I love a good horror, thriller movie. Don’t you? This new film by Director Adam Egypt Mortimer is just that with a paranormal twist as well.
We are introduced to a child named Luke who comes across a mass murder scene and to help cope with this trauma and issues at home with his mother who’s not mentally stable, he conjures up an imaginary friend…Daniel. Many children have imaginary friends, especially if they are an only child. My imaginary friend was called Teela…which yes, I know is a character from He-Man but she was my favourite character, so…
Early on, we see that Daniel is a bad influence for Luke and gets him to do things that cause harm to others but as he was a young child, he didn’t know any better. Of course, his mom demanded that Daniel Isn’t Real and Luke needs to grow up and face his actions.
We skip a few years to when Luke is in college. He’s been doing well since forgetting about Daniel but his mom’s mental state has deteriorated. When Luke returns home to take care of his mother, Daniel reappears to ‘help’ Luke cope. Instantly, things seem to look up for Luke with his confidence, social and love life. Surely nothing can be wrong with a figment of our imagination when it’s helping us blossom, right??
Needless to say, this positivity starts to turn sour and Luke starts to believe he’s schizophrenic like his mother and seeks help from a psychiatrist he’s seen in the past. Luke refuses to let Daniel win and take over his mind, but at what cost?
We, as the audience, are shown little hints here and there as to who or what Daniel is and what he’s really up to. Sadly, Luke doesn’t realise until it’s too late.
I enjoyed this film but as a horror buff, it did lack a bit for me. The character of the mother, played by the amazing Mary Stuart Masterson, needed more to her. It was like she was just a fixture in the background. A few things were touched on about her mental issues but then forgotten about which is a shame as I feel she could’ve really added some weight to the story and dynamics between Luke and Daniel.
The build-up of Daniel was good and the speed, I feel, was spot on. You could see how easy it was for Luke to trust him and feel he was a safety feature in his own mind. The film did start a bit slow but it ebbs and flows correctly to understand Luke and what he was going through. I will admit that it would be easy for this to be a ‘movie in the background’ but do pay attention because you will miss important images and words from the characters. I would recommend this for a Friday night, a light horror film with a bowl of popcorn.
Daniel isn't Real...or is He?
Movie title: Daniel Isn't Real
Movie description: Based on the book "In This Way I Was Saved" by Brian DeLeeuw, Director Adam Egypt Mortimer takes us on a pshychologal, horror adventure. We follow Luke who, as a child, has innocently welcomed a new imaginary friend in his life, Daniel. All seems well until Daniel shows back up when Luke is an adult and causes some real psychological warfare.
Date published: February 7, 2020
Country: United Kingdom
Duration: 1hr 40mins
Author: Brian DeLeeuw
Director(s): Adam Egypt Mortimer
Actor(s): Patrick Schwarzenegger, Miles Robbins, Sasha Lane, Hannah Marks, Mary Stuart Masterson
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Tara is one of the latest article writers here in Blazing Minds, look out for more great posts from her only on the Blazing Minds website.
