The most frustrating thing about Imaginary, the latest from Blumhouse Productions and their second misfire this year after Night Swim, is that it never lives up to its intriguing premise. There are seeds of a good story here but the script, written by Jeff Wadlow, Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland, is a muddled mess and it makes its characters react to situations in such an unrealistic way that you will find yourself struggling to suspend disbelief, even for a horror film. As the film moves along and reveals itself a bit more, the situation becomes even more ludicrous as the action moves into a secret world complete with pedestrian special effects and even more absurd script contrivances. Even with a few isolated moments of decent attention and capable acting from the cast, Imaginary makes it clear early on that it’s going to be added to the list of Blumhouse releases to be quickly forgotten.
The story starts with a bit of promise. Jessica (DeWanda Wise) has returned to her childhood home with her family. She’s married to Max (Tom Payne) and also has the daunting task of being a stepmom to young Alice (Pyper Braun) and rebellious Taylor (Taegen Burns). Alice is more receptive to Jessica since they both share a creative mind as the young one has a vivid imagination that is similar to Jessica’s since she’s an artist involved in children’s books. Taylor on the other hand hasn’t warmed up to Jessica and pulls out every angry teenager cliche when addressing her. In addition to this, Jessica has been suffering from recurring night terrors that she and her husband think could be fixed by heading back to the home she grew up in. Horror Movie 101 should’ve made them realize, this childhood sanctuary is likely the source of her nightmarish angst.
As they are getting settled into the home, Alice finds an old teddy bear in the basement and immediately begins communicating with it. It’s not explicitly shown that the bear is talking to Alice, which sets up to those around her that she has an imaginary friend. Alice says the bear’s name is Chauncey and he wants to be her friend. It all seems very innocent in the beginning but when Alice’s behavior grows increasingly concerning the more attached she gets to Chauncey and the games they play become more sinister, Jessica begins to realize there is more to Chauncey and it could very well be connected to an event in her childhood that is likely the source of the night terrors she has been having.
The marketing for Imaginary is reminiscent of Blumhouse’s M3GAN in the sense that the promotion has been built around the teddy bear the same way that film was built around the doll. The difference between the two is that M3GAN proved to be an interesting vessel to demonstrate a level of terror and humor while Chauncey never gives off a hint of chills. There are moments of subtle head turns or instances when the bear’s eyes show it’s non too pleased with the adults around Alice but that’s it. Chauncey is not going to be the new image of childhood terror so the likes of Chucky and Annabelle can rest easy. Their throne is secure.
The situations to try to bring Chauncey to life also miss the mark. In an attempt to be creepy, the film has Alice speaking for the bear in a more menacing tone but this comes off more unintentionally funny than scary. It’s not the fault of Pyper Braun because as child actresses in horror films go, she does a fine job, it’s just a matter of the execution. It’s not a credible way to make the audience believe Chauncey is more real than he appears. Audiences will crave more than a little girl attempting to sound creepy for the bear to resonate with any kind of fear.
Another way that Chauncey comes to life proves to be more problematic and it becomes the fault of very poor creature design and visual effects. At certain points, Chauncey does show his true monstrous self and it’s so obvious that you’re looking at something generated on a computer that the reveal falls flat each time. Pictures of the creature have been floating around online that don’t look all that bad via an HD photo but in the film, it caused secondhand embarrassment during my screening as the crowd laughed each time he appeared. Even more embassing was the attempts to make the monster practical which came off as if the film ran out of money. You see a giant bear arm and paw that looks like it would be more at home as a bad prop in a high school play rather than a major motion picture.
The biggest problems with the film come down to the screenplay. Characters in the film don’t react to situations realistically and occurences that would seem dire get glossed over fairly quickly. For example, there is a situation when an intruder enters the home, the cops are called, and a scene later it’s as if nothing even happened. The situation would have any family on edge but it’s pretty much presented as just another end to any night.
Then there is the character of Gloria (Betty Buckley) the resident creepy old lady in the neighborhood who holds most of the movie’s secrets and is only around to further explain the film’s convoluted plot. Her dialogue is written to move the story forward and try to make sense of something that truly is as ridiculous as it seems. Credit to Buckley for saying the lines without laughing out loud because, while she does sell the character, her dialogue represented more moments when the audience at the screening laughed at all the wrong times.
The film isn’t satisfied with keeping the action within the walls of the home. There is also another world, an imaginary one if you will, that can be opened within the house after you follow a scavenger hunt instructed by Chauncey. This could’ve been an intriguing element with more care, a better script, and better visual effects, but this secret world looks like a poor man’s version of the inside of the Lament Configuration in Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Once the film shifts the action in this direction, more unintentional laughs occur with the biggest one coming courtesy of the prop bear arm and Gloria making the mistake of opening the wrong door in Imagination Land. The world also features other creatures that are rendered with poor effects that fail to make an impression.
Credit must be given to DeWanda Wise who, despite a screenplay that fails her at every turn, manages to pull out a credible performance as Jessica. She’s believable as a stepmom trying to connect with her two stepdaughters and she’s also good at playing the scars of someone who is trying to hide something traumatic from her past. If there is a reason to stick it out with Imaginary, it’s her. The fact that she didn’t make me roll my eyes when she tried to tell her stepdaughter Taylor that her imaginary friend from childhood might be the same one playing with Alice, is a testament to her talent. The dialogue in that particular scene was unbearably cringy but Wise sold it the best she could. As the movie wrapped up, it was clear that Wise is deserving of another horror project worthy of her talents because she hits all the right notes in a genre piece. The other performers provide adequate support but it’s Wise’s show and boy does she carry this misfire on her back.
In addition to co-writing the screenplay, Jeff Wadlow also served as the film’s director and maybe his focus should stay there rather than crafting the film’s screenplay. This is his third film for Blumhouse after 2018’s Truth or Dare and 2020’s horror take on Fantasy Island. He also had writing credits on those films that featured intriguing ideas but lackluster execution. Wadlow stages a couple of scenes of genuine suspense in Imaginary, such as a game of late-night hide-and-seek that holds onto the tension until it’s almost unbearable or when Chauncey taunts a next-door neighbor boy who is visiting the home. He definitely has an eye for horror but the stories he crafts haven’t lived up to their promise thus far. If not for 2005’s underrated Cry Wolf, Wadlow’s horror pedigree would be even more questionable.
As a fan of the horror genre, one takes no pleasure in not enjoying a film like Imaginary. You can see where a story like this could take off but due to a subpar script, poor instances of visual effects, and an absence of thrills, the film ends up being an example of why these films sometimes get dumped randomly on the schedule. In the case of Imaginary, it would be best to seek out a new friend.
Imaginary debuts exclusively in theaters on March 8, 2024, courtesy of Lionsgate.
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GVN Rating 3
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Hello! My name is Gaius Bolling: movie, TV, and pop culture junkie! The industry has been in my veins since I was a kid and I have carried that on through adulthood. I attended Los Angeles Film Academy and participated in their screenwriting and editing program. From there, I have learned to hone my skills in the world of entertainment journalism. Some of my favorite genres include horror, action, and drama and I hope to share my love of all of this with you.