There are some movies that you want to be able to watch with the kids. That’s hard to do with horror as a genre. Luckily, Imaginary is here to fill the gap and gives us a frightening look into the world of imaginary friends. Or just terrifying Chauncey.
Jessica (DeWanda Wise) is moving her husband (Tom Payne) and her two step daughters (played by Taegen Burns and Pyper Braun) to her childhood home to try and reconnect with the happiness she once had there. What she actually is doing though is leading her family into Chauncey’s den. Chauncey Bear is an imaginary friend gone awry and what makes Imaginary so much fun to watch is that it has all the elements of a typical horror movie but is tame enough that it can and should be something for the entire family to enjoy.
It’s not often that horror as a genre gives you a chance to enjoy it while knowing that the kids in your family will also have a fun time. And we have, for the most part, shied away from those movies in recent years so while we can all enjoy things like Scream or even Halloween, they’re still a little gory on paper.
Imaginary has its scares, particularly with the looming figure that lurks in the shadows behind our family of characters, but where it works as a horror movie is within Chauncey himself and the ideas laid out for us.
Don’t let Chauncey Bear fool you
Alice (Pyper Braun) finds the stuffed bear when she goes to explore the basement. First of all, why were you in the basement? But secondly, the bear then brings with it a haunted figure creeping around the home. Alice is talking to herself, she sincerely thinks that Chauncey is real, and we eventually learn the lore of not only Chauncey Bear but of imaginary friends as a concept.
Look, is Imaginary reinventing the genre? No, but it is a fun horror movie to watch. I came out of it knowing that my niece, who loves characters like M3GAN, would enjoy watching this, and is a tame way for her to enjoy the genre without an excess of gore. It is where Blumhouse has found its place to shine. What makes Imaginary so fun to see in theaters though is to have that bit of fear of what lurks in the darkness and to also never trust that something you thought you made up is actually make-believe.
Never have I sat in a theater and heard a bunch of people exclaim “Chauncey” at different times. It was absolutely hilarious and a blast to watch everyone start to make fun of this bear and his antics all together. That’s what makes horror such a fun genre to watch in a theatre and Imaginary is definitely one you won’t want to miss. And you can bring the whole family to enjoy it!
(featured image: Parrish Lewis/Lionsgate)
