‘Fancy’ review: How does this scary bear stand up to M3GAN?

There can be a very fine line between cute and creepy. Just look at Chucky, M3GAN, or Cabbage Patch Kids. Not all of these toys are killer, but all of them can be reasonably loved by kids while giving adults the heebie-jeebies. Chauncey Bear comes to join the ranks of annoying toys imaginary.

Plus, like Blumhouse’s other killer game shows recently, M3GAN And Five nights at freddy’s‘s, imaginary It is PG-13, allowing budding horror fans to enjoy the gruesome fun.

What is it imaginary on?

Written by a quartet of scribes – Greg Erb, Bryce McGuire, Jason Oremland, and director Jeff Wadlow – Story Line imaginary It’s a bit quirky. Sure, at its terrifying core, it’s the story of a girl and the bear that might kill her. But the framework has flourished, perhaps too much.

DeWanda Wise, who is the best part of bad movies Pullman And Take control of Jurassic World, she plays Jessica, a famous children’s book author facing a new challenge: a stepmother. Moving into her childhood home with her husband Max (Tom Payne), his sassy teenage daughter Taylor (Teigen Burns) and his youngest child Alice (Piper Brown), Weisz gets the chance to be the mother she never had before. But she must also confront the dark secrets of a past she has long forgotten. (Also, she’ll deal with her touring musician husband, her elderly father suffering from a form of dementia, a nosy neighbor, and finding inspiration for her next book.)

All these threads will be connected to Alice’s new imaginary friend, Chauncey Bear, who loves scavenger hunts, is always hungry and demands obedience. When Jessica begins to realize that something is wrong in her not-so-beautiful home, she must reach out to her daughters to defeat the predatory evil.

imaginary Delivers satisfying fears.

Wadlow, who led such devious pieces as cry wolf, the truthAnd Fantasy Islanddoes not open new horizons with imaginary. The horror settings draw on old classics, such as an out-of-focus character lurking in the background of a dark basement. A scary toy appears out of nowhere and moves inexplicably. But this old stuff is still good stuff, and it’s executed with great timing. So, a bump in the night sends the horror heroine under the bed for a shuddering jump scare.

In terms of plot, there are similarities with mama, the A horror film by Andy Muschietti, in which a reluctant foster mother must protect two young girls from a mysterious evil force. but imaginary It’s less disturbing and more playful in its style, inviting younger audiences to explore their own personal fear factors.

Creepy kid stuff makes its way as Alice is affected by Chauncey, leading to tense scenes of therapy and minor bloodshed. But much of the violence is offscreen or implicit, a scream there, a pool of blood there. A PG-13 rating keeps the blood away. However, these creatures make this feature terrifyingly fun.

Clever bear design; He’s likable but has a vulgar appearance, and his features occasionally contort slightly to suggest something sinister is at play. But in the nightmares and the climax of the maze, even larger monsters appear. And while an adult’s eye might see a man in a cool costume (perhaps with some CGI enhancements), he’s still delightfully diabolical. Unnatural silhouettes, gaping jaws, protruding claws, and screaming warnings paired with kiddie fare like a music box and a twisted scavenger hunt provide a spooky twist to playtime.

Makes DeWanda Wise and Pyper Braun imaginary a job.

Piper Brown and Chauncey the Bear face off in “Imaginary.”
Credit: Lionsgate

The plot becomes crowded with characters who seem more like plot points than people. A cocky teenage boy is shown to be terrible, then terrified. The wanted husband is comically marginalized early on, so he will be of no help to the girls or hindrance to the progress of the plot. Even the creepy neighbor who plays with him curryBetty Buckley, who plays her, feels strangely confined, which mitigates the surprise of her involvement in the third act.

Despite the convoluted story, Wise and Brown establish their characters, making the film undeniably compelling. (To her credit, as the eldest daughter, Burns is earnest. But, weighed down by too much corny dialogue dripping in teenage angst, her character is delightfully one-note.) Weisz weaves her way through the show’s pranks to create sincere emotions, whether Jessica is She is exposed to a trauma from her past or a crisis in her present. In the scenes where she fears her failure, the true terror of being a mother brings chills down her spine. But Brown is the show stealer.

As Alice, Brown is cheerful and cheerful, with rosy cheeks and a smile that won’t be refused no matter what he asks (a paintbrush? A toy? Some revenge?). But – as we saw in the trailers – when Chauncey speaks, he speaks in her voice. There, Brown lets out a creepy voice of the sort you might expect from a child, low and whiny. Enhanced with sound effects, he becomes a sinister Echo who blows terrible things, throwing a tantrum of next-level horror.

Total, imaginary Packed with plot points, it builds not only the story of a fractured family but also a growing lore clearly intended to spark a new franchise that can appeal to a wide demographic. And yes, that means a PG-13 rating imaginary Fairly soft for horror. Her fears are more frightening than horrific. However, Wadlow has a keen sense of the timing of his stress. Wise’s film is built on emotional stakes, while Brown gives us a child to worry about and a monster to shudder at. So, although it’s a bit impractical, imaginary is a comically deranged film that is sure to be a hit at slumber parties. But adults can also enjoy its lively scares.

imaginary Opens in theaters March 8.