The defence The Arthouse Gremlin
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
Back to trending 
Daniel Isn't Real
Horror · Mystery · 2019
A troubled college freshman resurrects his imaginary friend to help him cope with a violent trauma.
Movie details
Daniel Isn't Real
“The mind will do anything to avoid confronting just how alone it is in the universe.”
2019 Horror · Mystery 1h 41m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.1 / 10
Community rating
A troubled college freshman resurrects his imaginary friend to help him cope with a violent trauma.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Daniel Isn't Real?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Hide and Seek
Horror · 2005
David Callaway tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife's suicide and has been left to raise his nine-year-old daughter, Emily on his own. David is at first amused to discover that Emily has created an imaginary friend named 'Charlie', but it isn't long before 'Charlie' develops a sinister and violent side, and as David struggles with his daughter's growing emotional problems, he comes to the frightening realisation that 'Charlie' isn't just a figment of Emily's imagination.
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After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.
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Eli
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Dolly
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Young Macy is abducted by a deranged, monstrous figure who wants to raise her as its child.
Eyes of Laura Mars
Mystery · 1978
A famous fashion photographer develops a disturbing ability to see through the eyes of a serial killer.
Polaroid
Horror · 2019
High school loner Bird Fitcher has no idea what dark secrets are tied to the mysterious Polaroid vintage camera she stumbles upon, but it doesn't take long to discover that those who have their picture taken meet a tragic end. Bird and her friends must survive one more night as they race to solve the mystery of the haunted Polaroid before it kills them all.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Adam Egypt Mortimer
Written by
Brian DeLeeuw · Adam Egypt Mortimer
Miles Robbins
Luke Nightingale
Patrick Schwarzenegger
Daniel
Sasha Lane
Cassie
Mary Stuart Masterson
Claire
Hannah Marks
Sophie
Chukwudi Iwuji
Dr. Cornelius Braun
Peter McRobbie
Percy Thigpen
Court is in session
Put Daniel Isn't Real on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.