Blumhouse Productions (Insidious, Sinister, Get Out, M3GAN) have had many great hits, but in recent years they have made less successful films, including Halloween Ends, Insidious: The Red Door, The Exorcist: Believer, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Night Swim, I was hoping that this latest offering from them could be good, directed by Jeff Wadlow (Cry Wolf, Kick-Ass 2, Blumhouse's Fantasy Island). Basically, children's author and illustrator Jessica (DeWanda Wise) is married to British musician Max (Tom Payne), who has two daughters, young Alice (Pyper Braun) and teenager Taylor (Taegen Burns), from his previous marriage. Alice likes Jessica but Taylor is somewhat distant towards her new stepmother. Jessica is haunted by nightmares which include her father Ben (Samuel Salary) and her fictional character, Simon the Spider. The family has moved into Jessica's childhood home. Exploring the basement, Alice discovers a teddy bear. Alice tells Jessica the bear's name is Chauncey and quickly forms a bond with him. Jessica is reunited with the elderly neighbour Gloria (Betty Buckley), who used to babysit her as a child. Gloria shares memories of Jessica's childhood, which she cannot remember. Alice's and Taylor's mentally unstable biological mother Samantha (Alix Angelis) breaks into the house to see her daughters. The police arrive and take Samantha away after she tries to attack Jessica; Taylor confesses to contacting her. Jessica puts Alice to bed, remarking to her that she used to have a friend (imaginary) like Chauncey. Jessica is left to look after the children when Max embarks on a tour with his band. Alice becomes fixated on completing a scavenger hunt list, apparently compiled by Chauncey. Jessica becomes slowly disturbed by the teddy bear's overwhelming presence in Alice's life. One day, Jessica goes to visit Ben, who is living in an institution due to a mental breakdown. While she is gone, Taylor invites young neighbour Liam (Matthew Sato) over. During his visit, Liam offers her what appears to be drugs which she does not take, and he knocks over and shatters an alcohol bottle. Liam goes to the bathroom to find a towel and use the toilet, during which he is toyed with by Chauncey, including with his pull string, Liam assumes he is tripping. Then Chauncey briefly turns into a monstrous bear and frightens Liam. Jessica returns and catches him and Taylor, angering her stepdaughter. Afterward, one of the instructions on Alice's list is "something that hurts"; Jessica narrowly stops Alice from slamming her hand down onto a nail. Jessica calls therapist and child psychologist Dr. Soto (Veronica Falcón) to come speak to Alice. Soto observes Alice talk to Chauncey and speak on his behalf, who makes threatening remarks about Jessica. Alice cries about their friendship falling apart, and Soto notices when she turns her head, that Alice is not speaking as the teddy bear. Jessica talks about Alice and the bear spending time together, but Soto makes her realise that only she and Alice can see the bear. Soto shows Jessica footage of a past child patient (Eduardo Campirano), and the little boy uses a phrase Alice used: "Never Ever". Alice disappears after speaking to Chauncey again and Taylor blames her stepmother for her sister's disappearance. Taylor encounters Gloria who invites her to her home and explains what happened to Jessica as a child. Chauncey was also Jessica's childhood imaginary friend. Gloria explains that imaginary friends are spirits that bind themselves to the young and may become aggressive if abandoned; Jessica abandoned Chauncey and he is angered. Jessica goes through her childhood belongings and finds drawing a door that she drew with the words "Never Ever". Taylor and Gloria return to complete the scavenger hunt list for themselves while in the basement, hoping it will lead them to Alice. The final step is to do "something that hurts", Jessica stabs herself in the hand, but it does not work. Jessica then suddenly says hateful things towards Taylor, and this causes a glowing door to appear in the basement; Jessica explains that it was saying awful things that were "hurtful". Jessica, Taylor and Gloria enter the realm of Never Ever, a place controlled by imagination. They find a door showing Jessica's childhood incident. Chauncey had lured Jessica into the Never Ever. A flashback reveals that Ben rescued her, going mad in the process from seeing Chauncey's eyes. Jessica left home shortly after to live with her paternal grandmother. Gloria, who has grown obsessed with the realm, goes mad and deliberately closes the escape route. Moments later, a door opens beside Gloria and the monstrous Chauncey mauls her to death. Jessica and Taylor locate Alice, after going through a series of rooms and they attempt to escape. Chauncey goes berserk as the group leaves, but Jessica stops him by stabbing him in the eye. After reuniting with Ben and Max at the institution, Jessica realises she is still stuck in the imaginary world. Chauncey has used Alice as bait to lure Jessica, his real target, as he seeks revenge for her abandoning him. Taylor arrives and saves Jessica. Chauncey turns to his true form, Jessica's literary Simon, a giant vicious spider. The creature tries to turn Jessica insane hypnotising her with his eyes, but Alice sets the creature on fire. The spider is sealed behind the door and the entrance to the realm is painted over with black paint. The family escapes as the basement is ignited, and they get out before the fire spreads through the house, and it burns to the ground. The family almost checks into a hotel but they are frightened by a child playing with his imaginary friend who is another teddy bear. The three leave for the next hotel. Also starring Wanetah Walmsley as Barbara, Rhythm Hurd as Young Jessica, Shawn Sanz as Officer, Lawrence J. Weber Jr. As Orderly, and Dane DiLiegro as Chauncey Beast. The story involving dormant memories reawakened with an evil presence is silly, the teddy bear is not creepy enough to take seriously, and the predictable dialogue is laughably daft. Any attempts to create twists and turns or to make it scary are wasted, and the moment the characters enter the imaginary world it is just non-sensical, it gets so ridiculous that I just wanted it to end, a most disappointing and mediocre supernatural horror. Adequate!