Fiction director Jeff Wadlow says Tobe Hooper's horror classic Poltergeist influenced the upcoming Blumhouse pic.
“The original Poltergeist was a touchstone for us,” Wadlow tells SFX Magazine in the new issue, which features Dune 2 on the cover. “It strikes a perfect balance between the scares and that benign sense of wonder and excitement and thrill that you get when you have a family you care about.”
Imaginary stars DeWanda Wise as Jessica, a woman who returns to the home she grew up in to discover that her teddy bear is not only alive – but very upset that he left.
Wadlow directs from a script he wrote with Greg Erb (Playmobil: The Movie) and Jason Oremland (Monster High: The Movie). The cast includes Pyper Braun, Tom Payne, Betty Buckley, Taegan Burns, Matthew Sato, Veronica Falcon and Dane DiLiegro.
Wadlow continues: “We're trying to do a modern version of that with our film, where the terror comes from this unknown presence that has infected the safety of the family home. We also tried to lean into the Spielbergian aspects of that. What if this thing that you always imagined was really real? What would be the upside of it? We're trying to explore that with a modern sensibility.”
Other inspirations include Blumhouse's Sinister franchise, “for the way it uses parents” and children, as well as M3GAN, “because you have an antagonist with a real point of view” and Happy Death Day.
The first teaser for the film, released in November 2023, asked the audience to close their eyes and imagine what they think is happening in 7.1 sound.
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Imaginary releases on March 8, 2024. The above is just an excerpt from our interview, available at the latest issue of SFX Magazinewhich features Dune: Part Two on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday 21st February. For even more from SFX, sign up to our newsletter, which delivers all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
Back to Arrakis for #DunePartTwo, in cinemas March 1st!New SFX issue hits shelves Wednesday February 21st.@dunemovie @WarnerBrosUK @legendary pic.twitter.com/DPgYN3H6dPFebruary 16, 2024
