Imaginary
Lionsgate | Release Date: March 8, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
34
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
9
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
TheWrapMatt GoldbergMar 8, 2024
Imaginary may not reinvent horror, but it knows how to conjure up a good time. Read full review
60
IGNLena WilsonMar 8, 2024
Imaginary nearly perfects its so-bad-it’s-good shtick. This is not a good movie, in the traditional, artistic sense – but it is a total joy to watch if you’re willing to buy into its particular blend of juvenile scares and stupid self-seriousness. Read full review
50
Original-CinThom ErnstMar 11, 2024
Imaginary is far too long, at one hour, 44 minutes. The build-up has a few exciting moments. But the climax, intended as the film's centerpiece, is a dull repetition of hallways, locked doors, and unimpressive jump scares. Anyone who has toured a makeshift haunted house at a charitable event has experienced worse scares. Read full review
50
VarietyOwen GleibermanMar 7, 2024
Imaginary, despite a few creepy moments, is starved for scenes that make the fear it’s showing you relatable. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 7, 2024
Fans typically expect well-executed jump scares, fun plot twists and the occasional rubbery monster. What they probably don’t expect is the sophisticated allegory that Imaginary appears to be flirting with — and comes close to pulling off — before losing its nerve. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckMar 7, 2024
Imaginary, which starts out as a relatively low-key suspenser with intriguing psychological depth, eventually succumbs to the inanities plaguing so many recent horror efforts (like the killer pool in the same company’s Night Swim). Read full review
50
IndieWireWilson ChapmanMar 7, 2024
Even at its most entertaining, “Imaginary” has about as much staying power as the figments of imagination that give it its name. Just like your childhood imaginary friend, you’ll probably forget about it pretty quickly. Read full review
40
EmpireJohn NugentMar 12, 2024
Not a total catastrophe, but perilously close to being one. Is it too obvious to say Imaginary is simply lacking in imagination? Read full review
40
Total FilmAmy WestMar 8, 2024
There are some decent-enough scares weaved in, including a powerful cold open and a pull-string set piece. But for a film about the power of imagination, it’s frustrating how little it trusts the audience to use its own. As such, there’s no real sense of dread or suspense. Read full review
40
The Daily BeastNick SchagerMar 7, 2024
A lifeless hodgepodge of the hoariest clichés the genre has to offer. Read full review
39
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMar 7, 2024
Imaginary is as dour a slog as M3GAN was a bloody bit of self-aware camp. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 8, 2024
There’s nothing imaginary about how bad a misfire this movie is even for the Blumhouse base. Read full review
30
We Got This CoveredCharlotte SimmonsMar 11, 2024
Imaginary is decidedly unscary, lamentably messy proof that horrendous scripts dwarf even the brightest premises on the creative food chain. Read full review
28
PolygonAusten GoslinMar 7, 2024
It gets lost in a maze of awful storytelling and frustrating characters, all without offering anything more than the stock-standard horror tropes that have been done better in a million other movies. Read full review
25
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 14, 2024
None of it’s handled with much pace, humor, suspense or style until our third act journey into the NeverEver. And even that, derivative as it is, misses the mark in terms of real frights. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonMar 8, 2024
Imaginary is utterly forgettable, bland, and directionless, ironically so, as for a film that lauds the power of imagination, it shockingly neglects the very element of its own ethos. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineDerek SmithMar 7, 2024
The film never thinks to lean into the blatant silliness that its premise invites. Read full review
20
ColliderRoss BonaimeMar 10, 2024
Imaginary is a mess of a horror film, with poor narrative choices, obvious twists, and clichéd characters. Read full review
20
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleMar 7, 2024
If kids can grow out of their pretend pals, so too can horror audiences of cynical snoozes like this. Read full review
20
Paste MagazineBrianna ZiglerMar 7, 2024
A horror movie so derivative that it becomes uniquely terrible. Read full review
20
The GuardianBenjamin LeeMar 7, 2024
Aiming for more fun is no bad thing but Imaginary is far too dumb and ungainly to move at the pace required and bring the thrills it should, a theme park ride that should be closed for repairs. Read full review
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