Happy Monday!

Did you have a good weekend? My spring break for grad school just started, and I couldn’t be happier! I’m also taking most of the week off to focus on my mental health and writing priorities to get things back on track, so I’m very hopeful.

Anywho, it’s time for another spoiler-free movie review! This time I watched Imaginary.

Ever since I heard about this movie, I had to see it. It’s rare to see a horror movie that younger people can watch (it’s PG-13), so it fit the brief for my grad school project. I had a Teddy Ruxpin growing up, so this twisted view of imaginary friends seemed perfect for me.

All right, time for the review!

Blurb

When Jessica moves back into her childhood home with her family, her youngest stepdaughter, Alice, finds a stuffed bear named Chauncey. As Alice’s behavior becomes more and more concerning, Jessica intervenes only to realize that Chauncey is much more than the stuffed toy bear she believed him to be.

IMDB

The Review

Jessica and her new husband and stepdaughters just moved into her childhood home. The familiar setting is nostalgic and happy, but when her youngest daughter Alice starts talking to an imaginary friend with increasingly disturbing results, she is forced to come to terms with her childhood trauma and a very real danger of otherworldly proportions.

This movie didn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to creepy horror, but it was definitely a fun time for anyone over 13.

Jessica, played by DeWanda Wise was a standout and great protagonist. She’s forgotten much of her early childhood due to traumatic events, but she’s made a career from her creativity and childlike imagination. Taylor is portrayed as an average teen in her obnoxiousness and self-absorbed ways, and while she had some development to counter that I would’ve liked to see her depicted in a better light overall. Teens are much more resourceful than most give them credit for. Alice was a charming little girl and played the perfect innocent victim of her imaginary friend Chauncey.

The plot starts out nice and slow. Jessica and her husband Max have been planning on moving into her childhood home, and when she continues to suffer from chronic nightmares they decide to expedite their plans. There was a consistent theme of mystery and childlike imagination that I loved. There’s really something magical to that sense of wonder that is given a proper homage. That altruistic view soon turns sour when disturbing events occur with Alice, and that sourness soon turns deadly as the family fights to survive something truly otherworldly and evil.

If you can suspend a little disbelief and tune into your inner child for this film, I think you’ll have a marvelous time.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this movie review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you seen this movie? Are there other similar movies you’ve seen that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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