10 Amazing Psychological Horrors You've Never Heard Of
4. Daniel Isn't Real
Toeing the line between supernatural and psychological, this film delivers an interesting new take on the well-established idea of the ‘evil imaginary friend.’ Imaginary friends are creepy at the best of times, but that just might be because children are weird little things with wild imagination; when you reach adulthood and are still plagued by a non-existent buddy then we're entering new territory.
As a child, protagonist Luke witnesses a horrific shooting and then suffers through his parents' divorce. His way of coping is to conjure up a friend to always have his back: Daniel.
The two are close as can be and everything seems to be running smoothly until Daniel starts making odd requests, showing him to be a much more dangerous companion than Luke ever anticipated.
The film manages to be spooky whilst also offering commentary on the state of modern masculinity and its impacts on mental wellbeing. It is visually-engaging as well as being kept to a good pace, ensuring that our eventual discoveries and pay-off pack an appropriately horrifying punch.