Possum

This film was brilliant, it has a haunting charm and is the only film (other than Donnie Darko and Hereditary) that left me jaw-dropped by the time the screen cut to black and the credits rolled.

This film has beautiful cinematography, haunting soundtrack and even better acting. Seriously, Sean Harris does a fantastic job, the way he manipulates his eyes to represent the torture his character goes through is genuinely scary.

Need I talk about the uncle character? I won't spoil anything but, Jesus, his character makes me unsettled and uncomfortable everytime he is on screen.

I love this film a lot, it's not a scary film, but definitely a haunting one.

I really don't get the criticisms: I don't see how it was boring at all, it was an hour and a half long and despite feeling like a slow burn, it has a surprisingly fast pace. It's not dull, it's bleak, quiet and grey. Also, it's not a horror movie!!! Stop saying it's a bad horror because it's a thriller, it's a study on the psyche of an incredibly tortured soul. Don't go into this expecting a horror movie.

I hadn't heard of this gem until I saw the poster for it on Amazon Prime, which instantly intrigued me. I thought for sure it would be awful, and didn't expect to make it more than 20 minutes in, but I was in a weird mood, it was raining outside, and this seemed fitting to watch. I ended up enjoying it enough to watch again a few months later. A second viewing made it all come together which made me like it even more.

This is a slow, repetitive film, and I can see why some people would think it's boring, confusing, and/or very strange (maybe even stupid). I don't know why I'm not one of those people. I never got bored, and I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and weirdness. Watching it the second time, everything fit perfectly and what was confusing the first time around made complete sense this time. There isn't any conversation or imagery that doesn't fit with the story. In fact, now I notice how deliberate the director was in his choices, and it's all very impressive to me. Sean Harris is incredible in this film. I have only seen a few of his other roles and this was so different and dark for him. Possum showcases what a great actor he really is.

This is not an uplifting story by any means. There are very uncomfortable moments, and some ambiguity which makes it hard at times to know what to feel. It's not exactly horror, although there are creepy and intense moments. I'd say it's more psychological/metaphorical. If you have an open mind, are into weird and dark movies, this may be for you. I didn't expect to like it so much, but I'm really happy I gave it a chance. I'm actually a bit sad to see so many low ratings.

I enjoyed the first half. It was atmospheric, intriguing, bleak but beautiful. In the second half it starts rehearsing itself as if just to fill time. Very slowly leads it up to the exact conclusion you thought it would have. The latter isn't necessarily bad just feels unrewarding after sitting through so much filler.

It's rare today for a horror film to respect its audience as much as 'Possum' does. Horror films that ask their audience to concentrate, think and solve are becoming less and less popular. All people seem to want is the fast-food horror that 'The Conjuring' universe spews out 3-4 times a year. And that's fine if horror isn't the genre you go to when you're looking for a heavy and deep film, but I would suggest you are missing out on some rare treats like 'Possum'.

What's going to hurt this film with audiences the most is that it is admittedly very slow. A lot of the dialogue is cryptic and there is basically no action. Despite this though I found I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. It was almost hypnotising in a way. I was determined to work out exactly what the film was trying to tell me.

The film asks a lot of you. First of all to understand what it all means, and then to understand a twist through that same lens. I was fairly confident I had understood most of it, but I did read an explanation thread on the film afterwards just to be sure I had it right. Needless to say this film won't be for everyone, and some could even argue this isn't really a horror film, but if you feel like a challenge I'd recommend giving it a look.

Found this little gem on Halloween and glad I did. Even though it's not a typical horror persae I would lump it in with Babadook. However I found this movie had more weight than Babadook. Possum is emotionally and psychologically heavy and even though it's a slow burner (some may tire easy) it does hold your attention with very few actors. The film is very atmospheric and does not rely on jump scares but paints a very sad picture indeed. Bleak and sinister af the end made me feel sick, worth a watch.