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[Telluride Horror Show Review] ‘Possum’ Is Next-Level, Bone-Deep Weirdness

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Matthew Holness – best known as the mastermind behind Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace – breaks from tonal expectation with his feature film debut Possum, an ambitiously unpleasant and gorgeously stark film shot on 35mm, adding to the texture of a story that will unsettle you to your core.

Sean Harris – best known as the Mission: Impossible franchise’s recent big bad Solomon Lane – plays Philip, an unemployed puppeteer who returns to an unhappy home where his parents have passed away but his cruel stepfather Maurice (the great Alun Armstrong) remains. Philip’s life seems an endless ladder of torments: Maurice’s mocking, his own grief and loneliness, the mystery of a missing local boy that Possum hints is somehow Philip’s responsibility – and, of course, the truly horrifying puppet of the title.

For the first third of the film, Possum hides Possum from us, like any good monster movie waiting for its big reveal. When we finally get a good look at what Philip’s been lugging around in his ubiquitous leather duffle, we’re not disappointed. Possum is a six-foot spider thing with a blankly ominous human head, and though the remaining screentime isn’t shy about showing him to us, he never loses his impact. He’s a perfect metaphor for the dark places hiding in Philip’s broken mind, a twisted, monstrous burden that never leaves Philip’s side, no matter how he tries to rid himself of it: by fire, by water, by burial. Possum just never stays dead.

On paper, there’s a fairly clear story that unfolds here, but in practice, every narrative advancement is couched in baffling imagery, uncomforting atmosphere and the sort of sound design that instantly transports viewers to a dream state. It’s deeply quiet and still in its way, with the absence of sound almost acting as sound, a hum that goes beyond hearing into feeling. It’s hard to get your hands on Possum – it slips through your fingers just when you think you know what it’s about. It’s not easy to say what makes the film strictly horror, but it feels so nightmarish that to call it anything else would be a mistake.

At times, Possum unfurls as a series of distressing visual vignettes, beautifully lit and bizarre: a cluster of balloons go up in smoke, the limbs of a tree hug Philip’s duffle like the legs of a spider, black rain falls from the sky in inky sheets. And Holness wisely relies on the eternally intriguing contours and contortions of Harris’ face. Somehow an extreme close-up of this good-looking actor can be one of the most vexing images in the film.

Possum has a little something to say about trauma and grief, about the shadows of our past sticking to us wherever we go. It’s a profoundly weird experience, but never feels inauthentic, or weird for weird’s sake. Possum just tells a not-unconventional story in a wildly unconventional way.

Meredith Borders is the Managing Editor of FANGORIA and a freelance writer and editor living in Houston, where she owns a brewery and restaurant with her husband.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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