What Is Possibly in Michigan About?
The premise of Possibly in Michigan in 249 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the dimly lit corridors of an abandoned department store, the ordinary hum of a mall morphs into an echoing labyrinth of shadows and whispered melodies. The setting feels both familiar and unsettling, a place where perfume‑laden aisles become a stage for a strange, song‑driven dread. The film leans into a glossy, almost theatrical horror aesthetic, letting every flicker of fluorescent light and every distant chorus hint at something lurking just beyond the storefront windows.
Sharon and Janice are two young women whose friendship is anchored in a carefree curiosity that quickly turns into a pulse‑quickening chase. Their banter and contrasting attitudes create a dynamic that feels both intimate and tense, drawing the audience into the fragile safety of their everyday world. When a masked figure—Arthur—appears, his presence is designed to feel both alluring and terrifying, a silent predator whose obsession with scent and disguise mirrors the mall’s own veneer of consumerist glamour.
The pursuit spills out of the empty store and into the narrow streets that lead back to the protagonists’ own apartment, where the balance of power begins to shift. What starts as a desperate flight transforms into a chilling, music‑filled confrontation that forces the women to confront the horror on their own terms. The film’s tone remains consistently uneasy, blending the glossy veneer of a shopping mall with a dark, operatic score that underscores the surreal cat‑and‑mouse game, inviting viewers to wonder how far the melody will carry the hunt before the final note is struck.
What Happens in Possibly in Michigan?
The complete story of Possibly in Michigan, from the first scene to the last, in 370 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 4 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Two women, Sharon Jill Sands and Janice Karen Skladany, wander an empty department store in search of perfume, when a masked man in a black suit with his mouth agape begins to shadow them. The man, Arthur (masked), is depicted as sharing a disturbing kinship with the women: a taste for violence and a fixation on fragrance, a world built on disguises. In the credits he is listed as “Prince Charming” Bill Blume.
Janice notices Arthur, and the two women flee. On the drive home, Sharon and Janice part ways, while Arthur lingers outside Sharon’s house, waiting for Janice to depart. A voiceover explains that Arthur has worn so many masks that he has forgotten who he is. > He imagined himself a frog, turned into a prince charming.
At Sharon’s home, Janice shoots at several masked figures, each moving to a different spot after she fires. Sharon, asleep, wakes and goes to answer the door; when she sees him, she immediately drops to the ground and calls Janice. While they talk on the phone, Arthur picks up a stone from Sharon’s yard, revealing a rotting mask beneath it, and shatters the bedroom window, breaking in with glass and worms on the bed. Janice fires at more masked figures. As Sharon describes Arthur’s appearance to Janice, he suddenly slips up behind Sharon and says, in a distorted voice, > the better to eat you with, my dear. He kisses her.
Repeatedly forcing Sharon onto the bed, Arthur tells her she has two options: he will either eat her immediately or slowly dismember her, then eat her, claiming to do so for love. Janice fires again, fatally shooting Arthur. Sharon gazes at the now-dead man in disgust.
The two women lay Arthur’s body out atop spread newspapers and begin to dismember him, making soup from his body parts. Nude, they eat his remaining limbs and feed scraps to their dog. As they smoke, Janice notices another masked man outside the window and signals to Sharon as the figure hides. After finishing, they wrap Arthur’s bones in newspapers and stuff them into a trash bag. They place the bag on the curb, and a garbage truck arrives to haul it away, destroying the evidence.
Possibly in Michigan Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
13 key events in the order they happen, from “Shopping for perfume in an empty department store” to “Aftermath and vigil”. 12 events name a place, across 10 locations.
- 1
Shopping for perfume in an empty department store
Sharon and Janice browse for perfume in an eerily empty department store while a masked man named Arthur shadows them. The scene hints at their shared attraction to danger and violence, framing violence as an extension of their world. Arthur's presence foreshadows the threat to come.
When:Afternoon Where:Department store
- 2
Janice spots Arthur and they flee
Janice notices Arthur among the displays and both women hurry to escape the store. The chase establishes a tense pursuit and signals that Arthur is more than a casual follower. The danger shifts from a stalker in the shadows to a direct chase.
When:Afternoon Where:Department store exit
- 3
Arthur follows to Sharon's home
Sharon and Janice drive home, but Arthur continues to shadow them and waits outside Sharon's house for Janice to leave. The stalking intensifies the sense that their safe space is compromised. The threat now centers on a home invasion looming at night.
When:Evening Where:Neighborhood / Sharon's house vicinity
- 4
Arthur's masks and identity
A voiceover explains that Arthur has worn many masks and forgotten who he is, imagining himself as frog and prince charming. The monologue deepens the unsettling idea that charm can hide monstrous impulses. It foreshadows the multiplicity of his personas.
When:Voiceover/Flashback
- 5
Arthur rings Sharon's front door
Arthur approaches Sharon's front door, appearing as a normal man and rings it, signaling the transition from normalcy to intrusion. The moment heightens the claustrophobic dread of an unwelcome visitor. The door becomes the threshold to danger.
When:Evening Where:Sharon's house – front door
- 6
Janice fights intruders at her home
At her own home, Janice shoots at various masked figures who materialize in new positions after each shot. The ongoing assaults create a relentless rhythm of attack and defense. Domestic space becomes a battlefield as danger penetrates private life.
When:Evening Where:Janice's home
- 7
Sharon wakes and Arthur breaches her home
Sharon wakes, goes to answer the door, and encounters Arthur. While she phones Janice for help, Arthur picks up a stone from Sharon's yard, revealing a rotting mask beneath it, then shatters a bedroom window and breaks into the room. Glass and worms on the bed amplify the horror of the intrusion.
When:Night Where:Sharon's house – bedroom
- 8
Arthur threatens Sharon in the bedroom
Arthur advances behind Sharon and, in a distorted voice, suggests he will eat her, or dismember her slowly, all in the name of love. He pins her to the bed and chokes her while asserting control. Janice, still on the phone, realizes the danger and prepares to intervene.
When:Night Where:Sharon's house – bedroom
- 9
Janice shoots Arthur
Janice raises her pistol and fatally shoots Arthur, ending his immediate threat. Sharon collapses, looking at the corpse with disgust. The danger posed by Arthur is suddenly removed, but the women are far from safe yet.
When:Night Where:Sharon's house – bedroom
- 10
Disposal of Arthur's body
The women lay Arthur's body on newspapers and begin to dismember him, cooking some parts into soup. They are nude as they consume his remaining limbs and feed scraps to their dog. The act reveals their chilling thirst for revenge and autonomy over the killer's body.
When:Night Where:Sharon's house – living area
Show the other 3 events of Possibly in Michigan Hide the last 3 events
- 11
A new masked threat appears outside
While they smoke, Janice notices another masked man outside the window and signals to Sharon as the figure hides. The danger persists beyond Arthur's death, hinting at an ongoing cycle of violence. The window outside frames the looming threat.
When:Night Where:Sharon's house – window / outside
- 12
Bones wrapped and evidence disposed
The women wrap Arthur's bones in newspapers and place them into a trash bag. They drag the bag to the curb, where a garbage truck arrives and collects it, destroying the physical evidence. The criminals escape the immediate consequences of their actions.
When:Night Where:Sharon's house and curb
- 13
Aftermath and vigil
After disposing the evidence, the women share a cigarette and monitor the street for further threats. The film ends with a tense, unresolved sense that danger and vigilance continue beyond their act of revenge. Their alliance remains intact but fragile.
When:Night Where:Sharon's house
Who Are the Main Characters in Possibly in Michigan?
3 characters, among them Sharon (Jill Sands), Janice (Karen Skladany) and Arthur (Prince Charming) (Cecelia Condit): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- S(
Sharon (Jill Sands)
Played by Jill Sands
One of the perfume-seeking shoppers with a reputation for attracting violent men. She flees the masked pursuer with Janice and later experiences the home invasion firsthand. She participates in the ritual act of dismembering Arthur and, despite disgust, remains complicit in the aftermath.
- 🧭 Survivor
- 🔪 Violence
- 👭 Female Solidarity
- J(
Janice (Karen Skladany)
Played by Karen Skladany
The other shopper who escapes with Sharon and confronts Arthur in the house. She responds with decisive violence, ultimately fatally shooting him. She and Sharon then enact a macabre act of cannibalistic revenge, strengthening their bond.
- 🧭 Survivor
- 🔪 Violence
- 👭 Female Solidarity
- A(
Arthur (Prince Charming) (Cecelia Condit)
Played by Cecelia Condit
A masked man who stalks the women, embodying predatory charm and volatility. He wears many masks and claims extreme violence, attempting to control and consume his victims. He is killed by Janice and is later subject to the women’s vengeful, ritual disposal.
- 🗝️ Antagonist
- 🗡️ Violence
- 👁️ Obsession
Where and When Is Possibly in Michigan Set?
Possibly in Michigan is set in Empty department store and Michigan. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Empty department store, Michigan
An empty department store serves as the claustrophobic backdrop where Sharon and Janice shop for perfume. The sterile aisles amplify tension as a masked pursuer looms nearby. The store setting shifts to the women's homes as danger intensifies and violence erupts.
- 🏬 Department store
- 🗺️ Michigan setting
- 🕰️ Contemporary era
What Are the Themes of Possibly in Michigan?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Masks & Identity, Violence & Agency and Surreal Horror.
-
01
Masks & Identity
Arthur wears many masks, both literal and symbolic, and the voiceover notes he has forgotten his true self. The story toys with the idea of becoming someone else—a frog turning into a prince charming—highlighting how appearances can mask danger. The women respond to the threat by reasserting their own agency within a world of performative danger.
-
02
Violence & Agency
The violence is initially inflicted by the masked man, but the women ultimately take control. After Arthur is killed by Janice, Sharon and Janice dismember him, turning the predator into prey. They repurpose his remains in a ritual act that asserts their power in a grim, communal revenge.
-
03
Surreal Horror
The narrative blends dreamlike horror with brutal realism, notably through distorted speech and shifting threats. Masks, decay, and disorienting visuals create an uncanny atmosphere. The fusion of fantasy imagery with graphic violence unsettles the viewer by blurring lines between illusion and danger.
What Kind of Film Is Possibly in Michigan?
Dark in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Ambiguous
A surreal and nightmarish horror musical that creates an anxious, unsettling atmosphere through its avant-garde style, depicting a darkly satirical tale of female friendship turning the tables on a predatory stalker.
- surreal
- nightmarish
- anxious
- unsettling
- satirical
- dreamlike
- cannibalism
- feminism
- friendship
- surreal horror
Content notes: cannibalism, stalking, murder, dismemberment.
Quiz
How well do you remember Possibly in Michigan? Test yourself on the story.
