History Film / Possum

** As a monster, Possum actually doesn't do all that much to Phillip. One of the most unsettling moments in the movie has the thing peeking from around a corner, annd Phillip turns, only to see it peeking from around a ''different'' corner.

* DaylightHorror: Several terrifying sequences, including a nightmare chase scene, occur during the daytime.

* NightmareFuelColoringBook: The Possum book that Phillip made as a kid, which has some extremely eerie, [[Literature/ScaryStoriesToTellInTheDark Stephen Gammell-esque]] charcoal drawings and ominous.
* NoodleImplements: The exact nature of the green sweets that Maurice keeps offering Philip goes undisclosed. Philip seems reluctant to eat them so they may have some sinister purpose and there are some small hints that they could be drugged.
* NoodleIncident: Philip was evidently disgraced as a puppeteer following a disastrous show; however, the details are never fully revealed. Likewise, the details of the fire are only vaguely hinted at. In general, there's a lot this movie ''doesn't'' tell you about the backstory.

** as a monster, Possum actually doesn't do all that much to Phillip. Some of its most disturbing moments are it peeking from around a corner, Phillip turns, only to see it peeking from around a ''different'' corner.

* BeastWithAHumanFace: The Possum puppet, which resembles a GiantSpider with a human head.

* RuleOfSymbolism: The film sure does love shots of Possum's long, spindly feet creeping slowly into frame. [[spoiler:Following the implication that Maurice sexually abused Phillip and particularly considering the way Phillip reacts in horror at the sight of Maurice' fingers, it is clear that Possum was meant to represent Maurice and that the spider legs were a deliberate aesthetic choice meant to evoke his uncle's horrifying digits. And Possum's motif of kidnapping lost children in the poem of Possum is a very clear representation of Maurice doing the same thing over the years.]]

* RuleOfSymbolism: The film sure does love shots of Possum's long, spindly feet creeping slowly into frame. [[spoiler:Following the implication that Maurice sexually abused Phillip and particularly considering the way Phillip reacts in horror at the sight of Maurice' fingers, it is clear that Possum was meant to represent Maurice and that the spider legs were a deliberate aesthetic choice meant to evoke his uncle's horrifying digits.]]

A slow, atmospheric film. ''Possum'' tells the story of Phillip (Creator/SeanHarris), a disturbed puppeteer haunted by his past, who returns to his childhood home following an apparently disastrous performance (the details of which are never disclosed to the audience). The house has been owned by his crass and unpleasant Uncle Maurice (Creator/AlunArmstrong), who essentially raised Phillip after the latter's parents were killed in a fire. Phillip spends much of his time at home trying to rid himself of [[AntagonistTitle Possum]], a ghastly spider puppet he created that has come to embody all the emotional baggage in his life. Unfortunately, Possum doesn't seem to want to go. [[FromBadToWorse And things get worse]] for Phillip when a local boy goes missing and people begin pointing their fingers in his direction.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane / ClingyMcGuffin: Philip attempts to dispose of Possum several times but somehow the puppet always inexplicably finds its way back to him. Whether this is all just a product of Philip's damaged psyche or if Possum does indeed have some supernatural element to it is never really explored.

* NoodleIncident: Philip was evidently disgraced as a puppeteer following a disastrous show, however the details are never fully revealed. Likewise, the details of the fire are only vaguely hinted at. In general, there's a lot this movie ''does't'' tell you about the backstory.

* PersonalHorror: A lot is implied early on, but at the end it's confirmed that [[spoiler:Maurice abused Philip as a child. Possum was just a coping mechanism.]]

* PsychologicalHorror: See "Personal Horror" above.

* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler: Subverted. We're initially lead to expect that Phillip is a dangerous murderer and/or child molester, but at the climax we learn that he's actually the victim, and that Maurice is responsible for the crimes in both the movie's backstory and present.]]

* CallASmeerpARabbit: Now, there are ''many'' things you could call that hideous puppet, but it is most definitely ''not'' a possum.

* BeastWithAHumanFace: The Possum puppet.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Philip attempts to dispose of Possum several times but somehow the puppet always inexplicably finds its way back to him. Whether this is all just a product of Philip's damaged psyche or if Possum does indeed have some supernatural element to it is never really explored.
* MinimalistCast: Most of the movie focuses on Phillip, Maurice, and Possum, if you can consider him to be an actual character. Most other characters have only a couple minutes of screentime at most.
* MirrorScare: At one point, Phillip glances into a mirror to see Possum's head sitting on his shoulders.

* NoodleIncident: Philip was evidently disgraced as a puppeteer following a disastrous show, however the details are never fully revealed.

* SpidersAreScary: Just look at that poster!

A slow, atmospheric film. ''Possum'' tells the story of Phillip (Creator/SeanHarris), a disturbed puppeteer haunted by his past, who returns to his childhood home following an apparently disastrous performance (the details of which are never disclosed to the audience). The house has been owned by his crass and unpleasant Uncle Maurice (Alun Armstrong), who essentially raised Phillip after the latter's parents were killed in a fire. Phillip spends much of his time at home trying to rid himself of [[AntagonistTitle Possum]], a ghastly spider puppet he created that has come to embody all the emotional baggage in his life. Unfortunately, Possum doesn't seem to want to go. [[FromBadToWorse And things get worse]] for Phillip when a local boy goes missing and people begin pointing their fingers in his direction.

* NoodleImplements: The exact nature of the green sweets that Maurice keeps offering Philip goes undisclosed. Philip seems reluctant to eat them so they may have some sinister purpose and there are some small hints that they may be drugged.

A slow, atmospheric film. ''Possum'' tells the story of Phillip (Creator/SeanHarris), a disturbed puppeteer haunted by his past, who returns to his childhood home following an apparently disastrous performance (the details of which are never disclosed to the audience). The house has been owned by his crass and unpleasant Uncle Morris (Alun Armstrong), who essentially raised Phillip after the latter's parents were killed in a fire. Phillip spends much of his time at home trying to rid himself of [[AntagonistTitle Possum]], a ghastly spider puppet he created that has come to embody all the emotional baggage in his life. Unfortunately, Possum doesn't seem to want to go. [[FromBadToWorse And things get worse]] for Phillip when a local boy goes missing and people begin pointing their fingers in his direction.

* {{Jerkass}}: Morris seems to relish whenever Phillip comes home just so he can mock and belittle him. [[spoiler:The ending reveals that the extent of his cruelty goes far, far beyond simple jerkassery, however.]]
* MinimalistCast: Most of the movie focuses on Phillip, Morris, and Possum, if you can consider him to be an actual character. Most other characters have only a couple minutes of screentime at most.

* PersonalHorror: A lot is implied early on, but at the end it's confirmed that [[spoiler:Morris abused Philip as a child. Possum was just a coping mechanism.]]
* PerversePuppet: Possum is far and away one of the most horrifying puppets to be committed to screen in recent memory. Even Morris seems disturbed by the idea that Phillip would show it to children.

* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Phillip didn't kidnap the boy; Morris did. In fact, Morris has been doing so for years, and has forced Phillip to keep his mouth shut ever since he was a child.]]
* RuleOfSymbolism: The film sure does love shots of Possum's long, spindly feet creeping slowly into frame. [[spoiler:Following the implication that Morris sexually abused Phillip and particularly considering the way Phillip reacts in horror at the sight of Morris' fingers, it is clear that Possum was meant to represent Morris and that the spider legs were a deliberate aesthetic choice meant to evoke his uncle's horrifying digits.]]

* CallASmeerpARabbit: Now, there are ''many'' things you could call that hideous puppet, but it is most definitely ''not'' a Possum.

A slow, atmospheric film. ''Possum'' tells the story of Phillip, a disturbed puppeteer haunted by his past, who returns to his childhood home following an apparently disastrous performance (the details of which are never disclosed to the audience). The house has been owned by his crass and unpleasant Uncle Morris, who essentially raised Phillip after the latter's parents were killed in a fire. Phillip spends much of his time at home trying to rid himself of [[AntagonistTitle Possum]], a ghastly spider puppet he created that has come to embody all the emotional baggage in his life. Unfortunately, Possum doesn't seem to want to go. [[FromBadToWorse And things get worse]] for Phillip when a local boy goes missing and people begin pointing their fingers in his direction.

* PersonalHorror: A lot is implied early on, but at the end it's confirmed that [[spoiler:Maurice physically abused Philip as a child. Possum was just a coping mechanism.]]

A slow, atmospheric film. ''Possum'' tells the story of Phillip, a disturbed puppeteer haunted by his past, who returns to his childhood home following an apparently disastrous performance (the details of which are never disclosed to the audience). The house has been owned by his crass and unpleasant Uncle Morris, who essentially raised Phillip after the latter's parents were killed in a fire. Phillip spends much of his time at home trying to rid himself of Possum, a ghastly spider puppet he created that has come to embody all the emotional baggage in his life. Unfortunately, Possum doesn't seem to want to go. And things get worse for Phillip when a local boy goes missing and people begin pointing their fingers in his direction.

* RuleOfSymbolism: The film sure does love shots of Possum's long, spindly feet creeping slowly into frame. [[spoiler:Following the implication that Morris sexually abused Phillip and particularly considering the way Phillip reacts in horror at the sight of Morris' fingers, it is clear that Possum was meant to represent Morris and that the spider legs were a deliberate aesthetic choice meant to evoke his uncle's horrifying digits.]]

* RuleOfSymbolism: The film sure does love shots of Possum's long, spindly feet creeping slowly into frame. [[spoiler:Following the implication that Morris sexually abused Phillip and particularly considering the way Phillip reacts in horror at the sight of Morris' fingers, it is clear that Possum was meant to represent Morris and that the spider legs were a deliberate aesthetic choice meant to evoke his uncle's horrifying digits.

{{Jerkass}}: Morris seems to relish whenever Phillip comes home just so he can mock and belittle him. [[spoiler:The ending reveals that the extent of his cruelty goes far, far beyond simple jerkassery, however.]]
MinimalistCast: Most of the movie focuses on Phillip, Morris, and Possum, if you can consider him to be an actual character. Most other characters have only a couple minutes of screentime at most.
PerversePuppet: Possum is far and away one of the most horrifying puppets to be committed to screen in recent memory. Even Morris seems disturbed by the idea that Phillip would show it to children.
TheReveal: [[spoiler:Phillip didn't kidnap the boy; Morris did. In fact, Morris has been doing so for years, and has forced Phillip to keep his mouth shut ever since he was a child.]]
RuleOfSymbolism: The film sure does love shots of Possum's long, spindly feet creeping slowly into frame. [[spoiler:Following the implication that Morris sexually abused Phillip and particularly considering the way Phillip reacts in horror at the sight of Morris' fingers, it is clear that Possum was meant to represent Morris and that the spider legs were a deliberate aesthetic choice meant to evoke his uncle's horrifying digits.