Review of Imaginary and Baghead
We take a look at 2 new movies coming to cinemas and UK home release this month in April 2024. Check out our thoughts on horrors Imaginary and Baghead.
Imaginary (2024) Dir. Jeff Wadlow
Jessica (DeWanda Wise) is an author plagued by horrific nightmares of Simon the Spider from her children’s books and it’s this fear of made-up childhood friends (and fears) that permeate throughout this new Blumhouse frightener. With her two daughters, Alice and Taylor, the whole family move into Jessica’s childhood home but soon Alice heads to the basement to uncover Chaucey - a lonesome scruffy teddy bear in need of some love. She promptly bonds with the ‘loveable’ plaything, but as these things tend to go, what seems like harmless toy fun develops into a more disturbing relationship. And with Alice soon requiring the intervention of a child psychologist, the link between our young and old lives - and perhaps other worlds altogether - begin to blur.
But although it plods along with its fine concept, it soon jumps the shark with the introduction of the Never Ever realm and I have to be honest, it lost me completely. It also looks like they ran out of money too, with cheap sets and frankly terrible lighting. Monsters range from the great (a very creepy spider) to bad (a giant ted who looks like one of the Banana Splits). And looking at Wadlow’s previous directing outings (Non-Stop, Bloodshot, Truth or Dare), I’d “imagine” that if you lost your director for any reason, then you’d ask him to come in and finish off your film knowing you’re in a safe pair of hands. However, that safety is far too bland for this flavourless frightener. Here’s hoping that John Krasinski’s more comedy-focused IF (Imaginary Friends) may be the Finding Nemo to this Shark Tale.
Less Drop Dead Fred than Stop the bed ted.
★½
1.5 / 5
Baghead (2024) Dir. Alberto Corredor
This UK chiller sees a young woman (The Witcher’s Freya Allan as Iris) inherit a pub after her father (Peter Mullan, Tyrannosaur) passes away, but all is not as it seems after the discovery of a she-devil contained in the bar’s basement. This Baghead - cos it has a bag on its head, see? - is a demonic entity that is able to shape-shift into dead people for just a couple of minutes and Iris sees a business opportunity to make some dough from grieving loved ones.
But a stipulation that limits these encounters to 2 minutes means there could be deadly consequences if you overrun the time, which of course happens almost immediately. Baghead has a number of positives in its favour. There are particularly good effects on the monster’s creepy hands and an unsettling neck stretch was a gory gruesome highlight. The concept is solid and the whole thing well shot with effective moody lighting. Aside from that though it’s a rather deflating experience. The croaky dialogue exacerbates the non-existent character development and no action or drama seems the slightest bit realistic. It’s a good third into the film before anyone asks why there is a woman in the basement. And once discovered no one seems the slightest bit concerned.
Apparently an expansion of the director’s short, it unfortunately probably should have remained one. A dry escape room of a film, a fan of interesting creature designs may find they can overlook the film’s flaws but in general it’s a rather baggy affair indeed.
★★
2 / 5
Mike Sales
