Jeff Wadlow’s Imaginary made a splash recently when its very first teaser trailer, an audio-only clip that invited audiences to close their eyes and imagine what might be happening onscreen, debuted in front of Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s. That teaser may have been an in-theaters-only affair, but it created quite the impression amongst those who caught it.
Tomorrow, Blumhouse will drop the first trailer for Wadlow’s film, and today we are preparing for its arrival with a bunch of fun goodies, from a motion poster to a brand-new promo video to a pair of “light and dark” posters and even a few words from Wadlow himself. We’ll get to all that in just a moment, but for now, let’s all get on the same page as to what Imaginary is about.
Says the press release:
“From Blumhouse, the genre-defining masterminds behind FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S and M3GAN, comes an original horror that taps into the innocence of imaginary friends – and begs the question: Are they really figments of childhood imagination or is something more terrifying lying just beneath?
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.
As Alice’s behavior becomes more and more concerning, Jessica intervenes only to realize Chauncey is much more than the stuffed toy bear she believed him to be.”
And here’s the accompanying promo video, which strikes just the right balance between heartwarming and disturbing:
FANGORIA: There was a lot of speculation about Imaginary after that primarily audio teaser dropped ahead of Five Nights At Freddy’s. Did you see any of the online chatter of what people thought this might be, and do you think people will be pleasantly surprised to see this is, in fact, a movie with visuals?
Jeff Wadlow: I’ve been up to my eyeballs in post production, so I did not see the chatter. This is a full-on theatrical experience, with terrifying visuals, big jump scares, and some extraordinary performances from our cast. I can’t wait for the world to hear — and see — it in theaters.
There is an inherent creepiness to kids in horror. Whether they’re tapping into the spirit world and seeing things adults can’t, or they’re running around slashing Achilles tendons. What do you think makes kids in horror so creepy, and who are your top creepy kids?
I mean, Carol Anne from Poltergeist ruined me. I was a normal kid until I saw that movie in theaters… since then I’ve been more than a little disturbed.
What we should expect from the forthcoming Imaginary trailer?
I’m so excited for people to see the trailer because it barely scratches the surface of our movie. There is so much more to show… but we’re holding it back, letting you fill in the blanks yourself… because nothing is scarier than your own imagination.
Above, you can see Imaginary‘s “light and dark” posters side-by-side, while below you can get a look at the film’s official motion poster, which combines the two to very fun effect:
Chauncey wants to play. #ImaginaryFilm, from @Blumhouse and @Lionsgate, materializes in theaters March 8th. pic.twitter.com/bL2Ca1UfI6
— Blumhouse (@blumhouse) November 15, 2023
Imaginary stars DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, Veronica Falcon, and Betty Buckley, and will hit theaters on March 8th. Stay tuned for more on this one between now and then, and keep your eyes peeled for tomorrow’s big trailer drop, which we’ll have in front of you just as soon as we can!
