Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Imaginary.
From horror icon Chucky to bone-chilling android M3GAN, the concept of a lifelike animatronic or toy becoming a sinister villain is exactly what nightmares are made of. And while those aforementioned baddies have already made their presence felt within the spooky community, a fresh-faced toy in Imaginary could be the scariest inanimate object yet.
The latest horror craze is from the ever-popular production company Blumhouse, with the Jeff Wadlow vehicle showcasing a terrifying tale between Jessica, a woman returning to her childhood home, and Chauncey, her childhood teddy bear that she left behind as a kid. Of course, we’ve all had an imaginary friend at one point or another, but when that imaginary friend appears supernatural and clearly harbors sinister intentions beyond our wildest imaginations, then it’s probably time to toss it in the garbage can.
Nevertheless, with the spine-tingling horror project releasing in theaters today, March 8, spooky supporters are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of knowing how exactly this horror venture ends.
The ending of Imaginary, explained
Much like other supernatural teddy bears, toys, or dolls in other horror projects, it is revealed that Chauncey is not just an inanimate object. Rather, the teddy bear is controlled by an evil, supernatural entity that feeds on the innocence and naïveté of young children. Basically, the entity is like Bughuul from Sinister, only Chauncey is definitely more adorable — at least appearance wise.
When Jessica was a child, the demonic presence controlling Chauncey was adamant on stealing pieces of Jessica’s soul and keeping her in a horrific dimension called the Never Ever. However, Jessica was able to avoid being trapped in the horrifying unknown, with the supernatural entity unable to control her any longer once she moved out of her childhood home.
Desperate, the entity attaches itself to Jessica’s stepdaughter Alice, although the duo are both able to escape the wrath of the entity by setting Jessica’s childhood home on fire and letting the disastrous memories burn. In the end, the duo encounter another teddy bear at a hotel that resembles Chauncey, hinting at the idea that the fire likely didn’t work, and that the entity is still out there looking for new souls to trap.