Philip Connell, Sean Harris, is a disgraced children's puppeteer who is compelled to return to his childhood home in Norfolk. The once-family house, scarred by a long-ago blaze, sits in a state of disrepair and is now shared with his decrepit uncle Maurice, Alun Armstrong. The atmosphere is tense from the moment he steps inside, a quiet of abandonment that gnaws at him as much as any memory.
Within this crumbling setting, a spider-like marionette named Possum becomes an unsettling constant. Philip repeatedly tries to cast the puppet away, to burn or hide it, to sever the ties that bind him to the figure, but each time Possum returns, stubborn and insidious, as if the house itself keeps conjuring it back. The struggle with the puppet mirrors an internal battle—one that he cannot easily escape—pulling him back into a past he cannot outrun.
During his time in Norfolk, Philip uncovers a picture book he drew as a child. The pages tell a chilling origin for Possum, charting how it creeps toward orphaned children in their beds with a hungry, predatory intent. The book’s revelation deepens the sense that the puppetry legacy in Philip’s family is more than a mere craft; it feels like a dark inheritance that shadows everything he does. Alongside these discoveries, Philip is haunted by vivid visions and dreams of Possum edging closer to him in the dark, a creeping presence that blurs the line between imagination and menace.
Maurice’s presence looms large in every interaction, as he toys with Philip by reciting old wounds from Philip’s childhood. He reminds him of the moments that cost him his job and forces Philip to relive the bullying and betrayal he endured, hinting that puppetry runs in the family and that old sins never fully fade. Maurice’s coercive interruptions keep pressing Philip toward a closed room in the house; each time, Maurice asks if he plans to enter, and Philip, stubbornly, answers no, even as curiosity gnaws at him.
The drama expands when news reports surface about a missing local boy named Michael, whom Philip had encountered on the train to Norfolk. Authorities describe a man matching Philip’s description as a person of interest, a detail that tightens the net of suspicion around him. He returns to his childhood school, only to be met with wary staff and suspicious locals who seem to know more about his past than they let on. Maurice notes that there was once a similar case of a boy assaulted by a masked man, a reminder that old traumas can echo into the present. When Philip ventures into tears, Maurice offers a strange, if uneasy, comfort, underscoring the uneasy bond between them. As the search intensifies, Maurice tells him he will be away for a while and urges Philip to avoid drawing attention to himself or returning trouble to the house.
In a moment of desperation, Philip goes to the school to speak with his former form teacher, Mr. Grant. He explains that Grant knew all about what happened and promised to go to the police with him, but the secretary remains skeptical and keeps him waiting outside. From this cramped waiting room, Philip overhears the headmaster discussing the possibility of calling the police, and fear pushes him to flee. In his flight, Possum pursues him, the fear palpable as he seems to be overwhelmed and he slips into unconsciousness.
When he awakens, he returns to find Maurice has vanished, yet the visions sharpen into something more terrifying—Philip begins to fear he might become Possum himself. He returns to the closed room, discovering it is badly charred from the old fire. Inside, the trove of damaged items is laid bare as a masked man attacks him. The figure pulls back the mask to reveal Maurice, who taunts Philip about the deaths of his parents and insists that Philip always knew Maurice was the abusive figure who haunted him throughout childhood, a truth Philip has never spoken aloud.
A fierce struggle ensues, and Philip gains the upper hand, breaking Maurice’s neck. He then uncovers a locked chest and frees a terrified Michael, who scrambles away to safety. In the aftermath, as Philip sits outside the house, a numb stillness settles in. The final image is stark and brutal: Possum’s severed head rests in Philip’s lap, a grim symbol of the horrific legacy he has confronted and a future that may forever haunt him.
