On tap right now we have some truly disturbing sales art for writer-director Matthew Holness’ new UK horror film Possum! Dig it!

James Harris, Mark Lane, Robert Jones, and Wayne Marc Godfrey of The Fyzz Facility produce with production finance from Ingenious and The Fyzz Facility. Creative England and Bankside Films developed the screenplay.

The story is about a disgraced children’s puppeteer who returns to his childhood home and is forced to confront his wicked stepfather and the secrets that have tortured him his entire life.

Holness said: “Possum is a supernatural horror combining the stark psycho-drama of George Romero’s Martin with the uncanny terror of Dead of Night. The film draws on the dark nightmares of silent Expressionist horror, British classics such as The Innocents and Don’t Look Now, as well as the claustrophobic suburban Gothic of Pete Walker’s Frightmare. Possum will terrify in the best tradition of classic horror cinema, evoking an atmosphere of supernatural dread and creeping horror.”

Synopsis:

Philip is a children’s entertainer with a troubled past. Together with Possum, the hideous hand puppet he keeps concealed inside a black leather case, he returns to his childhood home compelled to confront his demons. Staying with his cruel stepfather, Maurice, 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 fear and distress. As their relationship rapidly deteriorates, repressed memories of a traumatic childhood start to resurface as Philip becomes convinced that the malicious spirit of Possum is haunting him.

Desperate to regain control, Philip burns his puppet, laying the demons of his past to rest. Or so he thinks…When a local child goes missing, a paranoid Philip believes the malevolent Possum has once more come to life. But when the police suspect him of the crimes, Philip is forced to confront the nightmares of his childhood, leading him to hunt down the real monster now preying on the town. Uncovering dark secrets from his own past, Philip discovers that the real demon lurks much closer to home.