‘Imaginary’ Horror Film Celebrates Leap Year Day with a Twisted Video

Lionsgate’s Imaginary unveiled a special 30-second video in honor of Leap Year Day, which is apparently an “extra day for spirits to play.” It’s also a day when a child’s imagination becomes real, according to Chauncey the possessed stuffed teddy bear.

The cast of the PG-13 rated horror film includes DeWanda Wise (Jurassic World Dominion), Tom Payne (Prodigal Son), Taegen Burns (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers), and Pyper Braun (Erin & Aaron). Veronica Falcon (A Million Miles Away) and Betty Buckley (Preacher) also star.

“From Blumhouse, the genre-defining masterminds behind Five Nights at Freddy’s and M3GAN, comes 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?” reads Lionsgate’s synopsis. “When Jessica (Wise) moves back into her childhood home with her family, her youngest stepdaughter Alice (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.”

Jeff Wadlow (Fantasy Island), Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland wrote the screenplay, with Wadlow directing. Wadlow also serves as producer along with Jason Blum. Lionsgate’s set a March 8, 2024 theatrical release.