10 Horror Movies That Lied To You In The Title

Adam Egypt Mortimer's Daniel Isn't Real kind of came out of nowhere in 2019, with an unlikely pair of leading men in nepo babies Miles Robbins and Patrick Schwarzenegger. But, while they may have rode in on their fathers' coattails, pitch perfect performances here have made indie horror stars of them in one fell swoop.

Having witnessed a traumatic shooting at a coffee shop as a child, the adult Luke (Robbins), now at college, is suffering from a litany of mental health issues, compounded by his institutionalised mother's paranoid schizophrenia. Seeking refuge from a life that is rapidly spinning out of control, Luke calls upon his childhood imaginary friend Daniel (Schwarzenegger) to help him out in the same ways he helped him as a child.

The crux of the film is whether Luke is actually a paranoid schizophrenic or not, as his imaginary friend compels him to do progressively more unsettling and immoral things. Spoiler: he's not; the title told you fibs.

As it happens, not only is Daniel real, he is in fact a centuries-old demonic parasite who attaches himself to the psyche of his victims, passed from person to person at sites of great trauma -- like the very trauma Luke witnessed as a child.

Cheery stuff. But whether the title lies or not, this one's a must for any serious horror fan.