Together with Possum, a hideous hand-puppet, disgraced puppeteer Philip (Sean Harris) returns to his childhood home. Staying with his malicious stepfather, Maurice (Alun Armstrong), Philip soon discovers that ridding himself of Possum is no easy task. When his attempts to destroy the demonic puppet fail, Philip suspects Maurice of manipulating Possum to cause him further distress. As their relationship deteriorates, repressed memories of a traumatic childhood start to resurface. When a local child goes missing and the police suspect him of the crimes, Philip is forced to confront the nightmares of his past and discovers that the real demon lurks much closer to home.

Beautifully shot on 35mm film by cinematographer Kit Fraser, and featuring an original score by The Radiophonic Workshop (of Doctor Who theme fame), Possum finds Matthew Holness swapping the absurdist laughs of cult Channel 4 comedy Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace for serious, brooding horror. Sean Harris gives a tour-de-force performance as Philip in this bleak and understated exercise in creeping dread. Informed as much by silent cinema expressionism, the British classics The Innocents and Don’t Look Now, and the claustrophobic suburban Gothic atmosphere of Pete Walker’s Frightmare, Possum will terrify in the best shock corridor tradition.

QFT is delighted to welcome writer/director Matthew Holness for a Q&A following this preview screening.

Possum is released on Fri 26 Oct. Special thanks to Bulldog Film Distribution.