Did you have an imaginary friend as a kid? Was it cute and cuddly, or did it show you scary things like Tony did Danny in 1980’s Stanley Kubrick classic The Shining? Thinking this over, on March 8, 2024, Blumhouse Productions unleashed the amply titled Imaginary through Lionsgate.
Put out digitally on March 26, to DVD and Blu-ray on May 14th, with the 4K steelbook releases coming on October 1st, Imaginary stars DeWanda Wise (She’s Gotta Have It series, Jurassic World: Dominion 2022) as Jessica, Tom Payne (The Walking Dead series, Prodigal Son series) as Max, Taegen Burns (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers series, Blue Ridge series) as Taylor, and Pyper Braun (Desparation Road, Erin & Aaron series) as Alice. There is also Matthew Sato (Saved by the Bell series, Doogie Kamealoha, M.D series) as Liam (Taylor’s friend), Verónica Falcón (Ozark series, Perry Mason series) as Dr. Alana Soto, Betty Buckley (Carrie 1976, Split 2016) as Gloria (a former babysitter), and Dane DiLiegro (Prey 2022, Monsters of California 2023) as Chauncey Bear, Alice’s imaginary friend.
Imaginary is billed as PG-13 and it does not have the best rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but do not let that fool and turn you off. Contrary to what the ‘experts’ say, Imaginary plays off childhood innocence and past trauma. After a cold opening, you are thrown into what we find out is a nightmare in which Jessica’s dad and a spider from one of Jessica’s art creations come to life to attack her. Things escalate from here as Alice finds Chauncey in Alice’s family home attic, and Alice’s and Chauncey’s relationship progresses.
In all honesty, Imaginary focuses on the play between Jessica, Alice and Taylor, and Chauncey, as most of the other cast serve their purpose and recede to the background, psychologically because of the new dynamic and the baggage they bring, which might turn people off since most of the horror’s not overt. They bring it, owning the dynamic and the situation they are in. Alice exudes innocence, sweet, kind, and curious. This is while Taylor fights and undermines Jessica in any way she can. Jessica’s the stepmom who walks on eggshells that come with the label, ‘step’ even when she legitimately does care. Chauncey is the innocuous, obviously well-worn bear that Alice takes a liking to and confides in.
When talking about innocence, Alice personifies this. Everybody and anything is trustworthy in her eyes. Everything is a new adventure; especially when Chauncey suggests a scavenger hunt. She wants peace for everybody… especially between Jessica and Taylor. The same can be said for Jessica, who understands the stigma that comes with ‘step’ while honestly looking out for the girls without making them feel like she is replacing their mom. Taylor, for her part, is devoted to looking after her sister from anything.
From the movie’s standpoint, everybody is reconciling a loss. Jessica reconciles the loss of her mom at a young age, and although her dad is still alive, he is living at a home with what is believed to be some kind of dementia. The girls are mourning the loss of their mom, who is still alive, but had to be institutionalized. They are in the same boat; even if Alice does not fully understand the level of Jessica and Taylor do not want to grasp the idea.. because she is too wrapped up in her own loss.
With much of Imaginary feeling psychological, other aspects are more metaphysical. Because of this, the movie could easily be viewed as corny or far-fetched. That is if you do not view it remembering what it was like as a child, or more likely does not want to view it through the eyes of a child. However, there is a mythology to the imaginary friend that is worldwide; not just kids’ fabrication which adds depth to the story. This is true going back to the 1890s when it was starting to be studied.
Cold openings are an effective way to draw viewers in. There has been a lot in 2024 alone; with movies like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Immaculate, and Cuckoo. What follows for the next hour and a half to almost two hours of Imaginary has its payoff. Aside from Taylor’s attitude getting old, and Jessica’s old babysitter Gloria feeling a bit shoehorned for narrative purposes (even if the information she offers is interesting), the movie sticks the landing with an open-ended sequence. With that said, it is not in an M. Night Shyamalan contrived way; which could be an indication that more is to come, or could be left hanging… either scenario is cool.
Making a decent return financially, we will have to see if the powers that be will take the story of Imaginary further or let it hang. Whatever happens, Cryptic Rock gives Imaginary 4 of 5 stars.
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