Possum(2018)
2018 · Matthew Holness · 85 min
A disgraced children's puppeteer returns to his childhood home and is forced to confront his wicked stepfather and the secrets that have tortured him his entire life.
Drama · Horror · Thriller
6.2343 votes
TMDB score
5/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
5/5
Stays with you
How Possum scares
Possum crawls forward at a miserable, suffocating pace, spending most of its runtime soaking in one man's shame and trauma rather than delivering scares in the normal sense. The dread comes from rotting rooms, a creepy spider-faced puppet, and a mind that seems to be falling apart, not from jump scares or chases. There's barely any blood, but the mood is so bleak and grim that it feels heavier than most gorier films. This is one for people who want horror that feels like depression and abuse given a physical shape, not for anyone looking for fun frights.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Possum rates psychological 5/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 5/5, and overall intensity 5/5.
- Psychological: 5 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 5 of 5
- Intensity: 5 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 8 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 78 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 90 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, oppressive crawl of dread that thickens steadily until it tightens into a suffocating final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5.
How scary is Possum?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Possum rates 5/5 — one of the more punishing watches in the catalog, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be restrained with gore and genuinely disturbing. Expect it to stay with you for days.
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