A forgotten imaginary friend becomes an all-too-real nightmare for renowned artist Jessica (DeWanda Wise) when she moves back into her childhood home with her husband (Tom Payne) and two stepdaughters (Taegen Burns and Pyper Braun) in the new horror movie Imaginary. Ahead of its March 8th theatrical release via Lionsgate and Blumhouse, Daily Dead had the great pleasure of talking with actor DeWanda Wise (who also is one of the film's executive producers) about the collaborative approach to making Imaginary, including what drew her to playing Jessica, working with director Jeff Wadlow, and the film's emphasis on utilizing practical effects to bring the film's creepy creatures to life.
Below, you can watch our video interview with DeWanda Wise (as well as our encounter with Chauncey the Bear at the immersive pop-up experience Blumhouse Presents: Chauncey’s Imaginary Playhouse in Los Angeles), and stay tuned to Daily Dead for more coverage of Imaginary leading up to the film's March 8th release in theaters!
Synopsis: 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.
Lionsgate and Blumhouse present, a Tower of Babble production.
Directed by: Jeff Wadlow
Written by: Jeff Wadlow & Greg Erb & Jason Oremland
Produced by: Jason Blum, Jeff Wadlow, p.g.a.
Cast: DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, with Veronica Falcon, and Betty Buckley
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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