Imaginary is the latest horror movie from Blumhouse, who have recently dominated the horror space with the likes of M3GAN, Five Nights at Freddy's and The Black Phone. Now, they've got a brand new tale of terror to spin, involving an innocent-looking teddy bear.
The new horror, which is directed and co-written by Jeff Wadlow, aims to tap "into the innocence of imaginary friends" and questions whether they're really just a figment of our imagination, or if there's something more terrifying under the surface.
The movie picks up with a family moving to a new home, hoping for a fresh start. As horror fans know this is a recipe for disaster, and soon things take a sinister turn, putting everyone's lives in danger.
Here's everything you need to know about Imaginary.
Imaginary release date
Imaginary lands in movie theatres worldwide from March 8, 2024.
It was originally scheduled for release on February 2, 2024, but has been pushed back slightly due to strike action.
Imaginary plot
The plot of Imaginary follows Jessica, who moves back into her childhood home with her family. Soon after arriving, her youngest stepdaughter Alice develops an eerie attachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey that she finds in the basement.
Alice starts playing games with Chauncey that begin playful and harmless, but soon become increasingly sinister. Jessica intervenes and realizes that Chauncey is not just a stuffed bear.
Here is the official synopsis from Blumhouse:
"From Blumhouse, the genre-defining masterminds behind Five Nights at Freddy's and M3GAN, comes an original horror film that taps into the innocence of imaginary friends — and begs the question: Are they really figments of childhood imagination or is something more terrifying lying just beneath?
"When Jessica (DeWanda Wise) moves back into her childhood home with her family, her youngest stepdaughter Alice (Pyper Braun) develops an eerie attachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey she finds in the basement. Alice starts playing games with Chauncey that begin playful and become increasingly sinister.
"As Alice's behavior becomes more and more concerning, Jessica intervenes only to realize Chauncey is much more than the stuffed toy bear she believed him to be."
Imaginary cast
She's Gotta Have It star DeWanda Wise leads the cast as Jessica, with Pyper Braun playing her stepdaughter Alice.
Other confirmed cast includes Tom Payne (The Walking Dead), Betty Buckley (Carrie), Taegen Burns (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers), and Matthew Sato (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series).
Is there a trailer?
Yes, there is an official trailer for Imaginary which is two and a half minutes in length. It shows the family moving back to Jessica's childhood home, where she hopes it can be a "happy place" for them.
Naturally, it's not that idealistic and things start to get creepy when Alice finds a stuffed bear named Chauncey and starts playing games with it. What starts off as a wholesome list soon gets disturbing, and Jessica worries there's something more sinister going on...
Jeff Wadlow movies
Jeff Wadlow is quite familiar with the horror genre, as you can see by his list of credits below, which includes horror movies like Fantasy Island:
- Cry Wolf (2005)
- Never Back Down (2008)
- Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
- True Memoirs of an International Assassin (2016)
- Truth or Dare (2018)
- Fantasy Island (2020)
- The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022)
Wadlow also directed multiple episodes of the new version of Are You Afraid of the Dark?
