Imaginary, the latest team-up between Blumhouse and director Jeff Wadlow – who had previously collaborated on the 2018 film Truth or Dare and the 2020 horror version of Fantasy Island – reached theatres on March 8th, and it hasn’t set the box office on fire during its tow and a half week theatrical run, pulling in just under $29 million at the global box office. Now Lionsgate has given the film a PVOD (that’s Premium Video on Demand) and PEST (that’s Premium Electronic Sell-Through) release, so maybe more genre fans will check it out now that it’s available to watch in the comfort of our own homes.
The Amazon version it available to watch HERE. The Vudu version comes with an exclusive featurette: Forged by Fire: A Tale of Unbreakable Family Bonds.
The film sees DeWanda Wise of Jurassic World: Dominion taking on the role of Jessica, who moves back into her childhood home with her family, and her youngest stepdaughter Alice develops an eerie attachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey. Alice starts playing games with Chauncey that become increasingly sinister. As Alice’s behavior becomes more concerning, Jessica intervenes, only to realize Chauncey is much more than the stuffed toy bear she believes him to be.
Wadlow wrote the screenplay for Imaginary with Greg Erb and Jason Oremland. An earlier synopsis we saw made it sound like a horror take on the 1991 comedy Drop Dead Fred: A young woman returns to her childhood home only to discover that the imaginary friend she left behind is very real and very unhappy she left.
The director had this to say about working with Wise: “DeWanda has been more than a star on this movie — she has been a full creative partner. So much of horror grows out of our most basic fears from childhood, and DeWanda taps into all of that. You know that old saying that the audience’s imagination is scarier than any movie? We’re going to put that to the test.“
Lionsgate and Blumhouse co-financed Imaginary. Lionsgate and Blumhouse previously worked together on the 2012 release Sinister. Wadlow is producing the film alongside Blumhouse founder Jason Blum.
In addition to Truth or Dare and Fantasy Island, Jeff Wadlow has also directed Cry_Wolf, Never Back Down, Kick-Ass 2, True Memoirs of an International Assassin, and The Curse of Bridge Hollow, as well as episodes of TV shows like Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television and Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Will you be watching Imaginary now that it has gotten a PVOD and PEST release? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and if you have already seen the movie, tell us what you thought of it! (You can read our review at THIS LINK.)