Now, Daniel cranks Luke’s mouth wide open, and climbs inside, essentially taking over for Luke, and letting loose on all the chaos and vitriol he hasn’t been able to accomplish with Luke around.

It also would have put certain stakes into Cassie and Luke’s bond that their romance needs to really read as a critical component. This isn’t a sign he’s a sociopath, but a kind kid who longs for human connection. Now my question, does anyone have any idea what’s up with the granny’s dollhouse then? Marian Phillips is a writer, reader, and horror movie fan based out of Pittsburgh, PA. She is a dedicated historian, researcher, and content creator, and now works as a Horror Movie Features Writer for Valnet, Inc at ScreenRant. Daniel Isn’t Real is a film that contains a plethora of subtext that has the ability to bombard the viewer with an array of possibilities of who Daniel is and what his origins are. And then he dives downwards. Wow. Daniel shows Luke a vision of him slitting Sophie’s throat. Daniel Isn’t Real most reminds me of two distinctly different films.

Or, the boy is demon possessed. Are we responsible for those we associate with? And it becomes clear, that while Luke is sleeping, Daniel has been taking over and doing things. Cassie unsuccessfully attempts to revive Luke after he hits the ground below. The film opens on an unknown shooter killing a coffee shop full of patrons before being shot by police.

One may contend that this intentionally plays into the character’s fabric, but Daniel on the other hand comes across as an overly false personality. © 2020 The Hollywood Reporter As Cassie also seems a bit broken I can see her being a prime next host. Are we as bad as the worst parts of ourselves?
Luke, Sophie, Makayla, and Richard sneak into the steam tunnels underneath campus. Could be. Therefore, when the naïve child showed up at the scene of the crime, the parasitic Daniel took hold of him, as he was the closest individual that he could manipulate without issue.
Robbin’s full commitment to unabashed emotional vulnerability is what makes this film work. It is a compelling take on good and evil. Luke mentions taking photos as a way to feel empathy for them. Just the right amount of oily charm to put you on edge, but not enough to outright hate him.

Then the film become more baroque, with the CGI special effects and horrific creature designs kicking in to launch the proceedings into body horror terrain.