Imaginary — Release Date, Cast, Plot And More Info
There is not a more dependable movie genre in 2023 than horror. They can be made quickly and cheaply, starring up-and-coming teens and twenty-somethings, with the occasional appearance from a B-list (at most) actor whose presence lends the project a shred of credibility. They can also be released at any time of the year. In 2023, "M3GAN" cleaned up in January, "Scream VI" carved out a significant chunk of change in March, while the A24 sleeper hit "Talk to Me" entranced scare-seeking audiences throughout July and August.
Beginning with the release of "Paranormal Activity," Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions have been churning out durable franchises like "Insidious" and "The Purge," while taking chances on original visions from ambitious filmmakers like Jordan Peele ("Get Out") and Scott Derrickson ("The Black Phone"). Blumhouse has certainly produced its share of clunkers ("Firestarter," "The Craft: Legacy," and "Fantasy Island," to name three), but its batting average is Joe DiMaggio-esque. Rather than swing for the fences, they simply put the ball in play, and this is why every studio in town is hot to distribute their movies.
As you well know, Blumhouse just scored a four-bagger with its adaptation of the wildly popular video game "Five Nights at Freddy's." Interestingly, this appears to be the company's final release of 2023. But not to worry: Blumhouse will hit the ground running in 2024 on January 5 with the haunted swimming pool(!) flick "Night Swimming" (here's hoping they sprung for the R.E.M. needle-drop). Two months later, they'll drop "Imaginary," which, if nothing else, boasts a splendidly creepy premise and a supporting turn from an absolute Broadway legend.
When does Imaginary premiere?
According to a November 2023 Variety article, "Imaginary" is still set to hit its planned release date of March 8, 2024. While many films that were eying first-quarter theatrical berths were forced to delay due to the unnecessarily prolonged (by the AMPTP) WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, "Imaginary" wrapped before the stoppages. Now that everyone is back to work, this leaves director Jeff Wadlow and his post-production crew plenty of time to lock the movie.
It's a perfect date for the film, too. At the moment, its only competition is "Kung Fu Panda 4" and the Catholic drama "Cabrini." These films are obviously catering to very different demographics, so — provided the marketing campaign does its job — the modestly budgeted ($13 million) "Imaginary" should enjoy a healthy opening weekend.
What are the plot details of Imaginary?
"Imaginary" tells the tale of Jessica (DeWanda Wise), a single mother who moves her family back into her childhood home. When Alice (Pyper Braun), the youngest of the two, discovers her mother's old stuffed bear, Chauncey, and forms a curiously strong bond with it, bizarre things start happening. "Bizarre" graduates to "downright creepy" when Alice claims the bear has set her off on a scavenger hunt. It's fine when the bear is asking her to acquire things that make her happy, but the requests quickly get more frightful. Suddenly, Alice is committing self-harm and worse, at which point therapists are brought in (which will likely cheese off Chauncey something fierce).
This is, in a way, a yarn as old as the classic "Living Doll" episode of "The Twilight Zone," and, for modern audiences, a deliciously nasty riff on "Toy Story." Imagine a hypothetical sequel where Andy's kid finds Woody and the gang, and they're murderously vengeful about having been discarded by their owner. That's a movie I'd very much like to see but know that Disney will never, ever make. "Imaginary" will have to suffice. Here's hoping it delivers. Naming your malevolent teddy bear Chauncey is an excellent start. Chaunceys of any species are not to be trusted.
Who is the cast of Imaginary
DeWanda Wise is a terrifically talented performer who should've broken through in a big way via Spike Lee's criminally underseen "She's Gotta Have It" show for Netflix. She was also outstanding opposite Gina Rodriguez and Brittany Snow in the inexplicably ignored Netflix comedy feature "Something Great." Sadly, if you're familiar with her work at all, it's most likely through her appearance in the abhorrent "Jurassic World Dominion."
Pyper Braun is fairly new to the scene. She's been acting since the age of four and is also a competitive dancer; she looks appropriately creepy in the trailer, so this could be quite the springboard for her. Her older sister is played by Teagan Burns, who's most notable for having laced up her hockey skates for the Disney+ series "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers."
The most recognizable faces are undoubtedly Tom Payne and Betty Buckley. Payne made a deep impression with "The Walking Dead" fans as Paul "Jesus" Rovia, a principled ambassador for The Hilltop who aids in the battle against the vicious Saviors. As for Buckley, the two-time Tony Award-nominated theater legend (and winner for her portrayal of Grizabella in the original Broadway production of "Cats") plays, judging from the trailer, one of the therapists tasked with plumbing Alice's young, potentially damaged psyche. We haven't seen Buckley on the big screen since M. Night Shyamalan's "Split" (where she also played a psychiatrist), so consider this an incredibly welcome return from one of the greats!
Who is the director of Imaginary
Jeff Wadlow made his feature debut with the unremarkable boarding-school slasher flick "Cry Wolf," which he followed up with the unremarkable bare-knuckle fighting actioner "Never Back Down." His third movie was the atrocious "Kick-Ass 2," which was the mind-numbingly amoral piece of garbage critics accused the first film of being. He continued his stinker streak by helming and co-writing the Netflix-produced Kevin James vehicle "True Confessions of an International Assassin" (which currently boasts a 0% Tomatometer score).
Wadlow found his way into the Blum fold with the gimmicky 2018 horror quickie "Truth or Dare." Despite an exploitable hook (college kids get tricked into playing a lethally supernatural version of the title game), Wadlow delivered a rote slasher devoid of suspense or inventive kills. Two years later, he tackled a horror-centric reboot of the hit ABC TV show "Fantasy Island" for Blumhouse, and Wadlow'd the hell out of it. Last year, he directed the horror-comedy "The Curse of Bridge Hollow" (co-written by Todd Berger, whose 2012 black comedy "It's a Disaster" is well worth checking out), and, being on a non-Wadlow viewing diet, I skipped it.
Which brings us to "Imaginary." I dig the premise. I'm a big DeWanda Wise fan. I worship Buckley. I live in mortal fear of sentient teddy bears and anyone named Chauncey. There's potential here. Alas, there is also Wadlow. Cross them fingers tight, y'all.
Who are the writers and producers of Imaginary?
Let's accentuate the positive, and address the careers of the writers credited with contributing to the screenplay that also bears Jeff Wadlow's imprimatur. Greg Erb launched his scripting career as Craig Mazin's creative partner on the so-so comedies "RocketMan" and "Senseless." The films might've missed, but Mazin's a very smart man (who finally demonstrated what he can do with the superb HBO series "Chernobyl" and "The Last of Us"), so Erb gets a Mazin bump even if he's been toiling on stuff like "Playmobil: The Movie." Another factor in his favor: He got a "story by" credit on Disney's hand-drawn delight "The Princess and the Frog." Erb's longtime co-writer Jason Oremland may not have the Mazin pedigree, but he also worked on "The Princess and the Frog." That's a lot more than I can say for Wadlow.
Jason Blum and Wadlow are, at present, the credited producers. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and then you have "Imaginary."
Has Imaginary Released a trailer?
Lionsgate recently released a full theatrical trailer, and there's some pretty gnarly stuff in there. Upon moving her kids into the house in which she grew up, DeWanda Wise seems tickled when Pyper Braun finds good ol' Chauncey languishing, unloved for decades in the basement. At first, it seems Braun possesses an overactive imagination, so when she's being directed by the bear to acquire innocuous objects that make her happy and whatnot, it's all good. But when Chauncey taps into her inner masochist and compels her to slam her hand through a nail protruding from a fence slat, it feels like we might be in for a gruesome good time.
I'm a little disappointed by the trailer's suggestion that Chauncey might be able to move on his own (in a mechanical manner that calls to mind Muffit of Glen A. Larson's original "Battlestar Galactica"), but, overall, "Imaginary" seems like the movie it should be on the most basic of levels. Whether it's got another gear like Gerard Johnstone and Akela Cooper's "M3GAN" remains to be seen.
There's also an exclusive-to-theaters trailer that asks moviegoers to close their eyes. I have yet to see it, but love to see Jason Blum indulging his inner William Castle.
What is Imaginary rated?
I like my freaky kids' movies to go hard. "Village of the Damned," "The Omen," and "The Children" left an indelible mark on pre-teen me, and I've always wanted subsequent generations to know that their pint-sized peers are capable of pure, unremitting evil. It's a public service announcement if nothing else.
Blumhouse has made plenty of R-rated horror films, but they're wholly willing to go PG-13 as a means of juicing the opening weekend box office. A good chunk of their target audience simply isn't old enough to buy a ticket for an R-rated movie, and since they're not peddling William Friedkin's "The Exorcist" here, they've good financial reasons to pull back on the gore.
My sense is that "Imaginary" will be a PG-13. Jeff Wadlow's "Truth or Dare" bore that rating, and, aside from "Kick-Ass 2," he's never made a film that would feel compromised if shorn of adult content — primarily because he tends to make movies that insult the intelligence of eight-year-olds. And, hey, there are plenty of effective PG-13 horror movies ("Drag Me to Hell," "The Sixth Sense" and Blumhouse's nifty "Happy Death Day" duology). The rating is indicative of nothing. Wadlow, until he proves otherwise, is.