Movie Review: “Imaginary”

Blumhouse Productions is one of the better known companies that produce films in the horror genre. They are mostly known for their low to mid budget horror films that are often hit or miss among viewers. This newest edition may have been a miss.

The modern film industry is accustomed to having plenty of “bad” horror films shoved into it each year. “Imaginary” may just be another such film. The budget for most Blumhouse films fluctuates between low and mid budget — which allows the company to churn out cash grabs just as often as they create memorable films such as “Insidious” or “Paranormal Activity.” 

‘“Imaginary” seems to have fallen short of its mark only to become the newest addition in mid budget cash grabs from the horror industry. When we compare this film to films such as ‘Sinister’ or ‘Get Out’ — which are films that were also provided to us by Blumhouse — we can see the blatant difference between directors and writers who genuinely care about scaring their audience and giving them something to remember, versus those who are simply contracted to print money for the parent company.

“Imaginary” was a great idea in concept, only to fall victim to the stereotypes of its genre. As with most modern horror films, to substitute the not-so-interesting plot, there are an abundance of jumpscares to create the horror vibe. While not as chock-full of jumpscares as a movie like “Smile,” we do see plenty of use with this tactic. However, there are two moments throughout the film which are psychologically thrilling, and do well in creating the genuine feeling of dread within the viewer, but these moments are both predictable and ultimately meaningless. 

Typical tropes that this film succumbs to include a possessed child’s toy, a family that moves to a new location, an unaccepted step-parent, a redemption arc, a betrayal and the inevitable sequel teaser at the end. Each of these cliches contribute to the downfall of “Imaginary.” With more care taken to the script, and less predictability, this truly could have been another work of art from Blumhouse. 

There are two twists throughout this film which are also the moments where you feel the most thrill and dread. However, as mentioned before, these moments are entirely predictable because they follow all of the rules of the genre. Instead of doing something new with the outcomes of the situations, we can simply deduce that it will play out exactly the same as every other horror flick we have ever seen. 

At its core “Imaginary” tries to talk about childhood trauma and its effect on young children, while also attempting to discuss the innocence of imagination we all experienced as children. At the end of the day it is only able to come off as cheesy and insincere.

Overall, if “Imaginary” had avoided a lot of the stereotypes of the horror genre, and set out to push the boundaries instead of just grab a quick buck, this could have been a clever project. Instead, it chose to adhere to the horror genre tropes and stereotypes in an attempt to make as much money as possible while providing us with a lackluster story that we only wish could have been better. 

With a budget of 10-12 million dollars, “Imaginary” has only been able to pull in around 15 million from its first week at the box office. It is up to the studio to determine whether or not this is enough profit to consider turning that sequel teaser at the end of the film into a reality. 

If you’re here for cheap thrills and horror that is less scary and more jumpy, this is not necessarily a “bad” movie, but it isn’t going to be memorable by any means.