Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Notice the terror around you…No, this isn’t a meditation from Headspace, this is the visualization strategy used in the teaser trailer for the film: Imaginary.
At screenings of the immensely popular Five Night at Freddy’s, Blumhouse’s trailer instructs you to shut your eyes, so you can create your own horror film.

A young girl’s voice is heard amidst ominous sounds, like an unnerving music-box. Then, you’re told to open your eyes and plastered on the screen are fleeting images of nightmarish creatures and frightened people.

For those used to scrolling on their phones to bide idle time before the film starts, this marketing will shake them out of the norm. We’re exposed to so much advertising every day that we nearly
drown in it. So, having to be an active participant in a trailer, and essentially the star of your ownhorror film, has a visceral impact. Moreover, what’s an even smarter promotional tool is that the
teaser is screened before Freddy’s, a film that reigns number one at the box office.

Most details of Imaginary are being kept in the dark. However, it has been revealed that the supernatural horror will feature a woman who has to deal with the repercussions of ditching her childhood imaginary friend. For now, like the teaser trailer, we can just let the harrowing recesses of our minds fill in the blanks.

Lionsgate is set to release Imaginary on March 8, 2024.

As the theater lights dim for #FiveNightsAtFreddys, close your eyes…and imagine.

Experience the first ever imaginary trailer – ONLY in theaters. #ImaginaryFilm pic.twitter.com/SwXDM2kfF8

— Blumhouse (@blumhouse) October 27, 2023