
 
GirlyGirlMask said:
I can't stop thinking about this goddamn film. It's haunting. I'm at a loss for why it isn't getting more notice from the horror community. What exactly are horror fans looking for these days?

Not enough jump scares? No tits? No gore? No comedy relief? No accompanying social justice movement to latch onto to make the film seem a lot more important than it is? I don't know...
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Same thing happened to me. I watched it again a few days later. The acting by Sean Harris and Alun Armstrong was first-rate. They were perfectly cast. The cinematography was like something out of an urban nightmare. And it was a quiet but emotionally unsettling film. I agree with James in that I didn't expect the film to have more than limited appeal. It's slow, introspective, and dark. It got a significantly better critical reception than audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
 
I thought the clumsiest film in recent times for delivering its message was Shape Of Water but I still quite liked it. Just disappointed.

I loved The Witch and really liked It Follows, but some critics way overhyped the political aspect and they couldn't deliver on those false expectations.

Bewitched/Gu from the early 80s Hong Kong claimed onscreen to be an anti-promiscuity film but it may have been just an excuse to get away with its content. I'm sure there's tons of old films like this where the message is either text onscreen or the heroes preach out loud.

There's a part in an 80s Jackie Chan film (cant recall which) that I thought was briefly preaching against homosexuality.
 
Some poetry by Holness and some art by Joseph Avery, who designed the poster.

https://josephavery.art/#/gipfel/


From the interview by Mat Colegate with Possum writer and director, Matthew Holness.


One writer who I thought was conspicuously absent and who I thought would have been a big influence on the film was Thomas Ligotti.

I do like Thomas Ligotti and he was certainly an influence on the original short story. I had just read The Nightmare Factory around the time and was stunned. Certainly 'The Frolic' was a big influence on Possum. The atmosphere and the subject matter is similar. But he's not an author that I would necessarily say has been a huge influence in that sense. Although he is absolutely fantastic, I find that I can't read more than one or two in a row. I think it's because he's so intense. I can only take one or two stories at a time and then I have to go and find my sanity.
 
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