The Unseen Terror of POSSUM
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2020
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ABOUT THE SHOW:
This show celebrates Ryan's love for film, games, art and entertainment through personal retrospective analysis that aims to explore what made them so good.
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*What should I talk about next?!*
Welcome to Mercy
Have you done John Dies at the End yet?
Can you talk about Wendy's? Personally, I just really like Wendy's.
house of wax (1953)
The Endless and Resolution! They're a pairing! :)
There was a screening of 'Possum' at my local Picturehouse, which had Matt Holness in attendance to introduce the film and do a Q&A afterwards. After the film he brought out the actual Possum puppet - which was genuinely unsettling. A moment that has stayed with me is that someone in attendance took a picture of it, and when the flash on their camera went off the eyes of the puppet appeared to come alive.
Hell no 😩
on a scale of 'unsettling' to 'oh, hell nah', im giving this a 'this is the comment under every horror video that somehow makes everything worse'
Nooooooope
What do you mean "appeared to"?
Can I see it
Considering ‘rock spider’ is an old slang word for pedophile, i think the puppet being spider like adds to the abuse/ pedophilia theme, as well as representing the trauma and being uncanny
That's an excellent observation! The black spider legs also seem to evoke the uncle's "filthy fingers".
It's prison slang in Australia. Perhaps it's cockney rhyming slang? Also slang in South Africa for Afrikaners.
Why rock spider? I don’t see the correlation between a spider and a molester and I can’t find an explanation of the origin
@@dev1040 well just based on situation i think it means hidden threat so they hide themselves and trap when they find a “suitable” prey in this cause he held his urges hidden until he found someone to prey upon
@@winterbelle708 ohhhhh!! Thank you :)
dude, i like spiders AND puppets, but not even i like that thing. whoever designed/built that prop did a hell of a job.
i want one to hang on my bedroom wall!
Same team that worked on props/puppets for Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars.
I really don’t think Possum is as scary as actual spiders, actual spider heads on actual spider bodies is an infinitely scarier concept to me than the human head of Possum on his spider body
@@AJ-tp9bk Same. When I get my own home, I plan on having an entire room dedicated to my hobbies. It'd be AMAZING to have the original puppet on my wall in there.
@@Zatoka. I think Alun Armstrong got to keep it.
My house is “spider friendly.” We go to great lengths to either let them be or carefully carry them outside to set them free. His puppet would be given its own bedroom and seat at my table in my house.
Edit: My wife says “no”.
your wife is smart
Bless your wife
i don’t overtly hate spiders, but they don’t pay no dam rent so screw them
the fuck man, i am sure iburn me house along whit this thing
@@frmad9329 seriously, I don't go chill on thier webs, they shouldn't chill in my house
"We dont know why he was sacked a children's puppeteer"
*looks at his puppet*
Me - yeah I think I know why
😂😂😂👏🏻
This guy could be the Picasso of ventriloquism and I would still not want him or his puppet within a twenty meters radius of me.
Yeah same
When I saw the movie I assumed he had been doing well as a puppeteer for a while but his trauma slowly resurfaced over time and he made that doll to cope, became obsessed with it and brought it to a children’s party to act out his pain and seriously freaked everyone out, so he got fired and decided to go to the source of his fear to get rid of his obsession.
lol
“The crazy people out there who like spiders”
Spiders don't have creepy human faces. That thing is horrific.
Nah thet just have a billion eyes attached to a hairy dark face, often with huge fangs. Nothing evil to see here.
I like spiders that consume flies especially much. I prefer my pet cat as a silky pettable ally.
yeah cute wittle bebe eyes, y u hatin and descriminatin'?
I love spiders, I tend to pick them up if they let me.
@@craigh5236 Just reading that makes me want to go scrub my hands. Eugh.
when you say "we never find out why he got sacked at his job as a children's puppeteer..." I was waiting for you to say "though we get strong implications when introduced to *that fucking puppet* "
Right lol it seems kinda obvious
I would love to have seen that puppet show.
Imagine someone pulling that out at a puppetshow
Especially if they went with the version from the short story made from dead animals he collected
Ain't it that his uncle caused the whole incident?
The spider looks like that babyhead robot toy Sid had in Toy Story
that thing still creeps me out when i watch Toy Story
Or sid from the “Basket Case” series
@@Mitchell_Kirkbride69 same
Yes
He’s all grown up
"We never learn why Phil was sacked from his puppeteer job"
Well if that thing was his main act, I can see why
I know...it's hardly Basil Brush is it? 😂
I think that wasn't actually the puppet he used, it was just some insane side project
@bill billings Almost?? I hate when people overuse this phrase but...that thing is quite literally reminiscent of if I had a sleep paralysis demon, it's just....ugh
Look I’m one of those freaks who likes spiders, and that puppet is still frickin terrifying
I used to be terrified of spiders. They still unnerve me but I’m better at dealing with them. They actually get rid of more harmful creatures so they’re kind of bros.
Nothing wrong with liking Spiders, I kinda do but only at a distance lol.
Hey, nice to see another person who likes spiders! And yes, that puppet is freaky as shit.
So am i but that damn face is just unnerving
Am scared of spiders. But as I grow older, the fear gets more and more tolerable every year and now it's only when they're really close or god forbid on me I get freaked.
He didn't even mention the fact that the Uncle took and perhaps killed some of Philip's friends when he was younger, he knew it was his uncle but didn't talk with the police, i think he blames himself for that
I kinda wondered if the uncle killed his friends and then made him help burn the bodies (hence the ash coloring the balloons black and raining from the sky). Then they buried the remains int he woods by the spider-like tree.
@@derek96720 to go one horrible step further, it suggests that Maurice purposefully killed Phillip's parents via arson, perhaps to gain full control of Phillip.
@@DrewSew Possibly. 👍
This movie has such layers & while it's a simple premise & low-budget the actors do such an amazing job I can't help but call it my favorite B+ Schlock movie, over Evil Dead, Chucky & the Hellraiser/Puppetmaster movies.
I also noticed that when Philip runs his arms are slack and just sorta bounce in front of him limply like a doll. Or a puppet.
Yes! I noticed this too!
i thought more of like a child running when theyre upset but i can also see that.
@@srobinson3269 this is more the image I had too
I think it's more like invisible shackles more than invisible strings
@@apothecurio i think it's more the child aspect, the guy is clearly developmentally stunted by the things he went through.
"Giving a voice to the voiceless"
Giving a voice to a ventriloquist is some spicy symbolism
Motherfucker's took my profile pic.
Can't have shit in detroit.
@@wickerhazbrownsauce8564 aye man, I've had this pic on everything for a couple years now, I just love Masters of the Universe
@@sonicbelmont300 Ah, a fellow man of taste, I see.
@@wickerhazbrownsauce8564 ❤️
@DankMcStank nyyYYAAAHHH
"The story follows a disgraced puppeteer called Phillip, who returns to his childhood home hopping to rid himself of his grotesque Frankenstein-spider doll thing, only to confront his haunted past, where he was viciously abused by his uncle Maurice."
That is a lot to unpack for only one sentence.
It's one hell of a elevator pitch for the movie :D
now we don’t have time to unpack all of that-!
That's about the same script of David Cronenberg's SPIDER (2002) with Ralph Fiennes.
I know right? What kind of sick fuck is named Philip?
I saw the legs come around the corner and couldn't help letting out a "fuck that"
I'm surprised more people aren't talking about the way Maurice presents his fingers to Phillip much like the legs of a spider. This feels very intentional on the filmmaker's part.
3:16 The horror of Toy story: Sid’s room
I'd die of an instant heart attack from fear.
That's the first thing I thought when I saw this.
"We don't know why he was fired from his job as a puppeteer for children" He said while showing the most horrifying and scarring puppet I've ever seen in my damn life.
When I watched this I knew that the movie has something to do with pedophilia because in Nabokov’s Lolita, Humbert in his diary refers to himself as an spider.
Or maybe it was inspired by the film and/or book “Spider ”(film released in 2002), the way the main character moves and especially how he smokes really resembles how Ralph Feanes (must have misspelt it ) acted in the film, “Spider ”also revolves around childhood trauma but leans more over the character's illness than psychological horror, it's quite decent, you should check it out
Fiver Ed omg, I wasn't the only one to notice. Our montage teacher showed us Spider to learn about flashbacks and it was one of the best courses. When I saw this clip was the first time I heard of Possum and so many shots are almost identical to Spider.
@@wireboar7321 Yes, I read the book, own the film. These two films do resonate in the same way.
fun fact! possum is actually latin for "I can," which actually makes sense when given the narrative of this movie.
That would be the only logical explanation for the title. As far as I'm concerned, those creatures aren't native to Britain.
That is quite interesting actually
It's because Phillip would play dead like a 'Possum man' during abuse
I thought it was because the puppet was made of roadkill, which a lot of times happens to be possums
I was just about to post this.
"Spiders really do get a bad rep, they're out here stopping malaria and we just put cups over them and throw them out of a window"
Abraham Lincoln, 2006
"I fucking love reading random quotes on the Internet." Seneca, 437.
Agreed there very important, without then bugs would overpopulate.
The Xenomorphian
“Shut fuck up, nigga”
-Sun Zoo or sum shit 2020
Goldener März Yea they are helping but they are also gross and not helping in my bedroom
@@CameronKujo your comment is wild
I spoke to the writer about why Philip lost his job after a screening of Possum. He said that it was in the script but was dropped as it was too long. Philip had a breakdown when doing a kid's puppet show and started screaming and crying on stage scaring the kids. He didn't molest them or anything.
Trauma is a loyal dog, won't leave your side for the rest of your life
Aye, the film absolutely wants you to think there’s something more sinister going in with Phillip himself, especially early on. What I do like, though, is that once the (admittedly very obviously but still quite cleverly set up) reveal makes it clear what’s really going on- that Phillip is ultimately a victim of the very thing we assumed he was engaging in, and that abuse has completely dominated his life whether consciously or not- is that a lot of his behaviours and quirks are recontextualised. Specifically, a lot of the stuff he does when in the presence of other people is very childlike- he legitimately WAS curious about what the boy was drawing and nothing sinister was going on, the way he goes ‘yes sir, sorry sir’ when the teacher tells him to move on, why he picked a children’s park to sit and smoke in, the way he just kind of awkwardly looks at the two folks calling him a pervert like he doesn’t really know how to refute it (no matter how much he wants too), how he talks when he returns to the school, the way he cuddles the puppet + the very specific way he begins to cry during the scene where he burns Possum, and most horrifically the way he begs Maurice not to assault him in that last scene (which is, more or less, a simulation/reenactment of what must have happened to Phillip countless times as a child). Phillip is, quite understandably, an emotionally and mentally stunted mess of a man who still exhibits many childlike behaviours as a result of how cruelly his childhood was snatched away from him by the man who was supposed to care for him after he lost his parents (which is itself a Big Oof on the trauma metre), and I’m at least personally convinced the film wants you to not realise this and assume the worst of him until that final reveal confirms that it was just Maurice that was dodgy as dodgy gets.
Admittedly the film makes more or less no real attempt to hide that something isn’t right about Maurice from the word “go”, which provides ammo for the “Maurice is a figment of Phillip’s imagination” and “Phillip is repeating the cycle of abuse he suffered” theories. As does the fact that the house is, essentially, a derelict that I’m genuinely surprised still has electricity and running water, but frankly Maurice is such a thoroughly unpleasant and disgusting man- even by the standard of nonces that abuse their own kin- I fully believe he’s 100% real and living in that shitehole as basically a hermit who leaves only for food or... other interests. Likewise I can fully believe Phillip hasn’t perpetuated the cycle of violence and was an innocent all along just based on how near completely helpless he is in that last scene, and how it helps recontextualises his behaviours beforehand. Maybe it’s because by that I was so enthralled by Sean Harris’ fucking stunning performance and felt so deeply sorry for his character that I *want* that to be true, I dunno.
But aye, to close out, can I just take a minute to praise Sean and Alun’s fucking incredible performances here? “Good” is an understatement. This is masterclass acting from top to bottom and is rife with both subtleties and moments of grandeur from both of them- I knew straight up that Maurice was some sort of perv alone from the subtle (and then not so subtle) ways he demands to be told about the fox (likely again), and the very specific way Sean positions/holds his arms throughout the film is, honestly, the loudest and boldest action speaking louder then his few, mostly quiet words ever could. Fucking STUNNING stuff.
i actually haven't seen this movie but your theorie makes allot more sense to me than the video's
Thanks for the awesome review, genuinely enjoyed reading it.
The way the main character moves and the way he smokes really reminds of how spider moves in the film “spider ”(2002), it also revolves around childhood trauma.
I'm writing this before I've watched the complete video
Another thing that might add to the "Maurice is in his imagination" angle is that the kid doesn't go missing until Phillip returns home. Maurice even says "this happened before, didn't it? In your time?" Seems like a slight implication that it hasn't happened since Phillip was a kid or since he left. It could also be that Maurice was simply holding back, and when Phillip returned he saw an opportunity to put the blame on someone else.
One thing that sticks out to me is that Phillip knows the police came looking for him before Maurice tells him, because he saw them and heard them knocking at the door, but then they left when no one answered. So when did Maurice speak to them? Did they come back a second time? If so, why didn't they wait around for Phillip to return? From what we see in the film it seems like the police check the house, it appears no one is home, and then leave...
And a small point, how exactly did Phillip kill Maurice in the end? He had one hand on his face, then there was a crack, and he's dead. The implication is that he broke his neck, but it seemed like an awkward and unlikely position to do that in. The film cuts away from the actual neck snapping, so we don't see it, but it's possible it's a bit of awkward editing and I'm just nitpicking...
rbgg2010 I don't have much to add or say regarding yer theories here- I don't personally subscribe to them but they're sound theories (and I can see the logic)- but I would say yeah that list bit is nitpicking slightly. The neck's an easy thing to fuck up even in accidental circumstances, so I could buy that Phillip easily could've snapped Maurice's neck during that struggle. Likewise to everything else though, to each their own innit; the film's more then open ended enough that any possibility within reason is valid.
That victims self-blame is horribly common. "I should have known," "She said she loved me," et cetera.
"I should have taken it out on those who wronged me, not the innocent."
Not just for victims of abuse, From my experience it's for most mental problems. When I was depressed, I hid it from everyone as not to bother anyone with it. I only talked to people about it after I had a 4 hour long, terrible, very intense, continual panic attack (which was fun).
I was abused most of growing up by my mom's husbands (divorces), and I often end up thinking that it had to be my fault since multiple different people did it.
@@chaossmith3864 damn, that really sucks. Are you in a better place now?
@@piccolo917 I'm doing better than I was, yeah. I still have a lot of work to go, but some progress is better than none. And gotta start somewhere.
Thank you for your kind words. 😸
The tense discomfort you feel when watching this movie is something most horror completely fails at imo.
Just said the same. It's nightmarish and surreal, and it really made me uncomfortable. In that regard it really reminded me of Eraserhead. That's peak horror, when you have a bad time watching a good movie.
That chase scene where the puppet comes after him scared me, especially the part where it just poked it's head around the door frame as was seen earlier in the movie. For some reason, that really got to me more than the jumpscares. There was just something about knowing what it was and it just peeking around the corner like that that set off a serious fight or flight instinct for me
YES. Like it was just waiting, or playing some sick peek-a-boo game, and the fact that you can't see it very well but your brain fills in the gaps of the face in the dim light to make it even more horrifying than it ever could look...yeah, a resounding fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck that.
Theres something about the tension of locking eyes with a predator and a lot of room inbetween, the cogs in your head trying to figure out whats going to happen in that space is just terrifying. Its like a high noon, where both wonder who will move first.
Phillip is so trumatized by Maurice, that he can't confront the fact that he knows from the beginning that Maurice has kidnapped the boy. Maurice clearly admits to it from the beginning, daring Phillip to go in the other room and see the victim. But, you'll only recognize the admission when watching the film a second time. So, throughout the movie, both men know that Maurice has the boy.
As a victim of mental and physical abuse, thank you for exposing me to this movie. It speaks very true to my experience and I love the film.
I'm really sorry if this sounds rude but are you doing any better?
@@jamesholden5587 aired g
Am sorry u had to go therw that
Been through mental and emotional, hope you are doing well and things are doing good
what happened
What could *Possumly* go wrong?
😂😂😂👀
god, i'm ashamed that i laughed at that
Jesus Christ 🤣🤣
@@benredmond3
As did I. 😂😂😂👀
@PrissyCox
Well played PrissyCox, well played indeed👏🏆
"Oh Amygdala, oh Amygdala...
Have mercy on the poor bastard."
Grant us eyes... Grant us EYESSSS... To see through this beastly idiocy.
Fellew hoonters let's hoont
Trusty ol' Patches!
Are your feet as fat as your wits?
the nightmare swirls and churns unending!
I’m a horror film junkie, and most horror films are pretty much comedies to me. But possum is the one film that has actually scared me in years. Very well done!
It's somehow worse (in a good way) that the spider puppet isn't skittery like most giant spiders in movies, maybe it's just the human looking head
Ryan: Movie is better seen than said.
also Ryan: still manages to make 13 minutes of completely entertaining & detailed content about said movie
Yeah, it’s an inescapable paradox, but I guess it’s more a recommendation to understanding the “feel”
@@RyanHollinger thanks for the video, it introduced me to this movie and it scared the shit out of me.
Nice meme tho lmao
We call that talent
@@slinkyatrest Unrivalled
Just watched it. Last movie to make me that uncomfortable was Eraserhead. It's this nightmarish, surreal and depressing atmosphere. That feeling of hopelessness, being trapped in a limbo. Even while figuring out what exactly is going on, you just know it's something very wrong, something's rotten to the core. This is peak horror for me, when I can say that I had a bad time watching a great movie.
This is the only movie I've watched where I screamed at the top of my lungs. I don't think the part I screamed at was all that scary. I was just so invested in what Phillip was looking at while sitting at the floor in the end and then Maurice comes out of nowhere and it caught me so off guard.
One of the more effective uses of "humans are the real monsters"
My theory on why he got fired was that he had an emotional breakdown on stage, scaring the children. Many people would think of that as a scandal, like Maurice calls it.
Or maybe it was the corpse spider
@@yeosangjuice205 Just throwin that out there.
i didn't watch the movie but i'm assuming he might have abused children as his uncle did, which is truly a very terrifying possibility
@@Booklat1 This sadly the most likely choice considering the many hints and that many child abusers were abused themselve
@@Booklat1 He would be in a fucking jail if he abused children jesus fucking christ
Your theory doesn't make sense whatsoever
this guy's videos are getting so much better and better
Thank you!
@Nick PrattWait did he?
Couldn’t agree more , I honestly have no interest in horror but his commentary and insights are just too good
I agree
Editing wise yes commentary no :(
i honestly love the puppet's design. i wouldn't want to wake up with it that close to me like it is in the film, but there's just something so haunting about how it looks, it's so unique.
One of the smaller details I remember from this movie was when Sean Harris' character was having his dissociative episodes they would break with some offscreen unknown voice screaming "Phillip!!!" And he would instantly snap out of his daze to look around for the source of the voice to find absolutely nothing. As someone with a shitty upbringing, robbed childhood, and a life of rejection and alienation, that is exactly the kind of psychosomatic phenomenon you experience neck deep in flashbacks. Its very unnerving, until you understand what it is where its coming from. This movie nails it perfectly.
You too? I hear my name screamed by my mother all the time. Especially when things are loud, I have a way of making any sound or noise sound like a voice screaming at me.
I thought I was the only one haha.
I honestly had a hard time believing that puppet was ever in a kids show
I think the idea is that it’s “distorted” from the character’s perspective. Like I said, there’s a fairytale/apocalyptic mood to it.
@@RyanHollinger he's maybe taken on the role of the puppet in his mind? both have been used, rejected, I'm not sure as haven't seen the film but great video
@@RyanHollinger in the original story the puppet was made from roadkill hence the name "possum" makes me think that in real life the puppet is just a regular toy possum but it manifests like that as symbolic of his inner turmoil
In the short story Philip intentionally walks around scaring children with it. I read it as something he made as a personal project outside of work and got fired from pulling it out during a kids show
@@Becbullaney wheree can I read the story?
Stylistically, this movie always heavily reminded me of Tarkovsky's Stalker.
Also, MAJOR props for getting through this entire video without even so much as casually mentioning Garth Merenghi's Darkplace. Must've been hard, haha.
Yeah, I didn’t want to detract from his film because I know it’s his big claim to fame
@@RyanHollinger Understandable. I absolutely love Darkplace, but seeing Possum and that short film he did about the novelist, I wouldn't mind at all if he pulled a Jordan Peele and pivoted to (psych) horror. He's got an amazing talent for it.
@@AceAttorny Horror and Comedy are two sides of the same coin - if you know what makes people laugh all you need to do is push it a bit further to make people scream.
Stalker makes me feels depressed after watching it for some reason.
THIS is from the guy who did DARKPLACE??
I don’t necessarily agree with your interpretation that it’s him blaming himself, I suffer from ptsd and I really think it’s more about the trauma of the events itself that you simply can’t get rid of. They are so persistent and that fear never goes away like the puppet no matter how hard you try.
Exactly this.
people express their experiences differently
This was the first film in years that made me cry. During the last scene when Maurice was abusing Phillip. What really made it effective was that 1. There was no music. 2. It was in a dark, decrepit location, 3. Maurice talked to Phillip as if he were a little boy again, and Phillip seems to act accordingly. It's common for people who experienced trauma in their childhood to age regress and I think it's referring to that. An amazingly brutal choice on Holness's part. I'll never forget it.
Words can't describe how hellish that puppet looks.
Props to the designer.
It’s sad how movies like this don’t get the attention they deserve. People nowadays think horror = jump scares, when in reality the biggest horrors don’t pop up out of nowhere, we already know they are inside of us.
i want to be paranoid and creeped out after i watch the film, not only during and if so id rather not be startled every 15 minutes because spooky clown scare me
I feel like the genre is just done a disservice by being called “horror”. There are divisions like psychological horror and gore and thrillers and whatnot but most people lump them together under “scary movies”. And the average moviegoer most likely isn’t down to face deep, disturbing aspects of their own existence and experiences; they’re more likely to enjoy popcorn movies about teenagers getting eviscerated by supernatural jump-scarers
@Quilo Sky The problem with jumpscares are that its abusement of a human reflex. You arent really scared, its just "Music stops....slow scene....BOO !....*you flick for like a second*...1 minute later u forgot the jumpscare even happened. You can like jumpscare movies...i liked IT....but they dont make a truly scary horror. You wont really feel terror.
It's just like every media, the big dumb popcorn movie/game/song gets all the atention BECAUSE it's made for the big audience... the ones that actually innovate or move the media forward will only be noticed by the smaller audience that wants to seek out that media.
This movie had one jump scare and it was amazing
I went to the screening of this at Picturehouse Central, Holness and Sean Harris were there. The scrapped opening scene was meant to have the main character remembering a traumatizing puppet show he performed at a primary school. During the performance he breaks down in tears and all the children start screaming and you hear it all whilst he sits on the train.
interesting
Never knew this film would be that deep until this analysis
You’re everywhere
how the fuck are you everywhere
How many of you are out there lol
HOW ARE YOU EVERYWHERE!?
You are literally on EVERY video
Watching the film makes you feel so unclean, with all the images of damp, decay, mold, and just abandoned. I think his home, along with the abandoned building he visits, overall symbolises either a) his decaying mental state, or b) how his past is dead and is decaying around him, his old life is completely destroyed and he needs to come to terms and deal with it instead of living in his trauma.
The lack of music made the film really linger and I couldn't wait till it ended, despite loving it.
For real, after I watched it with my romantic partner we both said "I feel so dirty now" "I feel unclean" and it made me shudder so badly. I love this movie so much.
The bleak and lonely locations really serve to help the sheer horror of the puppet all the more terrifying
Remember patches the spider? This is him now. Feel old yet?
Lecture building PTSD kicks in
Bloodborne nc
No. I remember Boris The Spider, though.
I literally never heard of patches the spider
@@lunahetfield *your're in the know, right?*
The mythos of Possum (the poem, the puppet) is one of the creepiest things i've ever seen in a movie. And once you know the back story of why it exists in the first place, it's also devastating and heartbreaking. First class horror based on what really happens to the psyche of abuse victims.
Me: (sees thumbnail) Hmmmm
Me: (continues to watch video and learns about a SPIDER-PUPPET) HMMMMMMM
Me: (sees the puppet move) HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM????
Deep and profound. You should teach philosophy or something.
Is this humor
My man Patches the spider finally getting the recognition he deserves.
This is a fine message.
Have mercy on the poor bastard
Scrolled too much for this
A man of culture
here's the comment I was looking for
First of all, thank you so much for this video! I didn't know anything about this movie until I watched this. I found the film on Amazon Prime and have now watched it twice. I really, really love this movie!
A few things I realized while watching it:
As others have suggested, the film itself suggests that Philip was fired for showing the spider puppet to the children. He even remarks to his uncle something to the effect of "they'll take me back once I get rid of it." As I think the puppet is a manifestation of his many traumatic memories, I think he thought that by going back to his childhood home, he could get rid of the traumas once and for all by destroying the memories. Unfortunately, what actually happens is that he repeatedly regresses to his childhood self and starts to have even worse PTSD symptoms, most notably intrusive memories and flashbacks.
I noticed that the really trippy imagery only starts once he takes the green sweets his uncle repeatedly offers him. The green sweets seem to be drugged with something, and though Philip indicates that he knows this when he refuses them the first time, he later accepts a sweet when it looks like his uncle is trying to reconcile with him (that is, when they are burning the puppet--a very interesting scene in and of itself).
I don't think the uncle is a figment of Philip's imagination. I think we're meant to suspect that Philip is the killer/pedophile, but in reality, he's the victim of his truly monstrous uncle. He spends the movie figuring out not only his own past, but the other crimes his uncle has committed.
The last shot of the movie is ambiguous, but I take it to mean that Philip has finally realized and understood what happened to him, which is the start of any healing process. Where he'll go from there is anyone's guess, but I found it a very satisfying ending.
I absolutely agree, I believe Phillip's uncle is real and that he just wasn't mentally able to understand the extent of his own trauma till he slowly unraveled it.
What i'm not certain about is the realness of the boy. Was the boy a real person who was kidnapped? Or a projection of Phillip's younger self? Physically, then metaphorically setting himself free of Phillips grasp at the end by opening the case.I feel if the boy was real we probably would've gotten more dialogue from him at the end. We don't see him go anywhere, he simply exits the case and then nothing.
I actually don't think the puppet is real, it's just a symbolic reference of his literal baggage that he carries around due to his childhood abuse - the way it keeps reappearing suggest it's just in his head. Also no other person seems to react to it as far as I can remember, other than his uncle...
and on that topic I also think his uncle isn't really there either, the house is boarded up at the beginning as if it's vacant. It's just too squalid for anyone to live in and the way his uncle just appears and seems to know what's been happening to him the whole time suggests to me that it's all in his head too.
Basically I think everything takes place in the damaged head of the protagonist as he comes to terms with his childhood demons.
He offered him a candy each time he raped him... it s called retroactive erasing
The uncle is a memory... he doesn't exist at the time of the movie
I misread the title as "POTASIUM" and thought this was a fruit industry exposé
With all the horrible shit that happened in the name of tasty Chiquita bananas, I kinda wish they'd only dealt in horror monsters or child abuse
Who wouldn’t lose their puppeteering job with a puppet like that
I know!!!!
Someone who does a horror puppet show
Looks like the baby spider from toy story
I'll take my trauma over that Spider every day, thank you very much.
I got odd vibes from the uncle immediately. Because of Philip's mannerisms, it was hard for me to believe he was guilty in the slightest. I just want to give the poor guy a warm blanket and some cookies. Definitely one of thoes that will stick with you forever.
The visual of him lugging that big duffel bag around, trying to do anything to get rid of it but being hesitant to look inside is so spot on for trauma. Like you can feel what it’s done to your brain permanently, you just want it to go away, but unless you are willing to face it head on and acknowledge what’s in the bag, you won’t ever truly be able to start healing.
Also I was wondering if “everyone having their puppet” almost was a metaphor for passed down trauma. Was Maurice also abused? And him enjoying his creepy puppets company was like when someone instead of healing and realizing what happened was wrong, does the same behavior to someone else? And theoretically are we all carrying a puppet in one way or another? Makes me wonder what mine would look like
I like how this movie is very open to speculation like the black balloons with smoke around them. I always thought that this hinted that Philip was fired after a birthday party gone bad, but another commenter I read said they represent philips last memory of his parents after seeing there burned up bodies
Yeah, I thought it was to do with his parents dying in a house fire - in the climax, one of the rooms is partially destroyed by a fire.
I'm freaked out just looking at the thumbnail so I know this video is about a banger of a horror movie. Love your content!
"We never learn why Phil was sacked from his puppeteer job"
i know right, children love to see a spider with a realistic head puppet show
Honestly, that is terrifying.
thanks for this. as a former victim of abuse it felt refreshing and good to listen to a take like yours, whether from experience, reason or empathy you seem to understand the topic well and spoke about it in a manner i really appreciate.
❤️
Possum sat with me and disturbed me for reasons I cannot explain. Similarly to something like Lake Mungo, it just sits like a pit in your stomach. Probably the most disturbing part for me, and the part that in my opinion brought the film full circle, was when uncle Maurice says "Do you want my fingers?" and touches Philips face in a manner similar to spider leg movement. That got me on another level. Also, Philips sort of age regression when confronted with violence or authority figures , such as when he visits the school. He's like a frightened child stuck in a mans body.
If you're in London before the 19 Feb 2023 - the Possum puppet is currently on display in the exhibit The Horror Show! at Somerset House. You can meet him in person! :D
The moment I discovered the main idea of this movie, I was immediately intrigued, and man did it deliver. I'd say its one of the scariest films I've seen. Its beautifuly dark, touching on topics such as physical and verbal abuse, as well as the trauma it causes.
I kinda squealed when I saw Alun Armstrong's name flash on screen! He originated the role of Thérnardier in Les Misérables on the West End in 1985!
“Master of the house...”
Ahh. I was wondering why he looked familiar! Neat!
@Molly Pop Will do! Maybe a good excuse to use a VPN and see if it's on a non-American streaming site! ;P
My second thought after seeing Alun was, "Ah, another role where it looks like he's never bathed!"
@@Kwak444 "Dolin' out the charm! Ready with an 'andshake and an open palm!"
I was glad to see him in the film as well, although seeing him portray a child abuser was a bit jarring.
As someone who was abused as a kid, this film made me feel strangely understood.
Sorry to hear that, man. You doing okay?
@@Garrus1995 yeah, I'm doing alright now. Going to therapy and such haha
My sis said the same thing, and she was abused and goes to therapy just like you
As someone who was abused, this movie was pretty cool.
Bless you all 💜
This film is a deeply disturbing masterpiece, it really got under my skin as a childhood trauma victim myself, it's relatable.
This is the most terrifying movie I’ve ever seen
Possum was one of those incredible films that was so unsettling I never want to see again... and I can’t recommend it to any friends.
I just love the way you explained Punch and Judy “and then beat the shit out of them” lol
I’m pretty elegant with my words, aren’t I?
That jump scare at the end gave me the biggest heart race I've had while watching a movie that I can remember.
This movie is so haunting. Not only in it's a great horror that explores really dark and serious themes, but it's also done so well. I love that we're not sure if what is happening is real or not, that we can never be sure of anything, because of how subjective the narration is. And the music just gets on your nerves so much that for me it was more chilling then the creature itself. Thanks for introducing me to this movie!
Abuse can really warp a view on reality. When being abused is something one gets used to and kindness is a foreign concept, the puppet seems more normal and familiar with time.
So happy you made a video on this!! A seriously underrated horror movie I feel like no one's seen it
This made me almost cry... it’s terrible to be human
i personally think the whole film is Phillip reliving his childhood and every event that went through with it, but represented as an adult on screen. this would explain the scene where he is in his old school and is chatting about how his teacher will take him to the police station. the film starts and ends with Phillip actually as an adult, the in between is him as a child
Ooh, do I see a video on The House that Jack Built coming up? Cant wait for that one!
Either next week or the week after! Needs sponsor approval before I can release it
It kinda reminds me of Salad Fingers. With an ominously quiet atmosphere and an unpredictabe "protagonist"
A fascinating and deeply unsettling film that has been lodged in my brain like a splinter ever since I saw it.
Whoever designed that puppet did a hell of a job. I'm a huge arachnophobe and I don't necessarily mind puppets (some puppets that is). So that thing in this movie is really just a piece of work and phenomenally designed. I am bot deeply unnerved and wildly impressed on an artistic level.
“The crazy people out there who like spiders”
We exist
There are dozens of us
*DOZENs!*
I’ve finally found a reference
we're not the crazy ones, everyone else is
Can't forget that Sydney pfp
Mice and rats are more my forte, spiders are more of a hobby
Lol, finding all the spider lovers here! Is there a club for us or..?
This was so unnerving, really got under my skin
Come to Gotham. You have yet to be Unnerved.
This one got real strange. It was well done - and yes that spider thing was pretty unsettling... but not nearly as unsettling as the end.
In the middle of watching this movie I felt really sad, I'm coming to terms with and dealing with my own trauma and I know how omnipresent it is and how it invades all aspects of your life, and I just felt that radiating from Philip. The way he holds his arms in all the time looks to me like someone trying to be as small as possible and not be noticed; the way he walks very quietly around the house when he first arrives to not be noticed by his uncle until hes ready to meet him; the way he talks to the teacher outside the school seems more like a child speaking to a superior rather than an adult speaking to another adult.
I feel that a lot of thought was put in by both Philip's actor and the director to bring out the subtle mannerisms of someone who suffered from abuse and integrate them subtly in the performance, and I really appreciate that.
Funny this movie came from the creator of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace!
Love that show!!!!!!!!
It's oddly appropriate; if you look at how everything is done in "Darkplace", then use it as an example of what _not_ to do, then you'll end up creating the greatest horror movie of all time!
In the story he gets fired for terrifying the children with Possum’s tongue of fly paper covered in blue bottles.
@@4n0mie it’s a short story written by the director before the movie. It’s incredibly disturbing
Spoiler warning
So throughout the entire movie Phillip really only smokes, or maybe does only smoke when Maurice is offering him a cigarette, or when he has to speak politely without addressing his trauma. Cigarettes have become a sign of self destruction in media, and thus, I believe the writer meant to imply that Philips' ignoring and non-speaking about his trauma to his abuser is almost related to his smoking habit.
In the last scene of the movie, where Maurice attacks Philip, they're not smoking, for obvious reasons, but here's a thought- if the scene was more akin to the tone of the movie, slow burning and disturbing, Let's say Maurice stepped out of the corner, perhaps with Philip sitting on the floor, and started to, act suggestively towards Philip. Keeping with the tone of that, if Maurice had offered him a cigarette, do you believe he would have taken it or not?
In a hopeful ending I believe him not taking the cigarette would have broken into Maurice fighting Philip, Philip killing Maurice, and letting the boy out of the box. Maybe a negative ending would have been him taking the cigarette, and then seeing Maurice in his stead letting the boy out of the box before he "began"
Just a thought about the small symbol of a cigarette so don't take it like I'm saying the movie would have been any different without smoking, but I'm curious since this movie was packed full of symbolism while being very deliberate and meaningful in almost every encounter.
Sean Harris is absolutely captivating to watch, the ability to appear both intimating and vulnerable at the same time.
Honestly, Possum has become one of my favourite films, alongside Stalker; which if you haven’t seen i would highly recommend. It’s quite simply a masterpiece
Sean Harris is probably one of them really underrated/underused actors, His acting in this film is phenomenal!
this film is so bergman-esque in that it feels like a meditation on a theme with no concrete conclusions as opposed to a narrative. everything in it feels like advancements in the stream of consciousness of one author dealing with an inclination towards extreme guilt and the perversion of the id represented through different characters, storylines, and metaphors. through this existential read of the film, the actual narrative universe of the film takes a back seat to the intellectual experience it provides.
The lead actor is amazing, he was also in ‘deliver us from evil’ he should do more horror as he has that factor
He also played Fifield in 'Prometheus'.
I thought the reason he was fired was because he brought that puppet out in front of the kids and unintentionally terrified them.
Also, that scene where he's between two trees and possum is coming out of the bag - Maybe it's obvious but the trees definitely look like spread legs. You can see the knees. Take from that what you will.
my first theory: it is not about a victim of abuse continuing the cycle. The boy in the box at the end, the kidnapped one, represent his childhood self. (I shit you not, as I was writing this, a spider came down in from of my screen, hanging from a thread from the ceiling... help me) He releases the boy, because he finally stood up to the predator. Notice how the box looks like the bag that he keeps the puppet in? also notice how the boy at the beginning was drawing, like Phillip did as a child. He identifies with the kid and that's we the kid represents him at the end.
my second theory: it IS about phillip continuing the cycle, and the times we see him destroy the puppet, are actually times were he is abusing the kid that he has kidnapped, and it is supposed to signify that those who continue the cycle, are people who push down and deny their trauma, who doesnt face the predator. (phillips head is on the spider-possum and this is what he called his abuser, so it can represent him becoming and abuser himself?) only when the predator is faced, he stop abusing.
I lean more towards the first one, because I felt really sorry for phillip in the movie. it envoked a lot of empathy for him and his struggle, and it doesnt make sense to me, to envoke that kind of empathy for a pedophile. after all, we also see him and morris/maurice talk about puppets, and maurice says "it runs in the family" - im thinking this is about abuse. but phillip answers; "you are not my father" - as to say; you did not create me, i did not turn out like you.
Dude possum is phil's STAND, this is why he can't get rid of it
Ora ora? Maybe???
Shut up😂
No.
seeing possum kill maurice wouldve been siiiick