Imaginary | Blumhouse’s new horror movie arrives in UK cinemas this week, but what is it all about?

It would be fair to say that Blumhouse for horror movies is what A24 is to art-house films; both have a record of solid releases under their belt that also manage to eschew some conventions of modern horror movie tropes. Sometimes, that is - whether the production company’s latest offering, “Imaginary,” continues that solid output of spine-tingling entertainment remains to be seen; so far, there are no reviews for the film as of writing according to Rotten Tomatoes.

But much like A24, you kind of know what you’re getting into with a Blumhouse production with “Imaginary” being no exception, reading the synopsis. It would appear possession is still a horror movie trope that is worth plundering, as the physical embodiment of the antagonist in the film comes in the form of a stuffed bear. 

The film marks the return of American filmmaker Jeff Wadlow, who was responsible for not only the “Kick-Ass 2” sequel that faced a beleaguered promotional campaign when Jim Carrey refused to talk about his role after the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. Wadlow’s last feature film was the Netflix Original, “The Curse of Bridge Hollow,” a supernatural comedy-horror that didn’t elicit strong reviews.

Though “Truth or Dare” didn’t either when Blumhouse released it in 2018 but after earning a box office total of $95.3 million from a production budget of $3.5 million, one could argue that perhaps some horror isn’t for critics but still for the fans and not the critics. Needless to say, boththe director and production studio have a knack for turning something with a smaller budget into something remarkable - could “Imaginary” have the same charm?

What is “Imaginary” about?

“When Jessica returns to her childhood home with her family, she finds her old stuffed bear, Chauncey, and sees that her youngest stepdaughter Alice has grown attached to it. After Alice's behaviour becomes concerning, and the games that she and Chauncey play turn increasingly sinister, Jessica starts realizing that Chauncey is much more than the stuffed bear she believed him to be for all those years.”

Who stars in “Imaginary”?

IMDB have listed the following performers who will be taking on lead roles in “Imaginary,” including British actor Tom Payne, known for his roles “The Walking Dead” as Paul "Jesus" Rovia, and BBC's “Waterloo Road” as Brett Aspinall.

• DeWanda Wise as Jessica
• Pyper Braun as Alice
• Tom Payne
• Betty Buckley
• Taegen Burns
• Matthew Sato
• Verónica Falcón
• Dane DiLiegro

How long does “Imaginary” run for?

“Imaginary” has a run time of 104 minutes, or 1 hour 44 minutes in Lehman’s terms; certainly not the longest film out in the cinema currently.

What age rating is “Imaginary”?

The British Board of Film Classification has rated “Imaginary” as a 15 for “strong threat.” In their summary behind rating the film a 15, the BBFC wrote: “After returning to her childhood home, a woman has to protect her stepdaughters from the imaginary friend she left behind in this US horror thriller, in which demonic malevolent forces bring sinister threat and jump scares.”

When is “Imaginary” out in UK cinemas?

“Imaginary” is released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on March 8 2024.