15 Best Hidden Gem Movies Of 2018

Your favourite film of the year might have been hiding in plain sight this whole time.

Wildlife Jake Gyllenhaal Carey Mulligan
IFC Films

Perhaps more than any other year, cinema in 2018 has been difficult to keep up with. With major summer blockbusters now dropping in February and end-of-year Oscar hopefuls inching closer to total parity between North American release dates and their international counterparts, there's been a constant stream of quality - or at the very least, noteworthy - movies coming out seemingly every week.

While that's made it a great time to be a movie fan, it's also potentially been a little overwhelming. Inevitably, the hectic schedule has meant that for every Black Panther or Infinity War there was always another release, either big or small, that was undeservedly pushed out of the limelight.

With 2018 winding down though and a smidge of breathing room once Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Aquaman, Mary Poppins, Bumblebee, Mortal Engines and Vice (told you it's been a packed year) see the holiday season out in full, there hasn't been a better time to revisit some recent hidden gems that could shake up your end-of-year rankings massively.

15. Possum

Sean Harris in Possum
BFI Film Fund/Dark Sky Films

Directed by Matthew Holness, who cult TV fans should instantly recognise as the man behind the incredible Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, the filmmaker has swapped out laughs for straight-up, pant-wetting terror in Possum.

Following an as-ever brilliant Sean Harris as Philip, a disgraced children's puppeteer forced to return to his decrepit childhood home, Holness' debut offers a stark, haunting glimpse into childhood trauma. Taking cues from The Babadook, much of the horror is fuelled by the titular monster, a creation of Philip's own making, whose vacant mannequin head jammed onto an oversized spider's body is something you'll absolutely be seeing every time you close your eyes.

The plot itself is sparse, and half the time you'll not know whether you're watching reality unfold or a twisted nightmare Philip is unable to wake up from, but look a little deeper and you'll be treated to one of the most uncomfortably close-to-home representations of repressed trauma and grief out there.

Also, that bloody spider is terrifying and needs to be locked away forever.

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Writer. Mumbler. Only person on the internet who liked Spider-Man 3