A childhood imaginary friend has never been so sinister. Blumhouse‘s latest horror film “Imaginary” stars DeWanda Wise as a woman who has to confront her former bestie…who just so happens to be a possessed teddy bear.
The official synopsis reads: “When Jessica (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.”
Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Veronica Falcon, and Betty Buckley also star.
“Truth or Dare” helmer Jeff Wadlow directs from a script he cowrote with Greg Erb, Jason Oremland, and Bryce McGuire. “Jurassic World Dominion” actress Wise produces the film along with Jason Blum and writer-director Wadlow. Ryan Turek executive produces.
“DeWanda has been more than a star on this movie — she has been a full creative partner,” director Wadlow said in a press statement. “So much of horror grows out of our most basic fears from childhood, and DeWanda taps into all of that. You know that old saying that the audience’s imagination is scarier than any movie? We’re going to put that to the test.”
Lionsgate executive Keri Moore added to Variety, “Something you see across cultures is that children have a unique access to the spirit world. What if their imaginary friends are something from the spirit world? What if these imaginary friends were real, and what if when you left one of them, that made them upset?”
The first footage debuted ahead of Blumhouse’s box office hit “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” with Lionsgate co-president of worldwide theatrical marketing Moore revealing that the studio “moved Heaven and Earth” to make the “Imaginary” trailer live for “Five Nights at Freddy’s” opening weekend.
“Sometimes, constraint becomes the mother of invention,” she said.
Producer Blum similarly shared, “Fans are truly enjoying everything about the ‘Imaginary’ trailer and that’s what’s most important to Blumhouse, capturing the imagination of our audience.”
“Imaginary” premieres March 8 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
