Jessica learns just how deadly it can be to leave an imaginary friend behind in Blumhouse’s newest horror movie, Imaginary. Now a grown woman, Jessica (DeWanda Wise) returns to her childhood home and finds her old stuffed teddy bear, Chauncy, which her stepdaughter Alice quickly bonds with. Although she initially believes this to be sweet, Jessica grows suspicious as the games Chauncy and Alice play grow more nefarious, leading her to believe that the bear she left behind is much more than he seems.
Director Jeff Wadlow is no stranger to Blumhouse, with both Truth or Dare and Fantasy Island under his belt. Teaming up with pillar of horror Jason Blum once again, Wadlow brings a terrifying new take to the idea of an imaginary friend. Wise leads an incredible cast in this terror-filled tale, which includes Pyper Braun as Alice, Tom Payne as Max, Betty Buckley as Gloria, Taegen Burns as Taylor, Matthew Sato as Liam, and Verónica Falcón as Dr. Alana Soto.
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In Screen Rant’s interview with horror behemoth Jason Blum and director Jeff Wadlow, the pair discussed what Blum was looking for in the new horror movie and how that set Wadlow down the path to Imaginary. Blum kept details about the Five Nights At Freddy’s sequel close to the vest, while Wadlow shared how two ideas merged and what inspired the terrifying Never Ever space in the movie.
Jason Blum Was Looking For Another Horror Movie For Younger Audiences With Imaginary
Screen Rant: I loved Imaginary. Here’s the deal. Psychological thriller mixed with childhood trauma is like the perfect mix, right?
Jeff Wadlow: Perfect for everybody. Who wouldn’t like that?
It’s a great gateway for horror entry for young people. It’s just fantastic. Jason, talk to me about how the idea for Imaginary came across your desk.
Jason Blum: We had two great experiences with Jeff. One on Fantasy Island and one on Truth or Dare, and we were trying to figure out what our next movie should be. And he said, “What do you really want?” And I said, “We’ve done The Purge, we’ve done Halloween, I’d like to do something more supernatural, super scary, and maybe for… It skews a little bit younger.” And Jeff did the rest, right?
Jeff Wadlow: Yeah. I just wanted to make a movie about an imaginary friend. I loved the idea of playing with subjectivity in cinema. And so I just signed a first look deal with Jason. So I was talking to other writers trying to find people I could collaborate with, and Greg Erb and Jason Oremland, who are old friends of mine, came in, and they pitched me this idea of an evil teddy bear. And I felt, “That’s not enough for a movie. My imaginary friend thing isn’t enough for a movie. What if we combine them?” And we delivered a script for Imaginary with Jason. He said, “Let’s make it.”
That’s awesome. That is awesome. Now, the Never Ever reminds me of a childhood dream that I had of just this crazy place that is filled with terror. Talk to me about making that set and using all the practicals. I think the thing that really adds to this movie is everything’s done practically. So can you talk about that a little bit?
Jeff Wadlow: Listen, the Never Ever was a lot of different things and different versions of this script. At one point I think it was probably just going to be a hallway of 10 doors and a little bit more like, say The Further in the Insidious films. But as we started, I had a really talented production designer named Meghan Rogers and I kept talking about MC Escher and wanting this feeling of just hallways that go on forever.
You know when you’re in Vegas, you’re in those hotels, and the hallways just seem to never end? And it’s kind of terrifying. And I wanted that sort of feeling. I also wanted the potential for a monster to come out from any door. So the more doors you have, the more potential scares. And we ended up designing this set that was going to be way more expensive than we could afford to build but we had just such an incredible production team, they figured it out.
Jason Blum Remains Tight-Lipped About Five Nights At Freddy’s Sequel
That’s incredible. Now, Five Nights at Freddy’s, I think, is the perfect gateway for a younger audience and this is a perfect follow up to that, to get that young audience moviegoer in to introduce them to the horror genre. Is there an update on Five Nights at Freddy’s at all for the sequel?
Jason Blum: Are you thinking I’m not paying attention, like you’re just going to get me to…
Wait. Is this guy moving behind you? I was freaking out.
Jason Blum: I don’t know.
Jeff Wadlow: Or did you imagine it?
Did I imagine it? What’s going on?
Jeff Wadlow: I think you might’ve.
Jason Blum: No update, but I certainly hope to see one, like all the other fans.
About Imaginary
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.
Check back soon for out other Imaginary interviews here:
- DeWanda Wise
- Pyper Braun & Taegan Burns
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Imaginary
From Blumhouse Productions comes Imaginary, a horror film by director Jeff Wadlow. In the movie, a woman returns to her childhood home and rediscovers her imaginary friend isn’t all that imaginary, left bitter from the abandonment they experienced.
- Director
- Jeff Wadlow
- Release Date
- March 6, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Blumhouse Productions
- Distributor(s)
- Lionsgate
- Writers
- Greg Erb , Bryce McGuire , Jason Oremland
