A new terror comes to theaters starring a little girl, an old home, and a not-so-imaginary stuffed bear.
The PG-13 rated movie Imaginary is the reason behind screams rippling across the country. The movie describes the experience of a woman that returns to her childhood home and finds that her most beloved stuffed bear is enraged at his abandonment.
As the main character, Jessica, moves back into her old home with her family, her youngest step daughter, Alice, begins to take interest in the bear she left behind from her childhood. Any mother would believe a relationship between her daughter and an old toy to be harmless and one-sided considering Chauncey was just a toy bear. Jessica soon discovers the horrifying truth as her daughter’s behavior begins to change; that Chaunecey the bear was not only very alive, but out for revenge.
The role of Jessica is played by DeWanda Wise, who is widely known for her appearances in Jurassic World Dominion, The Harder They Fall, and Fatherhood. The character Alice is played by ten-year-old Pyper Braun. As well as Imaginary, Pyper has been highlighted in a few other movies and series already in her career such as Desperation Road, Erin & Aaron, Raven’s Home, and Life in Pieces.
Imaginary contains material that can be explicit to younger audiences such as violent content, drug visuals, and language. The movie was intended to appeal to younger audiences which led the producers to include little to no gore and hard language in the film in order to keep it PG-13 rated.
Though the movie is considered a horror it is receiving some criticism as to how scary it is compared to other thrillers.
According to a review on www.rottentomatoes, “Imaginary is probably one of those movies that definitely delivers some bone-chilling thrills.”
People are saying the scenes were very thoughtful and helped extend the plot beyond a simple horror story. Though the average rating is around three stars, Imaginary is receiving many five star reviews for additions like eerie music and jumpscares that enhance the depth of the plot.
After watching the movie I would say it definitely ends with a twist and the eerie music really helps set the tone of the atmosphere. The plot of Imaginary is very dense; throughout the movie it includes scenes that relate to details in the opening of the movie, before it all ties together at the end.
I would say the age ranges to watch this movie would be anywhere between 8 and 16-years-old. It is slightly scary for younger audiences but could certainly be boring for a “horror” movie for anyone older than 15-16. The movie definitely has some jump scares, however, it is perfectly appropriate for younger audiences as there is next to no graphics and gore.
Personally, I would give Imaginary 4 stars mainly because of how thoughtful each scene tied back to a different aspect of the plot. I do think the plot is almost too dense for a single movie; each part of the plot is touched on lightly before the focus moves to something else. The movie is very well thought out and keeps viewers on the edge of their seat as Jessica and Alice learn the difference between what’s real and Imaginary.
