It might be that I grew up watching Drop Dead Fred on repeat, but imaginary friends on film have always intrigued me. Sadly, since Drop Dead Fred there has not really been many films that have focused on the phenomena. Well that was until the past year, which has seen two arrive almost at once, and both are available on Shudder. The first is the fantastic Daniel Isn’t Real, a film that knocked us out of the park when we caught it at last year’s Arrow Video FrightFest. That film followed a troubled young man, Luke (Tim Robbins), who much like Drop Dead Fred’s Elizabeth, called upon the help of his childhood pal Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger) whilst struggling at college. Now comes Z from director Brandon Christensen, whom opts to set the imaginary friend idea firmly into the more traditional horror world.
The Parson family, mother Elizabeth (Keegan Connor Tracy), father Kevin (Sean Rogerson), and young son Josh (Jett Klyne), are just your average family unit. That is until Josh makes a new friend, Z, one that only he can see. Initially writing it off as just a phase, Elizabeth soon starts to get concerned that there’s something more sinister going on. Before long, the family find themselves the victims of the unseen Z’s temper, and then a fight to survive begins.
Most kids have an imaginary friend at some point or another, and it all seems like a natural part of growing up. At the same time, seeing your child happily conversing with what appears to be thin air will never not be creepy. Christensen, and his Z co-writer (and fellow director) Colin Minihan, tap into this eerie sensation and turn it up to eleven. There are moments within Z that, despite their outward normalcy, are heavily veiled in goosebump-inducing tension. Whether it be a toy that suddenly takes on the appearance of eyes, or a very sinister wall drawing, Christensen knows exactly how to keep the viewer on edge. Somehow he has managed to craft a plethora of unexpected scares that you will not see coming. One such scare, featuring a not-so-typical play date, is so surprising that it’s easily up there with that scene from The Invisible Man, as the year’s standout film fright.
What might on paper sound rather formulaic, is anything but; Z has more than enough originality and surprises to keep you interested. In fact, the film veers into some extremely dark places. Without wishing to give too much away, Christensen delves into a variety of topics including trauma, repression, toxic relationships, and mental illnesses. A lot more than your more commercial scare-fest.
At the centre of Z is a wonderfully woven performance from Keegan Connor Tracy. Perhaps best known for her turn as the Good Fairy in Once Upon a Time, that was a role that didn’t fully display her full range, but here with the role of Elizabeth, she gets to fully exercise her acting muscles and proves that she’s more than capable of handling a little darkness. Most of the latter half of the film is focused almost solely on her as she tries to balance keeping her family safe and maintaining her sanity.
With Daniel Isn’t Real already a resident, and Z joining it, horror streaming service Shudder seems to be cornering the market in imaginary friend themed genre films. If future ones continue to show the same creativity as these two then long may this new sub-genre long continue.
Z is available to watch on Shudder now.
