One must not tread into a viewing of “Possum” lightly, but it leaves an indelible mark on those willing to confront its nightmares.
Show host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer takes a deep dive into one of my favorite, underrated indie horror films in recent years, Possum. With an enigmatic story and technical mastery, it’s both nightmare-inducing and emotionally affecting — the kind of deeply unnerving and thought-provoking film that really gets under your skin and lingers long after it’s over. – Stephanie (Editor-in-Chief)
SHOW NOTES FROM HOST CAROLYN SMITH-HILLMER:
Have a fear of the uncanny? Puppets? Surrealism? POSSUM (2018) contains a combination of all of these elements to create the most upsetting psychological horror film I have seen in years. And I promise, there’s not as much Freudian discussion as you might think.
Possum is a 2018 British psychological horror film written and directed by Matthew Holness in his feature film debut. It centers on a disgraced children’s puppeteer who returns to his childhood home and is forced to confront the trauma he suffered there.
Possum is an adaption of Holness’ short story of the same name, published in the horror anthology The New Uncanny: Tales of Unease. It was partially inspired by the theories on the uncanny by Sigmund Freud. As a fan of the horror genre, Holness stated he much preferred horror films that resonate with the audience and force them to reflect on the experience afterward.
Possum‘s visual style was inspired by public information films Holness saw in his youth. Other inspirations include Dead of Night (1945), George Romero’s Martin (1978), and German Expressionist films. The film’s score was composed by sound effects and experimental electronic music studio The Radiophonic Workshop, which marked their first soundtrack purposely constructed for a feature film.
In addition to garnering multiple awards and nominations, Possum was generally praised by critics for its compelling lead performance and unsettling blend of atmosphere, score, and haunting imagery.
SOURCES/INFORMATION
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6081670/
Possum Film Information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possum_(film)
Theory of the Uncanny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny#Sigmund_Freud
Abjection: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abjection
Repetition Compulsion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetition_compulsion
Destiny Neurosis: https://www.simplypsychology.org/repetition-compulsion.html#:~:text=Some%20examples%20of%20repetition%20compulsion,of%20violence%20later%20in%20life.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a weekly show where host, Carolyn Smith-Hillmer, dissects an arthouse/elevated horror film. Each episode includes a detailed play-by-play of the film itself and a subsequent deep dive into the thematic elements and symbolism. Because elevated horror is sometimes viewed within the horror community as pretentious, Carolyn makes sure to use her down-to-earth tone and unique perspective to make these films less intimidating for the casual horror viewer and less ostentatious for the genre lover.
Listen to more episodes on the show’s website here.
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a bi-weekly podcast where host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer reviews arthouse horror films in a non-pretentious way.
Lars von Tier and Horror
Lars von Trier has been called a visionary, a sadist, and a self‑mythologizing provocateur—sometimes all in the same breath. In this episode, we unpack how an anxious kid from Copenhagen became one of the most controversial figures in world cinema, and why his work looms so large over modern horror and “extreme” art‑film. Focusing on Antichrist, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac, and The House That Jack Built, we explore von Trier’s “Depression Trilogy,” his use of grief, sex, and violence, and the ongoing debates about misogyny, ethics, and audience complicity. Along the way, we bring in film scholarship, critical essays, and production histories to ask a simple but uncomfortable question: when von Trier pushes horror this far, is he revealing something profound about suffering—or just building a house out of pain?
SOURCES/INFORMATION
Biographical and career overviews
“Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – Simple English Wikipedia.” Simple Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier.” Encyclopaedia Britannica (biography, awards, filmography).britannica
“Lars von Trier filmography.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – IMDb.” IMDb.imdb
“List of awards and nominations received by Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
Context and Danish film culture
“Lars von Trier and Cultural Liberalism.” Danish Film Institute.dfi
Excerpt from Regional and Global Dimensions of Danish Film Culture and Film Policy (on Dogme 95 and Danish film branding).catalogimages.wiley
Critical profiles and interviews
“Lars von Trier: Behind the Curtain.” The New Yorker (profile on von Trier’s persona and controversies).mubi+1
“Lars von Trier: A Problematic Sort of Ladies’ Man?” NPR radio piece and transcript (Pat Dowell, with Caroline Bainbridge).npr+1
“The Many Faces of Lars von Trier.” BFI feature.bfi
“Lars von Trier: An Overview.” Film Festival Today (career overview).filmfestivaltoday
Horror‑specific and film‑specific sources
“The Immersive Examination of Depression and Grief in ‘Antichrist’ [Unveiling the Mind].” Bloody Disgusting.bloody-disgusting+1
“Antichrist (2009)” – film entry and production details. IMDb and Wikipedia.imdb+1
“The House That Jack Built (2018).” IMDb (plot, reception).imdb
“Manically Macabre: Lars von Trier as Horror Icon.” Horror Obsessive.horrorobsessive
“‘Terrifier 2’ and 9 Other Horror Movies Which Famously Made Audiences Sick.” Collider (section on Antichrist).collider
Scholarly / analytical work
“Lars von Trier – The ‘Sex’pression Ideology.” Academic essay (via Academia.edu PDF).academia
Caroline Bainbridge, The Cinema of Lars von Trier (discussed in NPR and academic contexts).npr+1
Career primers
“Notebook Primer: Lars von Trier.” MUBI Notebook.
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