Shudder: Z

It turns out Dr. Spock and most horror movies agree on at least one thing. It is definitely a bad thing when kids over 4-years still play with imaginary friends. However, horror movies are more vehement on the subject. That is especially true of the “imaginary” monster plaguing the Parsons family in Brandon Christensen’s Z (not to be confused with Costa-Gavras’s film), which premieres today on Shudder (in time for Mother’s Day).

Joshua Parsons used to be a good kid, until he started playing with an ominously controlling imaginary friend, who prefers to go by just plain “Z.” Since then, young Parsons has become disruptive in school and violent with his classmates. His parents even take him to a noted child psychologist, but Dr. Seager is not very Spockian. He assures them their son is fine, but it gives him a moment of pause when he hears the name “Z.”

Z is built around a familiar concept, but the execution is strong. There are some very creepy elements, as well as moments that will truly horrify any parent. Having previously helmed Still/Born, Christensen really seems to have it in for parenthood, but this is a much more effective film.

Z himself is nicely designed and seen on-screen just enough to maximize the dramatic impact and sufficiently withheld to build a sense of mystery. Of course, Christensen also has a genre ace-in-the-hole with Stephen McHattie, who plays a good doctor this time around, as Dr. Seager.

Daniel Isn’t Real—Or Is He?

Luke’s imaginary friend certainly isn’t a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit. He is slick, reckless, hedonistic, and sinister. He is everything Luke isn’t, except he maybe isn’t completely imaginary. At first, he gives Luke confidence, but then he drags the college freshman to some very dark places in Adam Egypt Mortimer’s Daniel Isn’t Real, which opens today in New York.

Daniel first appears in Luke’s young life at a moment when he was dealing with considerable trauma and angst. Initially, the “imaginary” friend provides some fun and distraction, but then he tricks the confused child into nearly poisoning his mother, Claire. When she recovers, she forces Luke to lock Daniel away in a dusty antique doll house. She assumes it is a bit of psychological role-playing, but it really works. Years later, Luke deliberately releases him, because of a vague notion Daniel could stimulate his artistic creativity. In retrospect, that was a really bad impulse decision.

For a while, Daniel helps Luke talk to girls in various social settings, but soon he is pushing Luke towards meaner, more aggressive behavior. Belatedly, Luke realizes Daniel’s influence makes him a danger to others—and himself. But wait, there’s more, which we won’t give away.

Happily, Mortimer does not overplay the “is-he-really-just-going-crazy” card, because a lot of horror fans are probably getting tired of that non-twisty twist. However, there is still some pretty cool imagery of Luke’s troubled subconscious manifested on-screen. It is not Hitchcock’s Spellbound, but it is impressive.