Jeff Wadlow, the writer and director of Blumhouse’s upcoming creepy horror movie Imaginary, recently offered some insight into the fantasy influences behind the film’s story and the creation of the Never-Ever, which is an otherworldly universe and kingdom of imagination that the characters eventually find themselves in.
During a recent interview with GamesRadar, Wadlow was asked about the fantasy elements of the film and the Never-Ever, and he shared that one of the big influences behind it that he mentions was Guillermo del Toro’s classic film, Pan’s Labyrinth:
“I’m a huge fan of the fantasy genre, and Labyrinth was a major touchstone for us. So was Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, all the works of Lewis Carroll. And also children’s book authors like Maurice Sendak [who created ‘Where the Wild Things Are’] really influenced the look and feel of the film. But one of our major touchstones was Pan’s Labyrinth, which I think is the best horror fantasy film made in recent memory.”
The filmmaker went on to talk about some of the creatures in the film and said that they got the same animatronic and practical effects house that works on the films of Del Toro, to work on this movie. That company is Spectral Motion. Wadlow said:
“We have this spider monster in our movie […] that’s a contortionist who can move his body in amazing ways in a real spider suit designed by Spectral Motion, who made all the monsters for most of Guillermo Del Toro’s movies.”
As for the influence of Alice in Wonderland, Wadlow said, with a grin: “It’s not an accident that our little girl is called Alice.”
It’s explained that the movie “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?”
In the film, “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.”
Imaginary hits theaters on March 8, 2024, from Blumhouse and Lionsgate.
