10 Most Shocking Jump Cuts In Horror Movie History
2. Possum (2018) - Waking Up Next To Possum
Matthew Holness' experimental psychological horror Possum follows Philip (Sean Harris), a disgraced children's puppeteer, as he returns to his childhood home to live with his vile uncle (Alun Armstrong).
From his meek and awkward demeaner alongside the hints we’re given throughout his interactions with his uncle, it’s implied that Philip has had a deeply traumatic childhood. His trauma is represented by a spidery puppet name Possum that he keeps in a leather bag. But despite his attempts to get rid of it, the puppet always finds its way back.
A gaunt human head on a spider’s body, this puppet is the stuff of nightmares. Seeing it motionless is terrifying enough, but when it moves it enters another level of horrifying.
After one of his attempts of disposing of Possum, Philip begins to see it stalk him. He glances its face staring back at him from a window and, worse, watches helplessly as its legs appear from around the corner as the soundtrack reaches a crescendo. But before we see what happens next, a jump cut shows that hideous face lying next to Philip in bed.
Though the surrealist imagery is unnerving, no dream is as frightening as this jump cut's implications.