The upcoming movieImaginarymay have you rethinking the way you look at stuffed animals.On Thursday, Lionsgate and Blumhouse — the production company behind hitsM3GANandFive Nights at Freddy’s—released the first trailer for the horror film, featuring a terrifying teddy bear.The trailer, set to a slow, eerie version of the Temptations’ classic “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” opens as Jessica (Jurassic World Dominion’sDeWanda Wise, 39) moves back into her childhood home with her family, including her stepdaughter Alice (Pyper Braun).“I had such good memories here. Maybe my happy place can be our happy place,” says Jessica.Pyper Braun in ‘Imaginary’.Parrish Lewis/LionsgateUh, not so fast. Alice wanders down the stairs into the home’s dark basement and finds a teddy bear sitting on the floor. “Who left you all alone down here?” she asks the toy, whose name, it turns out, is Chauncey.When Jessica inquires about Alice’s new friend, the girl responds and gives the first hint that not all is right with this particular stuffed animal: “Chauncey says you’re not allowed to play with us because you left him.”Jessica and Chauncey set out to complete a scavenger hunt, looking for things like “something happy,” “a bowl” and “a paintbrush.”“If I can finish my list, Chauncey will take me on a trip to the place he’s from,” Alice explains.But other items are more unsettling, including “something that scares you” and “something that hurts.” The latter leads Alice to impale her hand on a rusty nail from a fence.According to an official synopsis, “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.”Imaginary, continues the synopsis, is “an original horror film 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?”DeWanda Wise in ‘Imaginary’.Parrish Lewis/LionsgateNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Keri Moore, Lionsgate’s co-president of worldwide theatrical marketing, previously hinted toVarietythat something supernatural could be at play.“Something you see across cultures is that children have a unique access to the spirit world,” Moore told the outlet. “What if their imaginary friends are something from the spirit world? What if these imaginary friends were real, and what if when you left one of them, that made them upset?”Imaginaryopens in theaters March 8, 2024.
The upcoming movieImaginarymay have you rethinking the way you look at stuffed animals.
On Thursday, Lionsgate and Blumhouse — the production company behind hitsM3GANandFive Nights at Freddy’s—released the first trailer for the horror film, featuring a terrifying teddy bear.
The trailer, set to a slow, eerie version of the Temptations’ classic “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” opens as Jessica (Jurassic World Dominion’sDeWanda Wise, 39) moves back into her childhood home with her family, including her stepdaughter Alice (Pyper Braun).
“I had such good memories here. Maybe my happy place can be our happy place,” says Jessica.
Pyper Braun in ‘Imaginary’.Parrish Lewis/Lionsgate
Parrish Lewis/Lionsgate
Uh, not so fast. Alice wanders down the stairs into the home’s dark basement and finds a teddy bear sitting on the floor. “Who left you all alone down here?” she asks the toy, whose name, it turns out, is Chauncey.
When Jessica inquires about Alice’s new friend, the girl responds and gives the first hint that not all is right with this particular stuffed animal: “Chauncey says you’re not allowed to play with us because you left him.”
Jessica and Chauncey set out to complete a scavenger hunt, looking for things like “something happy,” “a bowl” and “a paintbrush.”
“If I can finish my list, Chauncey will take me on a trip to the place he’s from,” Alice explains.
But other items are more unsettling, including “something that scares you” and “something that hurts.” The latter leads Alice to impale her hand on a rusty nail from a fence.
According to an official synopsis, “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.”
Imaginary, continues the synopsis, is “an original horror film 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?”
DeWanda Wise in ‘Imaginary’.Parrish Lewis/Lionsgate
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Keri Moore, Lionsgate’s co-president of worldwide theatrical marketing, previously hinted toVarietythat something supernatural could be at play.
“Something you see across cultures is that children have a unique access to the spirit world,” Moore told the outlet. “What if their imaginary friends are something from the spirit world? What if these imaginary friends were real, and what if when you left one of them, that made them upset?”
Imaginaryopens in theaters March 8, 2024.
source: people.com
